The Culture And History of Italian Lighting

Posted on January 17, 2012 by David

Italian lighting design, unknown to some, has a rich and extensive history steeped in tradition and innovation that has been very influential primarily since the 1940’s.

Tolomeo Table Lamp

It was during this time, post world war two, that Italian lighting design became recognised around the world and become renowned for creating, what are now considered, commonplace classics in modern and contemporary lighting designs. To this day Italy is known as one of the world leaders in lighting design for continually bringing fresh, exiting and highly original masterpiece fittings among the more well know and traditional and practical lighting solutions all with, as they say in Italy “l’intenzione di illuminare” (the intension to illuminate).

Innovative and revolutionary lighting designs from Italy can be seen all over the world. From office desks, fine restaurants, a variety of homes all the way to being praised for its influence in the display cabinets of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here at Lighting Majestic we aim to bring you the very best in Italian lighting design from established manufacturers such as JH Miller and Elstead’s Silux collection both of which offer a wide selection of styles of ceiling lights, wall lights, table lamps and floor lamps to offer you as much choice as possible when choosing a light with such an interesting background. 

Roma Ceiling Light From Silux

Silux is a company that operates from the Venice region of Italy. It’s only since the year two thousand that their impressive range of Italian lighting design has been available through the British lighting company Elstead and since this partnership formed they have proven successful in bringing unique, handmade designs to a greater market. Some of the more popular ranges including: Niagara’s spectacular glass and chrome bauble design, the Capri and Kingston range of handmade glass fittings and the stunningly rustic and ornate Mosca range made of blown amber crystal glass with antique brown finishes. 

JH Miller bring by far the largest collection of Italian designed lighting to Lighting Majestic, specialising in multi-armed pendants and wall lights, with other lighting solution options available. All products from JH miller are and handmade in Italy inspected to ensure the highest quality product possible to meet the requirements of home and commercial use.

LED 12 Light, Ceiling Light From JH Miller

Choosing a light fitting handmade by Italian craftsmen from Lighting Majestic will not only ensure that you receive a standout fitting of the highest quality that promises to bring something special to your room of choice, But will give you the opportunity to own a significant piece of lighting design history.

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Understanding your light source

Posted on December 22, 2011 by David

Choosing the proper lighting source can be a daunting and confusing process. With so much selection available, each variation boasting their own set of advantages and disadvantages, it is important for you to get some perspective and background knowledge of not only your options but the benefits and draw backs of each type of lamp.

The following is a basic briefing for those new to lighting on some of the lighting source options available, and should help you come to grips with what the market currently has to offer.

• Incandescent Lamp: Perhaps the most commonly known of all lighting solutions, the incandescent lamp was the first “bulb” of its kind to be brought to a mass market. Over twenty-two inventors and scientists can hold some small claim to contributing in the evolution of this lighting solution; however it was the design by Thomas Edison that became known as the most effective and therefore commercially viable because of its advanced incandescent material make-up and vacuum system. The great advantage boasted by incandescent lamps is that they are relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to find, but these positives however do come with some negatives. As much as 90% of the power consumed by an incandescent lamp produces heat rather than visible light, which does not make them very energy efficient, which results in the lamps needing to be replaced more frequently than other lighting solutions (around every two thousand hours).

• Fluorescent Lamp: These lamps are becoming more and more popular as the world is becoming more and more energy aware and they are beginning to take over from the common incandescent lamp. This is becoming ever more apparent with the introduction of Compact Fluorescent lamps which are designed to fit the more common incandescent caps. This has provided the market with a dramatic change in trends in recent years. The main reason for this is how a standard incandescent lamp uses 90% of its power to produce heat as opposed to light; the fluorescent lamp directs only 30% of its power consumption toward heat giving the lamp a longer lifespan and more consistent light. Fluorescent lamps have come under some criticism however, for their somewhat annoying flicker trademark when taking time to warm up and produce light longer after switch on. Also, as they contain mercury, fluorescent lamps when damaged or cracked, can release hazardous contaminants into the surrounding environment, so be sure to take caution when using this more energy efficient lighting solution. 

• Halogen Lamp: Also known as the Tungsten Halogen Lamp, this lighting solution is a combination of an incandescent lamp with a Tungsten filament contained within halogen gas to set in motion what is called the halogen cycle to give out light. The halogen cycle is key to the advantages of halogen lamps as it provides the light source with extended lifespan and prevents the darkening of the bulb to ensure a more consistent source of light throughout its lifespan. Halogen lamps have come under close scrutiny from health and safety professionals due to the amount of heat they tend to produce. For this reason most halogen light sources are required to be fitted with a covering in one form or another. The source is more often covered by a grid, grille, glass or metal casing to ensure safety and to prevent the posed threat of fire or burn hazards when enjoying this handy lighting solution.

