Changing perceptions of exterior lighting

Did you know that clear glass windows were developed by the Romans? They actually date back to between the 1st and 3rd Centuries. You can see evidence of this from Pompeii and Herculaneum, where one of the reasons for glass was to enjoy the ornate gardens they created during the winter season. This was a much more pleasant outlook rather than shuttering their windows.

Move to the 20th Century and Philip Johnson was a modernist architect who created homes with all external walls as glass. This allowed homeowners to truly enjoy the views from their property and from anywhere within the home (the photo below is of his appropriately named Glass House). The downside of this is the “goldfish bowl effect”, with those in the home feeling they are lit up and easily observed at night.

To help mitigate this, he worked with renowned lighting designer Richard Kelly to design a lighting scheme that helps those in the home to feel comfortable. Light around the buildings was added in soffits, and illuminated the planting of the trees. This stopped that harsh drop at the glass wall, and ensured the building was embedded within the landscape. The added benefit was the creation of more security and comfort.

This is a perfect example of how lighting doesn’t just stop at the windows, and exterior lighting needs to be a key consideration for a home. Whether the primary goal is security or beauty, or a blend of both, there are much better ways to achieve your vision without using a security floodlight.

Lighting your home office

The events of 2020 have seen a surge in home working and this is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future. Some companies have even embraced this change for the long-term, and we may see either full home working in the future for lots of us, or a split between the office and working from home.

When creating a dedicated space for working at home, make sure you consider the lighting. Having good working light is extremely important - not having the right light will lead to more stress and lower productivity.

Here are MS Lighting Design’s top tips for lighting your home office or working space:

1. Make sure you have a light source for the work surface. This should be positioned so that it is in front of you, ensuring there are not shadows.

2. Avoid discomfort glare. This is having a bright surface and dark background, and can cause tiredness and headaches. Add some ambient light to help reduce this.

3. Take advantage of daylight, but consider a sheer shade if it is very bright, to allow some softer light in.

If you want more help, then MS Lighting Design offers a consultation service to make your home office a space you want to stay in all day.

Top tips for good garden lighting

MS Lighting Design has worked a number of garden lighting schemes. Designing the light for a garden or patio works the same as internal lighting: tailor it to the architecture and highlight the features. Here are a couple of top tips which can help deliver good garden lighting.

- use spike spotlights to highlight tall planting such as trees and large bushes.

- Think about washing light across floors from under benches and in the sides of raised flower beds.

- do NOT just put uplights all over the place. Make sure they are washing light onto something.

For a more detailed look at how to update your outdoor lighting, as well as inspirational images, read our full guide here.

MS Lighting Design embraces digital learning

MS Lighting Design has embraced digital learning to keep providing expert advice during the Coronavirus pandemic.

With events and talks cancelled, MS Lighting Design owner and lead lighting designer Marcus Steffen has turned to technology to engage with audiences. By running weekly webinars, Marcus has been able to share his expert support and answer questions and queries from clients, peers and those working across the industry.

Topics have included lighting controls, the circular economy and carbon net zero, and colour temperature and rendering.

Most recently, Marcus ran a very popular webinar MS Lighting Design’s work with Inside Out and No1 Lounges, and their range of independent airport lounges. Philip Russell of Inside Out took part in the webinar too, with both answering questions about the complexities of working airside and creating a lighting scheme that ties in and enhances a new branding strategy. ⠀

You can revisit the webinars on the dedicated MS Lighting Design YouTube channel. We will also post details of our upcoming webinars which we will be restarting in due course.

Upcoming speaker slots for Marcus Steffen of MS Lighting Design

MS Lighting Design's owner and expert lighting designer Marcus Steffen is delighted to have been asked to be part of two groundbreaking and exciting events. Marcus is becoming a firm favourite in the lighting industry for delivering talks, speeches and workshops, and the start to 2020 is looking busier than ever before.

On 24 March, Marcus will be part of the panel discussion at Recolight Conference. Held at The Crystal, Royal Victoria Dock, the conference is focused on Lighting and the Circular Economy. Marcus will joining other industry experts for the 'end user's perspective' panel discussion at 2.20pm.

