The Adaptive Lighting Design® Method of Layered Custom Home Lighting

The Adaptive Lighting Design® is the only lighting design methodology that combines a total of eight interior and exterior layers of lighting. These layers of light establish tone, accent, and fulfill specific purposes within the scheme of overall luminance. They also compliment and overlap one another in such a way as to create a comprehensive, personalized aesthetic. The Adaptive® approached to layered lighting also makes it a point to use fixtures that are appropriately sized, angled, and mounted in such a manner as to harmonize the visible presence of equipment with the luminary effects it is producing.

Architecture

The first component of the Adaptive Lighting Design® approach to layered lighting is architectural lighting. Architecture is the framework for activities and décor, and it must be systematically studied and evaluated prior to any installation of equipment. Key areas are studied and pinpointed for special emphasis. Decorative ceilings, niches, and coves, for example, are examined as possible locations for indirect lighting layers. In most instances, linear lighting strips are used to create ambience in these areas. Columns, skylights, exterior building facades, and clerestory fenestration are often used as anchor points for strategically positioned fixtures. Last but not least, any obviously decorative building features or unique building facades must be accented for emphasis. Everything from adjustable accent lights, recessed ceiling lights, to ground well lights can be used in these areas depending on the mounting position and the angle of incidence required for creating this foundation layer of light.

Decorative

Decorative lighting is the science of accentuating any point of differentiation that distinguishes a building’s interior or exterior appearance. Inherent to the decorative lighting layer is the highly visible aesthetic of decorative fixtures themselves. Wall sconces, chandeliers, and ornamental ceiling fixtures are the most commonly used lights in this segment of our design process. Placement and selection are the determining factors of the supporting effect these fixtures have on enhancing basic architecture. Certain areas are almost always given special emphasis, such as the ceiling areas above bedrooms and dining areas, entry ways, and living rooms. Selective features and decorations such as ornamental mirrors, archways, and doorways are also keynoted with a decorative layer of light, normally by placing appropriately designed wall sconces on either side of the subject area to create a sense of symmetry and balance, as well as an appropriate level of illumination.

Art

Art lighting is the third component of the Adaptive Lighting Design® methodology, and depends on two very important factors. One is the proper lighting of “focal walls” within a residence. A focal wall is any wall where thematically related pieces of art have been hung to create a comprehensive aesthetic or composite sense of image. Framing projectors are commonly used to create a portion of this very specialized layer of light, although with certain types of picture frames, very small linear strip lights can be fitted to the frame interior to light a painting’s surface from a concealed location. Wall washing lights and recessed ceiling lights are also employed at times if a focal wall consists of a very large area and requires a greater distribution of light than the more focused beams that specialty lights typically provide.

The second factor in the successful creation of the art lighting layer is the location of three dimensional artwork and/or three dimensional surfaces where special art is displayed. Display shelves and niches require special angles of emphasis to ovoid obscuring collectibles, prints, art photography, or showcased paintings from shadow. Also, any type of sculpture or abstract three-dimensional piece requires a blend of light and shadow to avoid flattening its appearance. Again, multiple types of fixtures have to be used in most cases to create this exceptional and highly custom layer of luminance. In professional galleries, for example, almost every room has to be designed on a case-by-case basis due to the uniqueness of content and content location.

Path

The fourth component of the Adaptive Lighting Design ® methodology involves a technique known as path lighting, not to be confused with landscape path lighting. Interior path lighting is something completely different. It deals with creating pathways for transit using light itself as a guiding force of movement. Recessed, non-adjustable, sloped-down ceiling fixtures are positioned in such a manner as to create pathways in halls, transition areas between rooms, entry ways to rooms, and areas around stairwell. This lighting layer aims to aim these areas both safe for nighttime traffic and aesthetically comfortable to the emotions.

Task

The task lighting layer is the most “practical” component if the Adaptive Lighting Design ® method. Its purpose is to illuminate workspaces within the home to create a safer environment to perform tasks and a more efficient environment to perform said task(s) more quickly. These areas can be lit at very affordable power costs with low-voltage recessed, adjustable accent lights, linear strip lights, and track lights when recessed space is unavailable. Special attention is paid to any area in the home where a high level of activities occurs on a daily basis. Kitchen areas such as countertops, kitchen islands, and food preparation surfaces must be lit brightly, but also be glare free. Bathroom vanity lighting must not only be bright and glare free, but must also mimic natural light as much as possible so personal grooming tasks, such as putting on makeup, will result in an appearance that will look presentable under any lighting condition. Reading areas require a layer of glare free light that dispels shadows and eliminates eye strain. Laundry rooms, work rooms, and hobby rooms require layers of lighting that are slightly brighter than normal in order to create a sense of alertness. Stairs and landings must be evenly lit so as to dispel any shadows that could constitute a trip hazard.

Interior Decoration

The interior decorative layer of lighting is not to be confused with the decorative layer of lighting. In the decorative layer of lighting, we emphasize both the aesthetic of the fixture as an ornament as well as the light it emits. In the interior decorative layer, we conceal the fixture as much as possible in order to accentuate the craftsmanship of the interior designer who has gone to painstaking lengths and expenses to create a fashionable, sheik interior. Our purpose in layering light on this level is to keynote both accomplishment and to thematically unite diverse elements of décor with a sense of harmony and balance. Again, recessed, adjustable low-voltage accent lights can be concealed to light a wide variety of forms such as coffee tables, hutches, and armoires, vases and flower arrangements, ornate tiles and stonework, murals, drapes, and ornamental mirrors.

View

View lighting literally allows the resident to view the world beyond the window. It must be added as a layer beyond the interior of the room—specifically to the space just outside of windows. The reason for this is simple. High levels of interior light create glare on the inside of a window, turning it into a virtual mirror that reflects the contents of the room in an unsightly way. Adding an exterior layer of light offsets this reflective effect and allows a person to see through the window into the world beyond. Surface-mounted lights positioned outside windows in unobtrusive locations are generally all that is required to create this much needed effect.

Exterior

To complete the Adaptive Lighting Design ®, we then turn our attention to the landscape and exterior architecture of a home itself. This exterior lighting level is critical to creating an aura around the home that is warm and inviting to homeowners and guests. Building features and landscape highlights must be balanced and accentuated to this effect, bringing distant focal points into perspective, and illuminating the color of variety of gardens, flower beds, and hedges. Waterworks such as fountains, pools, and reflecting ponds must be lit in a manner to create the impression of a sculpted, albeit, fluid surface. Gazebos, patios, and other exterior structures must also be appropriately lit for visibility and décor. In most of these instances, surface mounted fixtures are used to create this layer of lighting, although with ponds and fountains it is not unheard of to use special underwater lights to magnify such a feature’s prominence on the landscape.

Adaptive Lighting Design ® Group, Inc. works worldwide to create this impeccable, multi-layered aesthetic of complex lighting layers in custom homes and landscapes. Contact us today for an evaluation of potential services, or visit our blog to learn more about this topic.