• LED (Light Emitting Diode): Due to the vast range of ways that this lighting solution can be used it is no wonder why it is becoming more popular on the market. LED lighting is more commonly used to add additional light to a space, with the use of recessed wall lights, down lights and up lights as well as handy tape and strip lights. Now there are also LED lamps available that are interchangeable with incandescent lamps, these provide a much more energy efficient lamp as most of the power used is focused on light production. However LED lighting can prove more expensive than other lighting solutions, but it is a sound investment on the basis of life expectancy, durability and because of their safe make-up (having no filament) they will not get hot or burn out. LED lamps, although small, are rugged in structure. They are not made with any glass tubing and the internal fittings are well supported making them resistant to high levels of vibration and impact. Some LED lamps do require a driver to operate; this is a power pack supply that provides a constant and consistent voltage that is appropriate for the lamp. 

Hopefully the advantages and disadvantages of lighting solutions that we have touched upon here will provide you with some peace of mind when it comes to lighting your home or business.

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Understanding Lighting Colours

Posted on December 22, 2011 by David

Colour temperature is the foremost attribute of visible light and when delved into it can be a complex and intimidating topic to tackle. From a technical perspective; colour temperature is a numerical measurement, calculated by the response of black body radiators and the range of degrees of glow they go through during heating from cool black to white hot using the principle that any object, if heated to a high enough temperature will produce light in some form.

Colour temperature is measured in the unit of Kelvins and marked with the symbol K. Temperature can range from cool to warm on the Kelvin spectrum. Anything above five thousand Kelvins is considered cool light and anything below three thousand Kelvins is considered warm light.

To give you a clear representation of degrees Kelvin I will use standard benchmark for our perceptions of artificial light is of course natural daylight. Natural daylight read on the Kelvin spectrum measures somewhere in the region of four and a half to five thousand Kelvins.

Some of the specific Kelvin measurements are as follows:

• 2000k – 3000k is known as Warm White; found is standard 100w incandescent lamps, warm white fluorescents and warm white LED.
• 3000k – 4000k falls under the label of White light and can be found in tungsten halogen lamps and white fluorescent lamps
• 4000k -5000k is Cool White and is produced by cool white fluorescents
• 5000k – 6000k is known as Daylight which can be found in natural LED lamps and daylight fluorescent lamps.

For some it can be a little confusing when confronted with the notion that the higher the colour temperature the cooler the light produced and the lower the colour temperature, the warmer the light, this theory put simply is due to the fact that lighting temperature is ruled more by the psychological (visual) effect of lighting on a room as opposed to standard temperature readings and the mathematics behind these calculations are mind-bending.   
Now that we know about all the technical and scientific properties of lighting temperature, let us look at how to make it work for you.

The addition of warm lighting can give a room an overall cosy, welcoming and relaxing feel, ideal for the living room, dining rooms in your home as well as the lounge and dining area of bar or restaurants. Cool lighting on the other hand is great for areas such as the kitchen, office, garage and other places where we have to focus and concentrate. Both warm and cool light produce what is commonly known as white light however warm light boasts a sunny, slightly orange tinge in its glow whereas cool light emits an icy radiating bluish white to give the room a real sharpness. Warm lighting is produced more by high pressure sodium lamps and cooler light is produced by high pressure mercury lamps.

Typically, fluorescent lamps offer the greatest range of colour temperature as both warm and cool lamps can be found with a fluorescent make up. However, incandescent lamps are primarily the producers of standard warm light which flatter skin tones and prove to be visually appealing. Halogen lamps also provide predominantly warm light which was more perceivable intensity than a common tungsten lamp producing a whiter light to give colours a much sharper appearance.

Taking the time to examine your options in regard to lighting colour temperature can be very rewarding especially if you are trying to generate a certain mood for a certain room and get the most from your lighting fixtures.

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How much light does my home need?

Posted on December 22, 2011 by David

This is a question frequently asked which can produce a countless number of responses, as a result of the simple universal truth that we are all different, and therefore have different lighting needs and tastes. Also there is the rather large matter of space; we all have different spaces to fill. To try and comprehend the vast array of size and shape rooms, in homes all around the world is truly mindboggling. 

If the variation of structure wasn’t enough there is also the matter of a rooms function. We all expect different things from our rooms depending on our hobbies, lifestyles to the amount of people that use the room on a regular basis and their individual needs. Taking all this into consideration when designing a lighting plan can be very taxing but if formulated correctly can be very rewarding.

