Transformational lighting tips by Sally Storey of John Cullen Lighting

Sally Storey, Creative Director at John Cullen Lighting, one of the country’s leading lighting experts shares expert advice on how to transform your space with lighting, especially when renovating to rent or sell.

When renovating a property for rent or for potential buyers, changing the lighting can make all the difference to the space, making even simple finishes and lower cost items have a glamour. Consider the key areas. Avoid a grid of downlights in a kitchen or living room, instead focus on creating atmosphere in the space which will appeal to a wide market. Using narrow beam light sources to highlight a fruit bowl or flowers for example, immediately adds drama to a room. This could be with one of the John Cullen Lighting narrow Vorsa spots or the Polespring downlight range available in many sizes.

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Here are some more tips Sally shared with us when lighting your home.

1. Prevent glare

Unless looking to select a decorative feature light, try to select fittings which have a baffled light source ie recessed away from the ceiling to reduce glare. This will draw attention to the object being lit rather than the lights themselves. The Polespring LED is an excellent example of a discreet low glare spotlight

2. Layer the lighting

Different layers of light will create a textured effect which gives depth and interest to a space. There is nothing worse than a blanket of light evenly distributed by a grid of downlights in the ceiling. Mix ambient, accent and task lighting for the best overall effects.  Consider combining Polespring downlights for ambient and task lighting with 1W Lucca uplights to window reveals, arches or a fireplace and adding Contour LED strip to light up shelving.

3. Pick an appropriate colour temperature

The wrong colour temperature, measured in Kelvins(K), can give the feeling of being in a hospital or office rather than your home which should be comfortable and relaxing. 2700K or warmer is a good colour temperature to aim for.

4. Plan ahead

The most effective lighting schemes work around the features in a space and how the client wants to use the space. This requires forethought and planning. Get the furniture layouts locked down at the design stage of the project, also try to confirm finishes. These elements can dictate the best way to light the space.

5. See real colours

If you are thinking of using some beautiful fabrics or have some important artwork then you will want to light them in a way which is accurate and true to life. The colour rendering index (CRI) is a measurement of how well a light source will render colours in relation to natural daylight. It is a value between 1 and 100. Aim for 90CRI or above. Lower than 85 can give a very flat and lifeless effect.

6. Hide the lights and reveal the room

The John Cullen design philosophy is that the lighting should not be the first thing you notice when walking into a room. We want clients to walk into a room we have lit and just say “wow, this room looks/feels great!”. They may not realise but the lighting will be working very hard behind the scenes to make it happen. 

7. Forget about grids of lights and symmetry

A grid of downlights does nothing for a room. Instead try to focus light where you need it for a practical task or towards a feature which you want to highlight. Shadow is also important so that the things you light stand out. Don’t be afraid to not light everything and remember that it is important where the light falls in a space and not where the light source is positioned. 

8. Dim everything

Always give yourself the option to dim your lighting. You will be amazed how much difference dimming a light can do to transform the atmosphere in a room.

9. Scene set

A step up from dimming is scene setting. A simple or more sophisticated lighting control system can provide the option of preset scene control in a room. Typically, 4 scenes are set in each area which are a combination of all the different circuits in the room at different dimmed levels to create certain “moods”. These moods can then be recalled at the touch of a button. This set up is perfect for an open plan area or for the whole house. 

10. Have fun

Lighting is the only interior design tool that can change the space at the touch of a button so have fun with it.  Play with light and shadow to create interesting effects.  Even add colour for parties for the ultimate change in scenes.