Lighting Design Brings Beauty and Elegance to Smart Homes

Aesthetically Pleasing, Easy-to-Manage Homes Combine Lighting Design and Lighting Control

In smart home automation circles, we often talk about lighting control. One touch on an in-wall keypad can turn off all of your lights at once. Tapping the "Entertainment" button on your Control4 touchscreen can set your indoor and outdoor landscape lights to the perfect hue and temperature for an evening of gathering with friends. 

Turn into your driveway, and your lights illuminate a trail to your door before you even get out of the car. Lighting control is a powerful home management tool.

On the other hand, lighting design is about beauty as well as functionality. Architectural lighting design considers natural light, electric light, and how light is used throughout a home. It is as important as paint, texture, furnishings, and a home’s overall design. 

As the interior designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz stated, “Light is the magical ingredient that makes or breaks a space; it’s one of the more important elements in all my interiors.” 

Let’s look at how lighting design can transform your Arden, NC home. 

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The Key Elements in Lighting Design

Architectural lighting enhances the architecture and is a combination of both art and technology. It provides four main functions.

• Aesthetics: This is the artistic element of design. The proper lighting brings our attention to chosen focal points. It creates perception, with bright illuminating lighting transforming rooms into spacious, lively areas. On the other hand, low-intensity task lighting with delicate perimeter lighting can set the stage for intimacy and warmth. 

• Functionality: Lighting plays a critical role in enabling homeowners to fulfill tasks and enjoy their surroundings. Whether reading, cooking, or watching a movie, the correct lighting can make the activity more enjoyable and easier to complete. Functional design involves analyzing a space with the user in mind. What will they do in this area, and where will they spend most of their time? The answer to these questions determines the placement, type of fixture, color, and intensity. 
• Efficiency: Today, there is a tremendous focus on reducing one’s carbon footprint and energy consumption. Harvesting daylight or using natural lighting to decrease the need for electric lighting offers significant savings in energy while helping to produce a beautiful environment. Using dimmers and LED lighting also reduce energy usage. 

• Safety and Security: Floodlights, spotlights, and motion-sensor activated lights all play a part in protecting you, your family and friends, and your home. Strategically placed, they may illuminate a trail of soft amber lights as you walk along a pathway or welcome you home with a lighted foyer, kitchen, and landscape lighting. When integrated with your security system, lighting is directed at any possible intruder. 

In all of these elements, the hue and intensity of lighting contribute to their successful design and integration. Gone are the days when we were stuck with one bright or soft white light to illuminate our whole home. Today, with Lutron’s tunable, full-spectrum lighting, you have the full colors of the rainbow to choose from, in all their varying shades, amounting to about 17 million different colors. 

Now, we can pick the exact hue and intensity to highlight architectural features, fine art, and outdoor landscapes. Light up your home in the warm glow of golden candlelight for an intimate dinner party. Flash purple, pink, red, and blue colors through different spaces for your children’s birthday party. 

At Kasted Design Group, we’re more than home automation integrators. Our team consists of design experts that consider the appearance of your home as important as the functionality. We combine architectural beauty with the latest technology, producing beautiful, aesthetically pleasing homes that are enjoyable and easy to manage. To learn more about lighting design and home automation, or schedule a complimentary consultation, contact Kasted Design Group today.