So often a design afterthought, bad lighting can kill a decor scheme so why do we spend so little time planning it? For lighting expert Andrew Orange – who has shed the right kind of light on both Gleneagles Hotel and Turnberry Golf Resort – we need to start thinking about the process as ‘painting with light’.
To become your own expert, read his latest advice on how to use artificial light to boost a room when, like today, those daylight rays are less than sunshine filled:
The High-Low Divide:
Think beyond the table lamp. ‘A more effective solution is to mix our whites and play with the direction the fittings are illuminating,’ he explains. ‘For instance one solution may be to up light a colder white onto the ceiling to freshen and lift. If then we need to beef up the light cast toward the floor, this could be achieved with down lights or flush ceiling lights.’
Here, a strip of LED lighting is used to highlight the architectural detailing on the ceiling both adding definition in a seamless space and injecting it with light.
Layer Up:
Introduce lighting layers by concentrating the light at a lower physical level. ‘Consider wall lights, table lights, floor lights - using a warm lamp at people height level and possibly supplement with a warm fabric shade to add warmth,’ he says.
Clean and clinical - lighting plays an integral part in setting the tone in this monochrome bedroom
No dining table is complete without a perfectly-placed pendant light. With its silk shade and hand-blown glass spheres, the 'Champers' light amps up the glamour factor and bathes the dining table in a soft glow
As demonstrated at Cameron House, Andrew does beautiful bathroom lighting where, due to the wet environment they have to live in, practicality can often win out over prettiness
A floor lamp for the outdoors? Oh yes, thanks to these funky fibreglass creations, which thanks to their weather-proof credentials, can also be used in the bathroom.
To watch his advice-laden videos or check out some of his newest designs visit
www.houseoforange.co.uk .
Of course, the ultimate name in architectural lighting is John Cullen, who has just launched its new website:
www.johncullenlighting.co.uk. The ‘Example Designs’ section means even tells you which fittings have been used to achieve a particular lighting effect. One of his specialities is illuminating a feature with a myriad of tiny twinkles to let the architecture do the talking. Take a look at the below to see how it’s done…
Here the focus is deftly directed on the table with the use of downlights that highlight onto the place settings. For the evening, 'floor washers' define the stairs whilst spiked spots light up the garden.
There are so many tools at play here it's tricky to know where to start. Note the soft downlighting that plays up the luxuriously tactile drapes and the under cupboard lights that make a feature out of the recess behind the headboard.
