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If you are building or changing an interior or exterior then please do not overlook the impact that good lighting will make on your space and investment.
Quality lighting products and great lighting design are huge factors in the success of all built environments and its impact on wellbeing, experience and productivity has been proven.
This is the work of a lighting designer – this is what we do.
If you are building or changing an interior or exterior then please do not overlook the impact that good lighting will make on your space and investment.
Quality lighting products and great lighting design are huge factors in the success of all built environments and its impact on wellbeing, experience and productivity has been proven.
Let us help you make that choice. This page will show you how in 4 sections.
We are lighting designers and suppliers of architectural and decorative lighting. The majority of our work is assisting interior designers and architects with their lighting choices, by offering the services of lighting design, lighting choice and lighting supply. We work with people who are managing their own projects, whether commercial or residential. We also work with people who are simply trying to improve a single room or simply source the right product.
The powerful medium of light is incredible to work with, it can make or break an interior or exterior scheme. Where this artificial light comes from, how it integrates into a building and how it is controlled is the work of a lighting designer.
Like so many of our long standing interior designer clients, if you are reasonably confident at choosing lighting at the decorative level, then our role is to assist you with their choices and provision. The choices of artificial lighting are numerous. Some lighting can be dominant in a space – a chandelier, a floor lamp, a table lamp are all used for their contributing aesthetic. Their size and function all require careful consideration.
With the era of LED lighting miniaturising lighting, lighting sources are often incorporated into the very fabric of the building. This integration and the fact that LEDs last so long mean your lighting choices have never been more important.
As lighting distributors and suppliers, we have access to a wide variety of lighting not commonly found, the choice of which can be made according to style and budget.
We have working relationships with many design professionals who use us to assist in the sourcing and procurement of lighting for their projects. It just makes sense for them to rely upon us as suppliers who are also designers with a deep knowledge of the industry.
Lighting supply at its most basic level can be standardised, with installers often using their own source of supply, usually the electrical wholesaler, for convenience and efficiency. That pattern of specification will possibly produce adequate results but we are here to maximise your projects potential by going beyond what is commonly found.
Lighting choices are made by us all whenever we choose lights to turn on or leave off when entering a room. Lighting design at its most basic level is to make those choices ahead of when you need them, to ensure that a space is lit at it’s best for each occasion it is used.
Good lighting design elevates the required functionality of an interior or exterior space into a three dimensional experience that should benefit the user in many ways.
See our article on The Benefits of Good Lighting Design
Our role is to assist you in your journey of discovering what is needed for your space. We want to take you beyond what is obvious.
A lighting designer has an incredibly important role in the built environment. There are more lighting designers involved in architectural design now than ever before, particularly as lighting has now evolved into being a part of the structure and not simply installed into it once built.
There lies the responsibility. A product that is built into the structure has less opportunity for revision if unsuccessful, so it has to be right. Like most disciplines, they can be attempted by many but mastered by few. It’s a scary business specifying lighting as its power and affect can be profound on a space but settling for less is an opportunity wasted.
A lighting designer will take you through a design process to create drawings and lighting product schedules that will be used by the installers to create the environment that has been envisioned.
If you are building a house then you need residential lighting design advise. Your architect and electrician are capable of making those decisions too, but in our experience their level of detail just isn’t afforded the time to take it to where we as experts can. However, surely employing a designer is expensive and beyond the reach of the average homeowner? That depends on whether you find value in good design and we are always willing to shape the amount of advice we offer to your level of budget.
If you are refurbishing a room, then you would benefit from some design advice together with the choosing of the right products.
If you have a commercial space then the interior and lighting design will be an asset to your business. The subliminal message that lighting and design conveys should be used to your advantage. Lighting has the power to welcome or repel customers. Lighting can encourage them to spend more, choose better and engage with your business that will pay dividends. Just think of a great interior space you have been in and ask if it was professionally designed or not? Think of a good retail space that you have enjoyed shopping in and you will have already forgotten about the ones that didn’t.
If you have a project that is tight on time, as lighting designers we can shortcut the process of research for you and quickly create the lighting package you need and can trust.
The power of the internet has levelled the information we all have access to. Our lighting blog that has been written for over 10 years with the goal of telling you first about developments and techniques, not to withhold information to elevate our role as a specialist. We believe our role remains secure in this information age, for people who value our experience learnt over more than 20 years. It’s sometimes not what you can quickly discover about a product and its cheapest price, but all about the value we bring by bringing peace of mind and to hopefully avoid mistakes that only hindsight (and more money) can make right.
