LIGHTING BLUNDERS THAT CAN SPIKE YOUR MAINTENANCE BILLS

Experts from hotels and the light design industry weigh in on the dos and don’ts to be considered while creating an exceptional visual and sensorial experience

- NISHA SHUKLA

Planning an ergonomic design for a hotel can call for attention to a lot of finer details. Among the design features to be considered is lighting. Selecting an appropriate lighting scheme to accentuate the intricate features and functionality of the hotel spaces needs careful evaluation.

In a hotel, where every public space serves a multi-functional task — a complex structure with several different areas such as the lobby, kitchen, bathroom, restaurants, suites, needs multiple kinds of lighting at various lumens, sizes and colour temperatures to create an entirely functional atmosphere.

When design meets lighting, new and surprising ideas are fostered. However, creating an exceptional visual and sensorial experience through lighting in the design process can, at times, lead to many unavoidable pitfalls. Market leaders and experts from the industry share the most common missteps that should be avoided while working on the lighting scheme.

Preference for a single type of lighting

While zeroing in on the lighting scheme, “certain designers are very selective or design a space with one kind of lighting, which not just causes inconvenience to the user but also makes the décor of the room look flat,” says Conception Fernandes, Deputy Chief Engineer, Radisson Blu Resort Goa. Fernandes cites an example to explain his viewpoint. According to him, “If only ambient lighting is provided in hotel rooms, it might end up looking like a retail store, an institution or even an industrial area. Thus, it is essential to balance the scheme with other forms of lighting.”