Director of design at Dublin-based company Lighting Audio Video Projects, Andy Bull, says that good lighting is something that you don’t always see but that you do always feel. “Not having good lighting design is a great way to spoil a room,” says the lighting designer who works with everyone from individual homeowners to interior designers, builders to architects.
“Our client list includes everyone from taxi drivers to Formula One drivers,” quips Bull. “We’ve worked on everything from semi-Ds to stately castles but most commonly we are called upon to work on extensions. People stick a box on the back of their house and then need to figure out how to light it.”
Bull says that “good lighting doesn’t just happen, it’s designed”. Good lighting is about considering the people in the home and how they live, as well as the structure and design of the home itself. “If you’re getting the same lighting that your builder has put into the last seven homes they worked on then you’re not getting light that’s individualised for you,” he says.
For those wishing to throw more light on the scene Bell says that it is important to consider three key types of lighting: task lighting, mood lighting and accent lighting.
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“Ask yourself what you want to get from the lighting in your home. What function does it serve?” he says. “The obvious one is task lighting in the kitchen; people want to be able to see the onions they’re chopping even if their eyes are streaming so it’s important to have the correct light. If you just have downlights in the kitchen, you can create a lot of shadows, so, while electricians like them, having lots of light from lots of downlights doesn’t necessarily mean you have the correct light for the task at hand.”
While some readers may baulk at the idea of having the ‘big light’ on in the centre of the room, Bell says that there is still a place for pendant lights, especially if they are decorative enough to be a talking point. “Decorative lighting is like jewellery,” he says.
When it comes to creating an elevated interior, however, accent lighting really is the icing on the cake and can beautifully highlight elements of the home such as artworks, architectural details, plants or decorative elements such as bookshelves or antique furniture items. “When I am looking to design this type of lighting I’m looking at the interesting features of the room - the art, architectural details or the fireplace for example. With accent lighting we can really get creative and give a room the wow factor,” says Bell.
“Accent lighting is not really necessary but it can make a room look really good - whether it’s used underneath a kitchen island, around a fireplace or in a recessed window area,” says Bell who is a real advocate for uplighting. “Uplighting is a fabulous tool to use in your home because the light comes from a totally different direction to the one, we’re used to. Generally things are lit from above, even in terms of sunlight, so uplighting can have a really dramatic and interesting effect.”
If there’s one man who knows how to create interest with lighting, it’s Eoin Shanley, founder of Copperfish Lighting. Copperfish was established in 2016 when Eoin and his wife Yvonne were restoring a 200-year-old thatched cottage in Leitrim. Unable to find the type of lights they were looking for, Shanley began to make his own and the brand was born.
Over time his product range and client list has developed but the ethos remains the same; Shanley manufactures slowly, to order, and using ancient timbers which he couples with a range of beautiful ultra-efficient lightbulbs and solid brass fittings. The brand has become known for its storied wood with his collections made with wood salvaged from Belfast Dock, railway sleepers from the old Kingstown Line and even the ancient roof beams of a French chapel.
“As all our lamps are individually handmade, they are never identical,” says Shanley. “They are statement pieces and the softness of the old timbers matched with our ambient lightbulbs make them warm and welcoming. As they are quite different, we have seen them used in every type of space, from thatched cottages to ultra-modern corporate buildings in Dublin’s Docklands.”
Shanley’s products are popular at the Ideal Home Show where his attendance also leads to year-round enquiries from customers at the lighting stage of their home projects. “It’s the little things that make the big things,” he says. “We know where every piece of timber came from and every piece we make comes with a handwritten note telling you exactly where it came from and how old the timber is. People seem to love the story nearly as much as we do.”
Andy Bull will speak on the topic of Making Homes Beautiful with Light and Smart Technology at 5pm on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th at the PTSB Ideal Home Show.
Find Lighting Audio Video Projects at Stand K22 and onine at lavprojects.com.
Find Eoin Shanley and Copperfish at Stand M1 at the show and online at copperfish.ie.
