LIGHTING

Light fantastic

Ellie Coombs takes a look at the enormous influence that lighting can have on the inside of a home

At Nulty, we are often asked to make annual predictions of trends for the industry and in ‘normal times’ this can actually be a bit of a struggle. Light forms an invisible character that we as lighting designers are fascinated by. It can change the whole mood of a building, excite an entire room and inspire creative play. But it can also be a challenge to work with this intangible substance and so figuring out future forecasting can be difficult. What’s interesting though, is now that we are in the full throttle of a global pandemic, we can predict a whole host of likely alterations that the lighting industry will seek to adopt. The first of these predictions is that most of us now understand the importance of light, whether natural or artificial, and how it can impact our health and wellbeing, so the way in which we light our homes will likely become a crucial part of future design.

Over the last year, we have all experienced our homes in a new way. So much time at home has meant that we now understand every inch of the space, every intimate detail, every sound, every creak. For prospective new homeowners or tenants this will mean a change in demand in what they seek when buying or renting a new property. For those remaining in their homes, a new level of understanding about light is now in motion. We used to only really experience poor lighting when we left our homes. We would complain to office managers that our desks were poorly lit, or usher over waiters in restaurants and ask them to re-light the candle on the table to set the mood. We rarely put much energy into our own homes, but now that we find ourselves working, eating, living and sleeping at home, the time to think about light and make it a priority has never been more important.

Open plan living has long been a requirement for many homeowners. As lighting designers, we have spent a lot of our time during the pandemic helping people use light to define areas within these open plan spaces and to change the ambience throughout the day. Different types of lighting solutions can alleviate the issue of spending the majority of our time in the same space. As we move into a new year still in the throes of the pandemic, we expect to see a return to more traditional space planning. There

Another area of lighting design that will gain even further attention this year will be sustainable lighting practices. Sustainability, health and wellbeing have been huge drivers in the industry for many years, particularly with an emphasis on energy efficiency

will likely be a reluctance to serve open plan areas, with many of us favoring separate rooms with more defined uses. This will allow the lighting design to be specific to a space and will reduce the need for general flexible lighting designs. Track systems will be out and integrated details in, with fewer light fittings required and controls simplified. In other words – the lighting in each room can be optimized for its use providing the best possible solution.

With many businesses considering making a permanent change to homeworking, either part or full time, home offices are set to become a standard feature in new homes. Previously, our ‘spare rooms’ served multiple purposes, whether it be a part-time gaming room, a space to hang up the laundry or just a place to have a break from your partner! Now we are finding these rooms rapidly becoming fully functioning home office spaces. It’s so important that the lighting is designed properly to support the technical requirements of video conferencing but to also accompany our eyesight, health and wellbeing.

It’s not just inside that we are seeing the way in which our homes are changing. In areas with changeable weather, we have tended to use our gardens only sporadically – when the sun is out and the BBQ is calling. During the midst of the pandemic, for those lucky enough to have a garden or an outdoor space, they became a precious sanctuary and a place to escape the four walls we were confined to. Outdoor areas have now adapted to act like additional rooms – they are spaces where we can cook, dine, work-out, learn and interact with nature. As we rediscover these underused spaces, we expect to see an increased focus on exterior lighting. This will help to increase the hours in which gardens can be occupied and can enhance the many ways in which we now use our gardens.

Another area of lighting design that will gain even further attention this year will be sustainable lighting practices. Sustainability, health and wellbeing have been huge drivers in the industry for many years, particularly with an emphasis on energy efficiency. Now, however, we are starting to see more

of a focus on the life cycles of products and focus is being given to the carbon footprint used by manufacturers and designers. We can approach sustainable lighting design holistically and fittings and fixtures, for example, will now be selected based on their environmental impact. We might also find more focus on vintage, reclaimed and hand-crafted light fixtures from suppliers with strong sustainable and ethical policies.