Despite the widespread deviations and diversification of space lighting requirements there is a simple formula for approximating the total wattage you will need to light a space adequately. Simply measure the are you wish to light in metres squared and multiply the figure you arrive at by 25 for standard tungsten bulbs, 15 for halogen lams and 19 for compact floruescent lamps. For example: using a compact flourescent for a room that measures 30 square metres you would multiply 30 x 19 = 570 watts. Then ensure that your fittings, and thier lamps respective wattages add up to around 570 watts in total for sufficient lighting. Bear in mind that this is just a guideline and you would benefit from over estimating this formula by around 10-15% and if possible to fit dimmer switches for total control. This equation is based on using standard incandescent lamps.

Also to be taken in consideration is the issue of light reflectance. Light reflectance is measured by light reflectance value or LRV. This is a measurement that expresses the accurate percentage of light is reflected for any particular colour of kind of surface. The light reflectance value for colour can quite often be found on the back of paint sample cards that you see in all DIY shops. This comes in very handy if you are designing a new light plan at the same time as you redecorate a room from scratch. The reading from the back of these colour charts will give you a good general idea of how much light is ideal for minimal light reflectance in the room once it has been painted. In regard to surface finishes, glossy as opposed to matt is the way to go to cut down on your light reflection. This is due to the fact that under a microscopes inspection, a glossy finish is smooth and whole and therefore reflects light in one direction, whereas a matt surface on the other hand is a broken surface, which reflects light in multiple directions, giving the overall appearance of more reflected light. And of course the percentage of light reflection is greatly affected by the distance that the surface in question is away from a particular light source. 

Taking the time to equip a room with ideal lighting can give your home a much more evenly balance, less cluttered and cleaning feel. Take the time to find out what you want and match it to what you have to work with and you won’t be disappointed by the resulting atmospheric advantages.

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The Importance of Measuring Light

Posted on December 22, 2011 by David

For a long time the measurement of light was not a top priority for the majority of us. The lighting intensity in a room was often decided on a hunch, for large room, use a hundred watt bulb, medium sized room, put in a sixty watt bulb and so on, as was the familiar and simple nature of standard incandescent bulbs. But since the introduction of a much wider range of lamps on the market it has become much harder to gauge what intensity you can expect from any particular lighting source. This is why it is important to understand more about the process of measuring light, to avoid getting too much or too little for the space you are trying to light. 

The standard incandescent lamp that we are all familiar with and are used to buying for our lights is quickly falling out of favour due to its high energy consumption in these eco-friendly times, and whereas a sixty watt incandescent lamp will provide an average sized room with substantial light, as will a fifteen watt compact fluorescent lamp or forty watt halogen lamp and with each variation of lamp there is a different set of ecological and economical benefits and shortcomings.

Having a good understanding of light measurement is very beneficial, some would say, essential when designing a lighting plan, it can also ensure that you are not over paying for unnecessary power by choosing the wrong lamp type for your fitting. Perhaps the process of light measurement is most useful when you start to think about task lighting and additional emphasis lighting. Task lighting should be properly planned and monitored to ensure that you have enough light to fully concentrate on the actual task at hand and to clearly see exactly what you are doing. As for emphasis or accent lighting, it is important that it both does provide the room with the attractive mood setting light that you desire but also does not intrude too much on other light sources in your plan and become cluttered or give an uncoordinated feel to a space.

Lighting sources, lamps etc on the mass commercial market are most commonly measured in the photometric unit of Lux commonly marked with the lx symbol. The Lux measurement is a unit of illumination equal to one lumen per square metre (one Lux = a distance of one square metre of light given by a source). A Lumen is the unit of light from an artificial source such as a bulb rather than a candle. An example to gauge light intensity of a lumen would be; one hundred watt standard tungsten incandescent (new and clean) produces around twelve-hundred lumens. However much more than this has to be taken into consideration, such as where the light is positioned, all the surrounding objects and the effect they can have on light, whether they reflect of absorb light. Also the colour scheme in a room, as different colours absorbs more light than others. This is why it is always important to ask the advice of a professional designer or interior decorator when designing an intricate lighting plan.

For an accurate Lux reading you must use a light meter; however this is not always an option. But there is a way to get a strong estimate on the measurement of a light by firstly measuring the space which you have to work with then multiply the length by the width to get a measurement in square metres. Then add up the lumen ratings for all the bulbs (light sources) in the room, divide the total lumens by the square metre specifications to get a Lux reading for all or a single light source. For example; if you have an area sized one hundred square feet and a combined lumen output of three thousand, 3000/100 = 30 Lux per square foot.

Simply put, measuring light can be a rewarding process when understood and carried out correctly. Not just to ensure that the lighting in your room is just as you imagined it would be to provide you with some satisfaction, but also to fend off any health risks that can develop as a result of under or over illuminating a space. As we all know, light travels in straight lines. But beneath that there is vast and intricate scaffolding of equations, all constructed with the aim of setting the optimum mood, highlighting the material and knowing exactly what you are paying for.

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