What is the difference between a good design and an amazing design?  The answer may surprise you.  Lighting is often the unsung hero of a well designed space.  Thoughtfully layered lighting can enhance, set the mood, draw the eye and balance a room.  This can usually be accomplished with lamps and wall or ceiling fixtures.  Artfully lighting built-in shelves and cabinetry takes design to the next level. 

Lighting design for shelves has many layers and options.  The location of the lighting within the shelving can completely change the look and how the objects will be lit up.  Perhaps the goal is to light the back of the shelves and create a silhouette of the items.  Maybe you want  to send light through the objects, such as glass bottles.  Or you light up the face of the items so that they are the stars of the show.  With each of those three options, there are many ways to accomplish each.

The wonderful people at Luminii lighting products have created these helpful renderings to compare and contrast some of the different options for lighting shelving.

Back lighting – Emphasis and light on the back shelf wall (perhaps for an interesting material or highly textured wall).  The light source can wash down the wall as shown, or be an uplight that can create fun shadow play.  Both create a soft dramatic glow behind the accessories.  This type of lighting is best to create silhouettes, and to give importance to the negative space around an object. 

These next two photos demonstrate vertical backlighting that emphasizes the shelf heights, and the placement of the light source can be as dramatic as the accessories on the shelves.  However, smaller objects and books may look lost or dark.

Center light – While backlighting creates drama, center lighting also creates shadows and highs and lows, but gives more fullness to the objects. When center-lit from above, books have more depth and smaller objects are more visible. Using center up-lighting or vertical lighting, move objects away from the sides and corners to avoid blocking light.

Front lighting – Great for trophies, art, book bindings or objects of interest, this type of lighting is like the spotlight on a stage.  What a beautiful way to highlight the detail of your treasures and the elegance of book spines.  A down front wash and a 45-degree wash create more even lighting, while front up-lighting creates drama.  

Fabulous design and all the perfect details… Contact the Tran + Thomas team for a stunning remodel!   913-268-9595

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