Some interior spaces are challenging to design and to choose the lighting for. A specialised lighting knowledge is an essential resource that an expensive build demands.
If a project can afford an interior designer, then the client would usually expect that designer to produce the lighting design as part of their package. An interior designer would also want to control the lighting choices as the lighting plays such a key part of the design.
Small projects and particularly residential design, our interior designer clients generally know what to do and just want our lighting design knowledge to appraise their choices and then let us supply. Demanding spaces can tip the balance back to the lighting designer to make the key choices.
Large projects benefit from the infusion of both lighting and interior design. Collaborating closely, both interior designer and lighting designer develop the design in tandem.
There is no exact fixed design process as clients will want differing outcomes and provide different levels of starting information. The following lighting design process can be adapted and cherry picked to suit each projects requirements or each person we work with. This process is prior to a projects first fix electrical installation, meaning before the wiring is installed.
A conversation regarding your project at first will begin to shape your expectations of how the design of your lighting will benefit your project. We will ask you to submit any plans and elevations you may have and any relevant photography. At this point we can decide on whether we need to visit the project if indeed that is possible.
Smaller briefs such as a single room or tackling a singular issue will normally use an hourly rate to engage on the work. We will tell you the expected amount of hours it will take and can set boundaries of time and therefore expense.
Projects will be quoted for with an outline of our expected role, detailing the type and amount of drawings to be provided.
This is where together the apirational brief is set for us to design for as well as the practical collation of technical information and building characteristics. The method of control of the lighting will be discussed and explored if not already chosen.
A full project will to a degree evolve slowly at first, incrementally making important decisions that build momentum and a common design ethos between us and the client. In other words we walk before we can run to ensure time isn’t wasted. Draft lighting designs will often be schematic in nature and not necessarily a full CAD drawing.
Once the schematic lighting design has been agreed, the detail of each chosen product will be scheduled and the lighting plans created. Each product is coded from plan to schedule so you and the future installer will know what and how to fit the product.
Not all projects run a linear start to finish for us as lighting designers. We often join a project which has been running for a long time as the lighting has been overlooked or become too difficult for those involved. If this is you then we are familiar with last minute pressurised scenarios and we will do our best to work to your requirements.
The choice of fixtures and final drawings are signed off by the client and then issued by us back to you for tender and installation.
It is always beneficial for us to oversee the entire process from design to implementation. Budget allowing we are included to visit the project during construction as inevitably all works evolve as a building throws up challenges that we have to resolve along the way. The early visits to a project to check the marking out of the lighting positioning, are a beneficial time to adapt and revise the design in reality before the wiring is installed. Location allowing, the progress of installation will be checked in person or discussed with the installer to assist in making sure the drawn design becomes a reality.
We hope to provide as much of the actual lighting product as possible. Every fixture is coded on a plan to ensure that the installers will know which fixtures to install. We keep some stock of popular essentials of commonly used products, but much of the project will be procured on your behalf and a managed delivery to your chosen destination will ensue.
This final stage of the lighting design process is where we ensure that the light being created is where it should be and at the intensity required for each chosen occasion. Where digital controls are used the scene setting will be decided upon and managed.
We engage mainly in hospitality and residential based environments including home refurbishments, extensions, restaurants, hotels and even churches. A major part of our role in supporting interior designers is to advise on best practise and appraise their own lighting designs.
Orange Lighting are always involved with a residential lighting design project in one way or another. From a complete lighting design and supply for a new build or large refurbishment to a single room design, as lighting designers we will always collaborate with you and be a part of your team.
“Andrew advised on our residential build project, where his knowledge and attention to detail proved invaluable in enhancing our lighting designs. His technical knowledge assisted in our lighting selection and he has been great to work with. I would recommend him as a trusted adviser to any project.” Feedback from Harry M. , November 2021
We have had the privilege of being trusted with the lighting design of restaurants for leading providers in the UK and abroad. Usually working closely with the interior designer, our solutions are collaborative, sensitive to the demands of each project yet progressive to ensure our solutions are integral to the operators success.
Commercial lighting design for luxury hotels, spas and even churches. A good lighting design will elevate the architectural and interior design, enhance its functionality and be flexible to the demands of each day throughout the year. From design to commissioning, our role is to surprise you with solutions that delight and meet the budget.