Illuminating Spaces: A Guide to Effective Lighting Design

Lighting plays a pivotal role in the ambience, aesthetic, and functionality of a space. Thoughtful lighting design can transform spaces into inviting sanctuaries or dynamic environments. This article explores the aspects of lighting design, its significance across various settings, and the growing emphasis on energy-efficient and sustainable solutions.

Importance of Lighting Design:

Lighting design is a crucial element in creating visually appealing and functional spaces. Properly designed lighting can elevate the aesthetics of a room, highlighting architectural features and complementing the overall design scheme. Beyond aesthetics, lighting significantly influences the mood and ambience of a space, contributing to a sense of comfort and well-being.

Concepts of Lighting Design:

Task Lighting:

Task lighting focuses on providing illumination for specific activities or functions. In areas such as kitchens, offices, or reading nooks, task lighting ensures that individuals can perform activities with precision and ease. Well-placed task lighting enhances functionality while minimising eye strain.

Ambient Lighting:

Ambient lighting, also known as general lighting, establishes the overall illumination of a space. It sets the mood and creates a comfortable atmosphere. Examples include overhead fixtures and chandeliers. The careful balance of ambient lighting is essential to avoid harsh shadows and create a harmonious environment.

Accent Lighting:

Accent lighting adds drama and interest to a space by highlighting specific elements such as artwork, architectural details, or focal points. This type of lighting draws attention to particular features, contributing to a layered and dynamic design.

Lighting Design for Different Spaces:

Residential Spaces:

In homes, lighting design is tailored to meet the needs of each room. Living areas may benefit from a combination of ambient and accent lighting, while task lighting is crucial in areas where specific activities take place, such as kitchens and home offices.

Commercial Spaces:

Effective lighting in commercial spaces is essential for creating a welcoming atmosphere for customers and employees alike. Retail environments often utilise accent lighting to showcase products, while offices require a balance of ambient and task lighting to promote productivity.

Hospitality Settings:

Hotels, restaurants, and cafes leverage lighting design to create inviting and comfortable spaces. Varied lighting levels are strategically used to enhance the dining experience, highlight design elements, and establish a relaxing ambience.

Outdoor Environments:

Outdoor lighting is not only about safety but also contributes to the aesthetics of a property. Landscape lighting can accentuate architectural features, illuminate pathways, and extend the usability of outdoor spaces after dark.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability:

As environmental concerns continue to grow, the lighting design industry is increasingly focused on energy-efficient and sustainable solutions. LED technology, for instance, offers longevity, reduced energy consumption, and versatility in design. Smart lighting systems enable precise control over illumination levels, responding to changing needs and promoting responsible energy usage.

Lighting Design at NGA:

At No Grey Area we pride ourselves on delivering turnkey manufacture, supply and installation services across all construction sectors.

Our lighting designers have an extensive knowledge of the craft and can create striking schemes that fulfil the needs of any project.

Contact us to find out how we can help.

PET Felt Wall Panels are a revolutionary acoustic solution for commercial and residential spaces. Available in a variety of shapes and colours, acoustic PET felt panels not only absorb sounds, and transform the acoustic performance of a space, but they also add to the aesthetics.

In this article, we are providing a full overview of acoustic PET felt wall panels, looking at what they are, how they are made and why they are a popular acoustic solution for our commercial and residential clients.

What Is PET Felt?

PET Felt is a synthetic material made from recycled bottles that offer exceptional versatility for a diverse range of applications. Available in a variety of products from plain panels to tiles, partitions, bespoke wallcoverings and sculptural elements, PET Felt is a perfect material to apply on walls or ceilings in order to decrease sound reverberating. This environmentally friendly acoustic design alternative is both stylish and functional, and it can be customised to fit the needs of both commercial and residential space.

How Is PET Felt Made?

The process for making PET felt involves plastic bottles being shredded into flakes, heated and then melted down. The melted flakes are then pressed and twisted into a felt-like fabric. A speciality dye is used to add colour to the material and it is then cut into various sizes and shapes.

What Are the Benefits of PET Felt Acoustic Panels?

PET felt has a number of functional and environmental benefits, making it the ideal material option for a variety of applications, including acoustic solutions. Some of the top benefits of PET felt acoustic panels include:

1. Noise Reduction

PET felt effectively absorbs and dampens sounds, due to its soft and porous properties. The absorption of sound waves occurs through the vibration of individual fibres within the felt, remaining energy is then dissipated by frictional heat loss.

2. Durability and Impact Resistant

PET felt is a highly durable and resistant material, being able to perform at optimal levels in humid environments and endure the impact of wears and tears.

3. Low Maintenance

Compared to traditional felt, PET felt is a low-maintenance material that requires little upkeep, and it is easy to clean. PET felt is also hypoallergenic, odour-free, and non-toxic, making it a great solution for commercial and residential settings.

4. Highly Customisable

Available in a wide array of incredible colour options and shapes, PET felt is easily customised to fit any design scheme. The aesthetic possibilities are endless for PET felt acoustic solutions.

5. Simple Installation

The installation process for PET felt acoustic wall panels is straightforward and requires little downtime.

6. Eco-Friendly

PET felt is partially made from recycled fibres, and it can also be recycled at the end of its life, making it an environmentally friendly option for acoustic solutions.

PET Felt Acoustic Panels from No Grey Area

Are you looking to transform the acoustics of your commercial or residential space? At No Grey Area we have years of experience in designing, manufacturing and installing bespoke PET Felt solutions that are fit for purpose and enhance the acoustic performance of our clients’ spaces.

As part of our acoustic consultancy offering, the NGA team can help you find the right acoustic felt product to transform your space. Get in touch with our team today.