When you're designing a custom home or major renovation, some decisions naturally happen early.
The architect develops the floorplan.
The interior designer begins thinking about finishes, furnishings and how each space will feel.
The builder starts evaluating construction details, schedules and budgets.
But one important part of the home's design is sometimes addressed much later:
The lighting.
Too often, homeowners don't begin seriously thinking about lighting until electrical plans are underway—or even after framing has begun.
By then, some of the best opportunities may already be more difficult to incorporate.
At Xtend Technologies, we believe lighting should be considered much earlier.
Ideally, lighting design begins while the architectural plans are being developed, or as soon as those plans are finalized or nearing finalization.
That gives the lighting designer an opportunity to collaborate with the rest of the design team and develop a plan that complements the architecture rather than simply adding fixtures to it.
When people hear "lighting design," they sometimes immediately think about decorative fixtures.
Chandeliers.
Pendants.
Sconces.
Those are certainly important elements of a home's interior design.
But professional architectural lighting design goes much deeper.
It considers questions such as:
Where should light come from?
What architectural features should be emphasized?
Where will artwork be displayed?
How should countertops and work surfaces be illuminated?
How should the home feel during the day versus at night?
Where should recessed fixtures be located?
What beam angles are appropriate?
How should cabinetry, shelving and architectural details be illuminated?
Which fixtures need to dim?
Where would tunable or warm-dim lighting improve the experience?
How should lighting scenes work throughout the home?
The goal isn't to fill a reflected ceiling plan with circles.
The goal is to determine how light should interact with the architecture.
A home's architectural drawings tell us much more than where the walls will be.
They begin to reveal how people will move through the home, where sightlines develop, how rooms connect and which architectural elements deserve emphasis.
That makes the architectural-plan stage an excellent time to begin the lighting conversation.
We can start evaluating areas such as:
This is also when we can begin thinking about the layers of light that will ultimately make those spaces feel complete.
Instead of asking where recessed lights fit after everything else has been decided, we can ask:
What should this room look and feel like when the project is finished?
Then we design backward from that objective.
A great lighting plan shouldn't be developed in isolation.
Some of the best results come from collaboration between the:
Homeowner
Architect
Interior designer
Custom builder
Lighting designer
Electrical contractor
Each brings a different perspective to the project.
The architect understands the architecture and spatial relationships.
The interior designer understands materials, furnishings, color, texture and decorative elements.
The builder understands construction methods, scheduling and coordination.
The electrical contractor ultimately plays a critical role in executing the electrical infrastructure.
And the lighting designer focuses specifically on how the home will be illuminated and experienced.
Our job isn't to compete with the other professionals involved in your project.
Our job is to collaborate with them.
Lighting and interior design are inseparable.
A beautiful stone wall looks different depending on how it is illuminated.
Artwork can disappear—or become a focal point.
Cabinetry can feel flat or dimensional.
The color and texture of materials change depending on the quality and direction of the light.
Even something as simple as the location of a recessed fixture can become important once furniture placement is considered.
That's why communication with the interior designer is so valuable.
We want to understand:
Where will the furniture go?
Where will artwork be located?
What cabinetry is being designed?
Where are the decorative fixtures?
Which finishes need to be emphasized?
What should become the visual focal point of the room?
Lighting should reinforce the interior design—not fight against it.
A sophisticated lighting design also has to be buildable.
Fixture housings may need to coordinate with framing.
Linear lighting may need channels, recesses or millwork details.
Lighting in cabinetry requires coordination with the cabinet manufacturer.
Ceiling details may affect fixture locations.
Some lighting elements require power supplies, drivers or other equipment that needs an appropriate location.
And all of it needs to happen at the correct point in the construction schedule.
Getting Xtend involved early allows us to work with the custom builder to identify these requirements before they become field problems.
Good planning can reduce last-minute decisions, unnecessary compromises and costly changes.
One of the places where collaboration becomes particularly important is the ceiling.
A luxury home's ceiling may need to accommodate:
When each trade approaches the ceiling independently, the result can become visually cluttered.
