Shedding A Light On Lighting

By Shaun Barker, Assistant Product Group Manager for furniture lighting at Hafele UK.

Lighting is a powerful tool. It can balance room dimensions, create better spatial orientation and highlight key features. But as well as affecting how things look, it impacts on how we feel too. While traditionlly, lighting might’ve been the job of an electrician or tackled in design by a kitchen planner, new systems are making it a simple added extra that installers can offer to their customers.

The importance of lighting

Well thought-out lighting design and installation can calm, motivate, inspire and even enliven our mood. It’s also a key factor for consumers – in a recent survey, we found that 89% of home workers said lighting was key to the perfect set-up.

When we’re using our home for a variety of reasons – from working at home, exercising, learning and relaxing – it’s essential to have a lighting scheme and complementary technology which can create the perfect conditions for every room, mood or activity.

While lighting alone illuminates a space, combining different lighting techniques – in a practice called layering – can help you achieve more for your customers.
Accent lighting highlights specific features within a room for example, while spotlights focus the eyes on a specific area, highlighting interesting objects or acting as pathfinders. Task lighting – often in strip form – is ideal for food preparation areas or if a kitchen is used as a home office, for work areas too. Meanwhile ambient lighting helps achieve a specific mood and can make a space feel bigger or cosier.

The latest in lighting

Lighting can also help create a specific look and feel in a home, for example, a contemporary, hi-tech aesthetic.
Concealed switches can be installed into wood, glass or stone so they are totally hidden from view for a minimalist finish. Additionally, lighting systems can combine with sound systems or include charging points for a fully integrated approach.

Smart LED lighting systems can also be controlled via apps or wireless switches giving the user full command over all aspects of their lighting. They also allow users to set their own colours and brightness of the lighting in their room for a truly personalised experience that’s activated at the touch of a button.

Supporting lighting design

To help installers who are new to lighting design but keen to add it to their offer, Häfele provides a free Lighting Design Service. Simply submit plans to Häfele’s team of designers, who will in turn create bespoke lighting layouts on their behalf. This service can also be combined with Häfele to Order meaning installers will get bespoke cut LED lighting in line with their plan, which can then be assembled, packaged, labelled and delivered ready to site for easy and quick installation.

For more information, visit www.hafele.co.uk/loox