Our home environments have never been more important than they are today, and the way in which we light them has now come to the fore of design. To support this interest, we at Nulty decided to put together a free masterclass on YouTube outlining how to design lighting for homes, room by room. We hope by sharing our knowledge with the industry during these strange and challenging times, more interior designers and homebuilders will become increasingly engaged in incorporating the best light possible into our homes. F Ellie Coombs is Managing Director at Nulty. Nulty is a leading-edge lighting design consultancy working with some of the world’s foremost architects and interior designers. Collaboration and teamwork is at the heart of its practice; improving life through light, no matter what the scale, is its goal. A Nulty project is defined by its originality and attention to detail. www.nultylighting.co.uk https://www.youtube.com/ playlist?list=PLhXAtLwd8u9MYjmluZm7zWxOEMheqpreA

Get virtual

The Outdoor GreatRoom Company™ (OGC) has launched its first-ever Virtual Showroom Experience. Powered by virtual software 3DVista, the new Virtual Showroom is an immersive way for guests to discover new and popular outdoor living products manufactured by OGC.

The Virtual Showroom incorporates lifestyle videos, informational handouts, and product page website links to deliver a personalized interaction between sales representatives, partnered businesses, and consumers. Easy-touse buttons and an engaging visual interface are included to create a seamless experience.

The creation of the OGC’s Virtual Tour is largely in response to tradeshows and in-person events cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Bradford near Boston

Toll Brothers, Inc., the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes, through its Toll Brothers Apartment Living® rental subsidiary, and The Davis Companies is pleased to announce the opening of The Bradford, a brand-new luxury community located in Belmont, Mass. The project marks the sixth partnership between Toll Brothers Apartment Living and The Davis Companies.

The Bradford, a 112-apartment home community, offers a blend of studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans across three buildings. Each apartment home includes a premier package of modern and contemporary finishes. Residents enter their residences through a secure keyless entry system and are met with high-end features including wood-style flooring, quartz countertops, pendant lighting, stainless steel appliances, full size in-unit washer and dryer, and spacious walk-in closets. Select homes feature dens and balconies.

The power of reviews

Eliant, the leader in experience management solutions for the homebuilding industry, has announced the signing of The New Home Company, a publicly traded homebuilder based in Irvine, Calif., to its best-in-class new home community review website Eliant Reviews (https://reviews.eliant. com/the-new-home-company). With this client addition, Eliant grows its listing of participating national and regional homebuilders to the Reviews platform.

“Our vision is for Eliant Reviews to become homebuyers’ go-to destination for verified, unbiased online reviews about the communities that they are considering calling home. With these additions to our already robust roster of participating clients, the platform becomes an even more valuable resource to the homebuying public,” stated Eliant’s President, Fernanda Luick.

Aggregate ratings are published for the homebuilder in addition to detailed ratings and comments per community. A fantastic sales and marketing tool, Eliant Reviews makes it easy for homebuilders to source and publish verified homebuyer reviews, respond to homebuyer comments directly, and build trust with prospective homebuyers who go online to research new home communities.

“Research shows that consumer reviews are very influential on the homebuyer’s purchasing journey. We have found that homebuilders who publish verified homebuyer ratings and reviews experience higher degrees of brand trust and credibility, leading to more referral sales,” Luick continued.

Welcome to Portland

LGI Homes, Inc. has unveiled Harts Crossing, a new community in Portland, Ore., located ten miles east of downtown. This enclave of 32 townhomes offers new, low maintenance homes with included upgrades in a commuter-friendly location near the TriMet MAX light rail. “We are excited to announce our first community located in the heart of Multnomah County,” said Ryan Stokes, division president at LGI Homes. “Harts Crossing gives our customers immediate access to the city of Portland’s many amenities and attractions.” Buyers may choose from three distinct floor plans at Harts Crossing, ranging in size from approximately 1,300 to 1,600 square feet, each equipped with LGI’s CompleteHome™ suite of upgrades. The three- to four-bedroom homes include attached, one-car garages and popular design characteristics such as open-concept entertaining areas, luxurious owner retreats and upstairs flex rooms, which allow space for homeowners to personalize as a home office, fitness area, children’s retreat or more. In each home at Harts Crossing, buyers will enjoy modern kitchens equipped with granite countertops, high-grade cabinetry, stainless steel appliances by Whirlpool® and ENERGY STAR LED lighting.