Hudson Valley Lighting’s Orbit
chandelier, with its intertwined arms bearing bright LED capsules, makes a classic statement piece.
FEELING LIGHT
T E X T PAUL HAGEN
L ighting is essential to the utility, percep- tion, and experience of a space,” explains Robert Sonneman. As the founder and chief creative officer of Sonneman, which creates some of the more noteworthy pieces of lighting available today, he understands the impor- tance of lighting decisions. “You see what you light,” he expands. “Light affects your color perception—as well as having a psychological impact.” So how do you make the decisions that change how people perceive your space? Sonneman weighs in. Function Comes First According to Sonneman, everything follows function. “The selection and design of your lighting program must be wrapped around the functional application,” he explains. That’s true, whether major elements are pushed to the foreground or demurely hidden. “Lighting can be a strong decorative statement or a
minimal functional element. Consider the activities that will occur within the space and select lumi- naires that will achieve effective illumination for those utilities.” Look Beyond the Statement Piece Sonneman notes that a beautiful chandelier may satisfy the need for a decorative focal point and still not provide enough illumination. “The room may still require well placed down lights and or wall-light sconces to bring illumination across the entire area.” But more light is not necessarily the right light. “Simply adding more brightness doesn’t compensate for poor distribution.” Stay in Control “Lighting is no longer about burning filaments or gas- ses in bulbs or tubes,” explains Sonneman. “Today lighting has moved to an electronically controlled
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