Full details can be found on the Conference webpage where you can also book your place.

In February, Marcus was the very first speaker to take the stage at Light School; an integral part of this year’s Surface Design Show. Marcus spoke on the topic of ‘Responsible Lighting Options in a Climate Changing World’.

Marcus covered how the design and specification of lighting on a project can have a major impact on energy consumption, and discussed ways to mitigate waste and planning for a circular economy and carbon zero. The feedback was incredibly positive, while many of those attending expressed shock at how much needs to change in the construction industry.

Marcus always looks forward to meeting lots of new contacts and catching up with existing peers and friends at conferences and events.

Join us for an exclusive event - lighting & art in home refurbishment projects

Join us for an informative evening focussing on some of the latest trends in home refurbishment projects, centred around lighting design, systems and solutions.

Date: Thursday 27th February 2020

Time: 18:30 drinks (for 19:00 start) until 21:00

Venue: Gallery Midnight, 12 Ritherdon Road, SW17 8QD

Home refurbishment specialists Clara Bee are hosting this event and will be joined by Marcus Steffen from MS Lighting Design to talk about innovations and changes in lighting design to display your art and other features to their best advantages.

Gallery Midnight owner Johny Reid will be on hand to answer questions about selecting art for your home and to show his current collection.

This is a fantastic opportunity to talk about recent innovations in lighting and how to incorporate these in a practical and realistic way in your home improvement project.

This promises to be an informal and sociable evening with local market experts, time to ask questions and discuss and share experiences creating beautiful homes.

To reserve a place please email dinah@clarabee.com. We look forward to seeing you there.

We're Hiring...

Lighting Design Assistant

MS Lighting Design is growing, and we need to recruit a Lighting Design Assistant to our award-winning team. As a small, collaborative design team there is the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the process and gain excellent knowledge and experience in lighting design.

The role involves assisting the design team on all projects producing cad plans, schedules and communicating with suppliers, contractors, project design teams and clients. In addition to this there would be a myriad of other tasks such as coordinating appointments with clients.

The ideal applicant would have at least 6 months experience working in the lighting design environment. They should have excellent attention to detail and have a real passion for architecture and lighting. They should be happy working in a small team with lots of different roles, being proactive and self-driven, with a desire to learn. They would have excellent spoken and written English and be capable of reading architectural plans. They should be proficient in the following software packages:

AutoCAD LT
Photoshop
Microsoft Office Suite
Relux (a benefit, though not required)

The role is a full-time position within the company, based in the office in Earlsfield, south west London, following a 3-month probation period. Salary is negotiable based on previous experience and comes with standard holiday allowance. Applicants would be based in the UK and have any necessary work permits if required.

If you would like to apply then please send your CV and a covering letter to info@mslightingdesign.co.uk with the subject line “JobApp-LDA”

Getting ready for the summer with Outdoor Lighting

The summer is here and everyone is looking forward to taking advantage of every little piece of sunshine. Outdoor lighting can allow everyone to enjoy the balmy evenings, but can also highlight the features to see from inside on a cold evening, and provide security to the property. Getting outdoor lighting right can complete a whole home, and really enhance the space.

Focus on Key Features

When looking at outdoor lighting, it is important to focus on the key features. They could be large trees, fountains, entrances or sculpture, but they will be focal points, and these should be illuminated first. This will draw everyone’s attention and really make them the features they should be. Spike spotlights are good for any features with flower beds around them, since the spot can be placed in the right location, and moved for gardening. If you are placing lights underwater they need to have an ingress protection rating of IP68 and be low voltage.

Illuminate changes in floor level

Transitions of floor lights are very common in gardens, whether it is the end of some decking or steps down to a lower area. It is very important to provide light onto these for safety, but it can also make a lovely feature.

A very common mistake that is made is to use recessed uplights, which are small spotlights set in the floor. This is terrible because it does not light the step itself, and shines light into the user’s eyes, meaning they cannot see the step they are approaching. Wall mounted floor washers, or built in LED strips under the steps provide far better light, and give a softer, more ambient light.