MODERN OPEN PLAN LIVING, LONDON

A returning client enlisted our help to design the lighting for their London terraced property, in order to create their forever home for him and his wife. They wanted the lighting design to be clean and modern, but timeless for their open plan living lighting. The brief was for the scheme to be warm and inviting to enhance the open plan living and dining space. 

The lighting on the ground floor had to work across the whole level which was an open plan space from the front door all the way through to the back garden. Effective lighting for living, dining and kitchen zones was required, so a layered lighting approach was followed. After ensuring there was enough general light, ambient lighting was essential to ensure the space worked from day to evening. 

Cleverly concealed linear Contour LED lighting in bookcases, kitchen shelves and around the banquette seating ensured the lighting was invisible during the day, but created a warmth and softness at night to the open plan living space. A focus of light to art, the coffee table, kitchen island and dining table was achieved with well placed Square Trimless 50 downlights, keeping to the clean lines and modern look that the client wanted.  

Where the light well sat above the dining table, discreet Vorsa 30 spotlights were used to highlight the centre of the table creating an intimate glow at night.

The garden lighting on this project was essential to draw the eye out at night, creating another ‘room’ for the client to enjoy. Spiked Kew spots highlighted the trees around the seating area, giving height and an almost lamp-like back drop, whilst the seat itself was made to ‘float’ using IP rated Contour linear LED. The whole floating platform that the seating rested upon had individual fibre optic spotlights within washing the water to create a feature at night.

The staircase ran open through the house, and the client was not keen on visible stair tread lights. Lighting just from the landings wouldn’t have been sufficient, so we worked closely with the staircase joiner to hide linear Contour LED strips of light under each tread, providing a safety light but also a dramatic effect. 

A double height space, with sloped ceilings and skylights meant a standard downlighting solution wasn’t possible here. So we created pools of high output Polespring 50 downlights in the central flat section, to light to the impressive headboard and the end of the bed, and ensure we had lots of lamps around the perimeter so softness. Floor recessed Lucca uplights were used to emphasise the height and slopes, whilst task lighting in the concealed wardrobes came from linear LEDs to the hanging spaces. 

In the en suite, the void space above the cistern was utilised with Contour linear LED back lighting the shelves, and a miniature Minim downlight to highlight the top item. A linear glow was also created to the bath niche, and the combination of this mid-level lighting along with Polespring downlights to freshen the space, created a lovely layered approach.

A multi layered approach was necessary to counter the lack of daylight. Lamps played a key role in the bedroom, boosted by Polespring 40 downlights to boost light levels. Whilst the en suite benefitted from Lucca uplights to the corners of the bath, as well as linear Contour LED to ‘float’ the basin as a night light for guests. Task lighting was provided with decorative bathroom wall lights. 

Photography: Gavriil Papadiotis

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