Lighting and Design Control
The lighting choices you make in your new home should not be viewed as an afterthought; but as an integral part of a home. Lighting design choices affect your home in many ways. The comfort, beauty and functionality that a lighting system adds to the home should be understood and considered in the early stages of a construction project. Unfortunately, lighting often gets lost in the building process. Homeowners are left scrambling at the end of a project, rushing to make decisions.
When designed thoughtfully, lighting can bring out the best in architectural details; done wrong, it can bathe a room in shadow or glare.
What is lighting design?
Ideally
your lighting design will balance and blend function, appearance and atmosphere.
Lighting methods should provide adequate light for performing whatever
task is at hand; food preparation, personal grooming and other tasks; general
lighting for moving around your home effortlessly; and accent light to
add drama and visual interest. Your lighting should vary contrast,
light source direction, light color, intensity and beam spread to accomplish
all three objectives.
So much more…
Lighting
design is more than adding a ceiling light or a few table lamps, especially
if you have made a significant investment in the design and craftsmanship
of your home. That’s why it’s important to select a competent lighting
design specialist to assist you when specifying lighting needs; whether
you are putting on an addition, redesigning an existing space, building
a custom home, or performing a major landscaping project.
Hiring A Designer
Homeowners
have several choices when it comes to lighting design: You can rely
on the knowledge of the lighting showroom staff (who also make a commission
on all sales), you can do it on your own or you can hire an independent
lighting designer to work with your architect and builder throughout the
project.
Hiring an independent lighting designer shouldn’t be viewed as an additional cost, but a reallocation of the lighting portion of your construction budget. We can help to insure that your rooms are not flooded with too much lighting and since we design and install our projects we can insure that all fixtures are installed not just to your specifications but with your ultimate goal in mind.
We are familiar with lighting industry manufacturers and know what to look for to ensure highest quality and performance in your selections. We can help to make sure you don’t pay more than the going rate for key lighting elements. We can help you to select the most energy efficient bulbs for your needs.
In most custom homes, lighting costs account for 10 to 15 percent of the entire building project cost. We understand that this is a significant portion of your home budget and based on our years of experience we know what works and what doesn’t. We can, in many instances, actually help to reduce overall project costs. By understanding the entire scope of your project we can inform you of your options and keep you from making costly mistakes.
Hiring 3E
As
your lighting designer we will ensure that you are comfortable with the
language of lighting and will discuss different approaches to your specific
project. Your preferences, life style, hobbies, budget and project
time frame are important to help tailor the lighting design to meet your
needs and expectations.
3E
is familiar with all aspects of the lighting industry. While our
knowledge in the area of electricity, building and environmental codes,
construction and business is enormously helpful -- 3E is so much more than
technical skill – we offer talent as well. We will be available long
after the project is complete and the fixtures are in place. Caring,
craftsmanship and talent.