When renovating a tiny home, it is essential to maximise the space you have. A key part of this is utilising your new lighting design, focusing on lighting control systems.
At Astra Lumos, when working with clients who want to include a lighting control system within their design, we always start with a few questions.
Question 1: How do you intend to use your space and lighting design?
When we start working with our clients this is the first question we ask when considering the lighting design of every room that we are being contracted to work on. This question is so important because the main areas of the home are likely to become hubs with a multitude of uses. For example, while working on one of our recent projects, a London flat renovation, these questions were the basis upon which we managed the entire project. These questions can also then inform the use of audiovisual control systems.
Examples of how our clients have used their bespoke lighting control system include:
- Constant entertaining during the day and night
- Dining around the kitchen island
- Movie time with the lighting set to ‘Relaxed’
- A meeting room where clients can be entertained and hosted
These are just some of the reasons we have designed systems to suit the style and needs of our clients. There are many more reasons why someone would want to have one of these systems throughout their whole home or within specific rooms.
Understanding how you plan on using the space that you are developing within your renovation is one of the most crucial questions you can answer at the very beginning of your lighting design project. This will enable your lighting design partner to see things from your perspective, allowing them to make the lighting, audio/visual and tailormade technology work together the way you want it to.
Question 2: Is there a specific reason for your tiny home renovation?
Everyone loves improving their property and the space they spend time in, so our job as lighting design experts is to help our clients make the small things even more enjoyable. Some of the reasons we have been called in to make home improvements are:
- Single big event (client was hosting his daughter’s wedding reception)
- Entertaining clients and colleagues
- Part of other building work projects, so we were called in at the beginning as that is the best time to make the mess and get it right within a full property renovation.
Again, these are just a few of the reasons we have been called in for our expertise. However, there may be a multitude of other reasons why you have decided to invest in your space. The purpose of your investment can make all the difference in how your bespoke installation is approached.
If you’re looking for that WOW factor and to create wonderful lasting memories of a big single event, then timescale becomes the most important factor, especially if you are considering adding a lighting control system to your property.
Over the last two years, this has become something of a headache where lead times and costs have all gone up significantly because many suppliers charge more the closer you get to a project. At Astra Lumos, we have begun holding more stock in-house to bypass any delays and increased hikes in costs because of last-minute project changes.
A full property renovation will have a different approach, as we would work with the client to ensure that all their spaces, both internal and external, work together seamlessly. Our clients have found that once they’ve begun investing in a lighting control system for one area of their property, it makes sense to continue with it throughout the entire property. This allows every space to be tailor-made. Our clients can then maximise the use of every room and increase the value of their property.
This approach is particularly helpful when we are faced with a small and tricky space such as tiny home. This approach means we can maximise the space and create a seamless transition from inside to outside, which is key for many of our lighting design clients.
Finally, when considering lighting as part of other building works, this approach becomes time sensitive, as often we are put a little on the back foot and we need to make haste to keep up with the builders or landscapers. An example of this is when one of our clients was having major landscaping work done around his property, but only after the stonewalls had been built. By the time we were approached about the lighting, it was all hands on deck to get cables in quickly, preventing any delay in the landscaping project. This ultimately created a wonderful effect to be seen at night. Ideally, we would have been bought into the project sooner, where we could have overseen this area of the project in a smoother way for the client to avoid other design and project timescale mishaps.
Question 3: How do you want to control the space in your tiny home?
One of the questions we go through with our clients is to ask, ‘how tech-savvy are you?’. As technology becomes more of a part of our everyday lives, it’s important that you are given the options of what smart or conventional lighting control can do, and you make a choice based on how comfortable you are with using these options.
Are you an app kind of person, or an on/off switch kind of person?
We get to know our clients, know their strengths and weaknesses, and help guide them in making the right decision when it comes to lighting control. It isn’t a case of yes or no. We have installed many “hybrid” systems where our clients have wanted the fine-tuned control in the large and main areas of the home (kitchen, living room, sitting room, hallway for example), with a conventional set-up in the more private areas (bedroom, bathrooms, en-suites, etc).
There are pros and cons to both types of control. We find when using a Lighting Control System such as RAKO, we can program the lighting personally to our client’s tastes, creating that truly bespoke feel to each and every one of their spaces.
A bonus that our clients enjoy is that they are able to log in remotely and adjust the ‘Scenes’ if they feel that something is not quite right, which saves everyone time and money. An added bonus is that they are able (via the software) to create timings of various lighting circuits, enabling their property to look lived in even when they are not there or abroad… Another deterrent to stop those opportunists from taking advantage of your home or office.
On the flip side of that coin, if you prefer a toggle switch where the lights are on or off, we can work with that to ensure you get your lighting working how you want it to.
Once we have answers to all of these questions, it’s then time to bring this together into your lighting design.
How do we do this?
The simple answer is through creative collaboration.
Whatever your vision for your property, at Astra Lumos we take your vision and ultimate aspirations for your space and mix that with our creative and unique designs. We then involve our dream team of specialist installers, each of whom prides themselves on our first-class reputation. This brings the design to life, ready for you to use as you wish.
With our attention to detail and non-negotiation on quality, we will create a “wow” experience that shows off your property, enabling you to live, work and entertain in style.
For more information, or to speak to a member of our team about working with the UK’s leading authority in creating luxury lighting and stunning spaces, call 01386 904 000 or contact us here.