Fixtures may not align.
Speakers may interfere with lighting.
HVAC registers may end up where a lighting designer intended to place a fixture.
The ceiling can begin to look like a collection of unrelated devices.
We believe the ceiling should look designed—not negotiated in the field.
That requires coordination before construction reaches that point.
This distinction is important.
Lighting design determines how the home should be illuminated.
It considers fixture placement, light levels, beam angles, color temperature, architectural features, artwork, work surfaces, circulation and the overall mood of each space.
The fixtures are the tools used to execute that design.
Different applications may require recessed downlights, adjustable accent lights, wall-wash fixtures, linear lighting, step lighting and other specialized solutions.
Premium architectural fixtures from manufacturers such as DMF Lighting and AiSPIRE can provide designers with different options for aperture size, beam control, color quality, dimming and architectural integration.
Lighting control determines how the homeowner interacts with all of that light.
Instead of walls filled with individual switches, a properly designed control system can allow sophisticated lighting environments to be recalled through simple keypads and scenes.
Platforms from companies such as Lutron and Savant can become part of the overall lighting and smart-home strategy.
All three areas should work together.
One of the advantages of designing lighting and lighting control together is that we can think beyond individual circuits.
Consider a great room.
During the day, natural light may do much of the work.
In the evening, you might want an inviting environment for entertaining.
Later, you might want a quieter atmosphere while watching television.
At night, you may only need subtle pathway lighting.
Those aren't simply different lights.
They're different experiences.
A properly designed lighting-control system might include scenes such as:
WELCOME
ENTERTAIN
DINNER
RELAX
MOVIE
GOODNIGHT
AWAY
The homeowner doesn't need to decide which seven dimmers should be at which seven levels.
The home simply responds appropriately.
This is perhaps the biggest reason to involve a lighting designer early.
Before construction begins, we have options.
We can coordinate recessed fixture locations.
We can plan linear lighting details.
We can discuss illuminated cabinetry.
We can evaluate tunable-white or warm-dim lighting.
We can coordinate motorized shade pockets.
We can plan lighting-control panels.
We can review keypad locations.
We can coordinate ceiling devices.
We can work with the architect and designer on special architectural details.
Once drywall is installed, many of those possibilities become more complicated.
Early planning doesn't mean you need to make every final decision immediately.
It means you're preserving the opportunity to make good decisions later.
If you're building a custom home or planning a significant renovation, you don't need to wait until construction starts.
In fact, we'd prefer that you don't.
At this stage, we can collaborate with your architect while important details are still evolving.
This gives us an opportunity to review the design before construction documents and electrical requirements become increasingly difficult to change.
That's okay too.
Send them to us.
We can review the plans, discuss your goals and determine where lighting design can add value before construction progresses too far.
The important thing is not to wait until someone asks:
“Where do you want the recessed lights?”
By then, we're answering the wrong question.
Xtend Technologies provides professional lighting design and integrated technology planning for luxury homes throughout Northeast Ohio.
We collaborate with homeowners, architects, interior designers, custom builders, remodelers and electrical contractors to develop lighting solutions that complement the architecture and the way the homeowner wants to live.
Our capabilities can include:
Whether you're just beginning architectural drawings or your plans are nearly complete, now is the time to start the conversation.
Building or renovating? Send us your architectural plans and let our design team collaborate with your architect, interior designer and builder before construction begins.
Start My Lighting Design
Xtend Technologies provides lighting design, architectural lighting fixtures, lighting control and integrated home technology for custom homes and major renovations throughout Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
We work collaboratively with homeowners and their professional design and construction teams throughout Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Lake, Lorain and Geauga Counties, including Hunting Valley, Gates Mills, Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, Chagrin Falls, Shaker Heights, Bratenahl, Hudson, Bath Township, Medina, Hinckley, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Solon, Orange Village, Westlake, Rocky River, Bay Village, Avon Lake, Strongsville, Aurora and surrounding communities.
The best lighting isn't added to the architecture after the home is designed. It becomes part of the architecture from the beginning.
