One of the greatest challenges designers face in evaluating lights is that every manufacturer formats their data differently; and not all data provided is 100% true! Some of it is very glamorous marketing dressed up to look like facts.

To quickly see past the marketing and get to the most important data, I offer you 6 key measurements of light behaviour to effectively compare light fittings. 

With bathrooms becoming larger and more elaborate, proper lighting is essential to making the most of the space - so don’t leave your light to chance, take the time to consider how you want to feel and function in your bathroom at different times of the day. By putting as much thought into your lighting design as you do the tiles and tap ware, you will end up with a bathroom that inspires - every day.

The value of architectural lighting design is that we place light where it is needed first. It’s a practical and pragmatic approach to design, that ensures you always have functional light where you need it, and you don’t over light your home. By using this approach - regardless of your budget - you can completely transform the feel and function of your home, stepping away from lots of lights throughout your ceiling (that you’ll likely never turn on) to having the right light, in the right location - ready for you to use when you need it.

Directional lighting can be downlights, spotlights, wall lights, floor lamps, table lamps, some pendants, spike lights in the garden, the list goes on.

Any light can can create a controlled beam of light, which can be aimed in a particular direction - through adjustment, or through luminaire design - can be considered a directional light.

One of the most common questions we face in lighting design when working with indirect light is – is it enough light? Yes, it’s enough. In fact, we have many examples where indirect light has been used, and when installed is regularly dimmed down to as little as 10% to provide a gentle glow in the room.

So why are some downlights glary and some not?

There’s a bunch of slightly misleading marketing stuff around this topic, but at it’s heart it comes down to how visible the light escaping the light fitting is to the naked eye, compared to the light level of the surface around the light.

What is this IP????? It stands for Ingress Protection – and it’s a rating that classifies light fittings (and lots of other things) for their suitability for use in different locations based on how or if water and/or dust can get into the fitting where the electricity is.

Understanding the science of light makes it possible to create beautiful spaces quickly, effectively and inexpensively using the right lights in the right places. The FUNdamentals covered here are the spring board for all lighting decisions, ensuring sustainability and quality are the key elements in creating great light at home.

Lighting a walk-in robe or closet tips, advice and solutions - Imagine being able to turn on lighting in your walk-in wardrobe or closet and see everything perfectly - colours and textures in your clothes, and then walk over to the perfectly lit mirror and check out your outfit in perfect light, that throws no shadows.

We collaborated on two distinctly different Kitchen designs, adding our signature MINT design style to the lighting. We focused on bringing a sense of space and open-ness with indirect light, added focused task lighting to make benches a delight to work on – and showcase the beautiful materials in the kitchen.

All new Australian homes and renovations that require a planning permit must comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) code – and specifically with regard to lighting, the J6 section. Regulating maximum energy usage, the NCC BCA J6 (developed by the ABCB) means that all residences where a Building Permit has been issued must comply with the 5W/M2 requirement.

​One of the trickiest aspects of creating lighting plans can be working out how much light is enough.

It comes down to being able to quantify ​light, which we achieve through knowing the lumen output of a fitting (Lumens is a measure of luminous flux, which is how much light is emitted by the light source/fitting) and the mounting height at which it will be installed and then being able to understand the quality of that light for performing various tasks in the home.

Getting your head around what colour means in light can be tricky. It's even more confusing with LED lighting than any previous technologies because the choices now are so diverse! Unfortunately, even though there is a lot of good information available, it can be difficult to work out who's telling the right story. Sadly, there are still some people who are experts in their field making blanket comments about the quality of light from energy efficient LED based on poor colour selection that can be very off putting when you're trying to figure out what the right light is for you.

The way quality of light is measured is called the ‘Colour Rendering Index’, or CRI for short. It is the measurement of the colour quality in light and it is different for every light fitting.

Knowing what to look for is a crucial first step. Quality light fittings always have a CRI rating — so what exactly is CRI?

OK so, the first step is to get involved with the lighting selection and not leave it for the last minute so your only choice is cheap downlights....the next step is to review current trends and advances in lighting TECHNOLOGY and figure out if they add value to your life and your home.

Bathrooms have ZONES in the Australian Standards, which tell us what lighting can and can’t be used within certain distances of water sources. There are 3 zones – and each one has different requirements.

Here’s the snapshot breakdown of your lighting ZONES and what lighting can live in them…

With bathrooms becoming larger and more elaborate, proper lighting design is essential to making the most of the space - so don’t leave your light to chance, take the time to consider how you want to feel and function in your bathroom at different times of the day. By putting as much thought into your lighting design as you do the tiles and tap ware, you will end up with a bathroom that inspires - every day.

The notion of perfect mirror lighting is really quite simple - you need to have the light BETWEEN your face and the mirror to chase those shadows away and let you see yourself in all your glory! But how you achieve that is the bigger question?

It seems obvious really - stairs can be dangerous things, even for grown adults! But often very little thought goes into lighting them, and whilst there are many tried and true solutions, there's a few key things to keep in mind when thinking about lighting stairs to create the best result.

We've uncovered five easy ways to describe how light behaves in a room. These five effect descriptions can be applied to any light fitting, and they form the core of the language we use to describe how light should behave in a room to craft the "right light”