Light it up – differently! - Interiors & Designs News

Lighting plays an important part in not just being a practical necessity but also in creating a unique ambience, says Radeesh Shetty

According to renowned Swedish cinematographer, Sven Nykvist, light can be gentle, dangerous, dreamlike, bare, living, dead, misty, clear, hot, dark, violet, spring like, falling, straight, sensual, limited, poisonous, calm and soft. There can hardly be a better description for something that is as ubiquitous as light! The importance of light is accentuated when you imagine a space without one. Again when it comes to lighting in hospitality, lighting is all the more important. In a hotel environment varied lights are needed in different areas. When you enter a hotel lobby undoubtedly the first thing you notice is that it is brightly lit even in the day. And if you look more carefully it is impossible not to notice numerous forms of lights ranging from chandeliers on the ceiling to wall fixtures and lamp shades and cove lights and more. Undoubtedly, the place would lose most of its charm if the lights were switched off. Clearly, lighting plays an important part in not just being a practical necessity but also in creating a unique ambience.

Lighting spaces

The lighting aspect in a hospitality space is compounded by the fact that different kinds of lights are needed in different areas. Hotel entrances today have adopted an LED walkway lighting system. Common areas like the entrance lobby, lift lobby and living rooms should be lit in such a way that it provides a warm feeling to guests and creates a welcoming ambience. Today sensors are also installed in the lobby areas that lead to the rooms that automatically switch on when they detect movement. This not just saves electricity but is also environment friendly. For ceiling chandeliers in the guest room, hanging light, mirror optic light, compact fluorescent light (CFL), T5 slim tube light create the right impact. On the wall, picture lights can be used to highlight frames or artifacts. LED lights and slim tube lights in niches and alcoves provide a diffused look. Lighting in a hotel should also ensure that the guest feels at home. Hence, it is imperative for lighting to be intelligent and to create a relaxing environment that also compliments the guest’s mood. Lighting can be easily adapted to suit different moods and occasions. Lighting control systems can alter intensities, lamp combinations and colours instantly. And with miniature and highly-efficient LED light sources you can create the right ambience in both white and coloured light. A dimming system which can control the intensity of lighting illumination as per the required mood is a good fit in guest rooms and gives a nice cozy feel as well. Public spaces like conference and meeting rooms need all kind of lights – white light for discussion and dim light for presentations. Task lighting with the white or warm white gradients of light output, mostly uses the ceiling mounted fixtures such that minimum shadows are created. Care needs to be taken that the entire room is illuminated, including the walls and ceiling. In the outdoors and swimming pool areas, white light works best whereas in the spa and wellness areas, yellow light brightens up the space for different activities. Pools with glass walls appear more spacious at night if the garden areas outdoors are illuminated. Bar lighting is mostly soft mood lighting to ensure that guests intending to relax are not bothered by the intensity of light, whether it is created by a crystal chandelier or tables, floor or wall lighting. Wellness areas like spas focus on muted lights to create a sense of calm. As far as outdoor lighting for the facade of the building is concerned it is important that the lighting design needs to be adjusted to ensure that various styles of architecture are highlighted and prominent.

Top trends

The top trends for 2014 are:

Go green

Most hotels today are utilising every opportunity to reduce environmental impact related energy consumption. Hotel lighting is accountable for a significant percentage of energy consumption. As a result, the new trend is focused on taking responsible environmental decisions and working towards a LEED certification for the property. Most properties are making energy-saving changes and replacing LED lights with CFL lamps. With environment consciousness at the forefront of any aspect of a hotel, energy efficiency has become a primary focus area. Products are being launched with green features due to increasing customer preference. The LED light itself is a green option, which saves power. Solar power lighting systems are also popular. Sensor lighting in lounges and passages that turn on lights to the required level only if they sense a person’s presence, are other green options. Likewise in utility/washroom areas PIR sensor based relays save energy when the area is unoccupied. Automated control technologies combined with LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) and efficient fluorescent lamps are the new trends and products that can reduce electricity usage by 60 per cent, whereas lighting accounts for 20 per cent of total electricity usage in commercial buildings. LEDs are digital, highly versatile and provide many new avenues and options in terms of creativity and design across applications. Unlike traditional light sources, LEDs provide the option of intrinsic coloured lighting and directional lighting. According to a report by NPD DisplaySearch, the demand for LED lighting is expected to double from 16 million units in 2012 to 33 million in 2013 and is expected to triple by 2016.

Go simple

The next big trend is to keep things simple, elegant and clean. Guests today want little in the way of trendy aesthetics and more value for money. There has been a shift from more elaborate and grandeur lighting ideas to more seemingly sophisticated design that combines lighting and art form. Avoid connecting multiple lights to a single switch, as it could lead to over lighting a room, as well as wasting light.

Go wireless

Wireless lighting controls is a tool that integrates lighting controls for daylight harvesting in tandem with occupancy sensors. Lighting control systems that can instantly alter intensities, lamp combinations and colours are in. In fact you can change the mood of a general purpose room from ‘party’ to ‘conference’ at the flick of a switch. A multifunctional control unit which operates lights, blinds and the AC, allowing guests to individually adjust the lighting and therefore the entire room effect helps. Wireless sensors make it simple to install these technologies without the time and costs associated with running wires behind walls and ceilings, and it makes it simple to reconfigure spaces in the future. It’s time hotels see light in a ‘different light’!