During the last round of my golf league recently, I was enamored with the alluring sun as the day dipped into twilight from the heat of the afternoon.
At one point, as my partner lined up for her shot, I told her that she had a backdrop of a beautiful, glowing sky emanating all around her.
I’ve always been fascinated with lighting, both natural and artificial. The symphony that design professionals conduct when creating spaces and experiences for clients and guests is one of those exponential intangibles that elevate life and also keep people coming back for more.
Think about when you first walk into that hotel lobby, that restaurant, that room that immediately embraces and fascinates you with its welcome. We love the connection to natural daylight during waking hours, and are comforted by the warm glow of lighting, fireplaces and candles during the evening. Through intelligent design, teams can create those one-of-a-kind experiences for guests that keeps them coming back time and time again.
As a recently accredited WELL-accredited professional, and a longtime LEED AP, my recent studies for the former exam reminded me about the importance of lighting design for the built environment.
According to WELL v2: “Light is the main driver of the visual and circadian systems. Light enters the human body through the eye, where it is sensed by photoreceptors in the retina that are linked to the visual and circadian systems. Light exposure stimulates the circadian system, which starts in the brain and regulates physiological rhythms throughout the body’s tissues and organs, such as hormone levels and the sleep-wake cycle. The circadian rhythm is synchronized with the natural day-night cycle through different environmental cues, the main cue being light.
"Disruption of the circadian rhythm has been linked with obesity, diabetes, depression and metabolic disorders. High lighting levels at night, including light from bright screens, can contribute to the disruption of the circadian rhythm. All light — not just sunlight — can contribute to circadian photoentrainment. Given that people spend much of their waking day indoors, insufficient illumination or improper lighting design can lead to drifting of the circadian phase, especially if paired with inappropriate light exposure at night. And studies have shown that light exposure has an impact on the mood and reduces symptoms of depression in individuals.”
So before your design team begins selecting light fixtures, make sure that they have a sound lighting design plan in place first, hopefully created by a lighting expert.
Just recently, our team completed the design for a boutique hotel renovation. We placed the guest experience at the top of the list,and carefully considered all of the aforementioned elements during the schematic design phase.
We chose to add an electric fireplace to the existing guestrooms as part of the package, knowing that the guest demographic will highly value this feature. Next we added LED accent strip lighting around and along headboards, bed bases and nightstands, knowing that this layered ambient lighting will add an unexpected source of comfort and pleasure for the guests. We chose not to use sensor-controlled lighting in the guestrooms because it can be unwelcome and bothersome when multiple guests are in a room together. We carefully selected a desk lamp with a translucent shade, so that it provides task lighting for the desk surface and also adds general lighting to that area of the guestroom, since there is no overhead lighting in these rooms.
In the guest bathrooms, one will enjoy a vanity mirror with integral lighting on all four sides, as well as a lighted makeup mirror. In the corridors, guests will be greeted by LED channel lighting, installed vertically in pilasters as well as horizontally across ceilings and artwork. We are removing all recessed can lights from the property, as this application and harsh angled downlight is neither appealing or flattering to the guest experience.
Window treatment design and function should also be carefully considered throughout a hotel. Lighting, thermal, glare and acoustical considerations are all important elements that contribute to a high-quality window treatment package. And finally, lighting control packages and sensors can be succinctly integrated into the overall design package, delighting guests with sleek and intuitive technology.
It is my true hope that the next time you enter a hotel, your world will be “lit up” in the best way possible!
Suzie Hall is the founder and president of Cornerstone Design.
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