Light design defines the atmosphere and perceptual well-being. Read the article to discover the perfect Karman solutions for your projects.
In high-end residential design, every detail, from spatial layout to the choice of colors and textures, is meticulously curated.
Yet one essential element is often overlooked: the “invisible material” the cohesive thread that visually ties a space together and ensures design consistency light.
It’s not just a matter of how much light is needed, but of understanding how it interacts with surfaces and materials, and the emotions it is meant to evoke.
Otherwise, the result may be a beautifully furnished space that feels disjointed, hard to interpret, and ultimately lacking in visual and perceptual comfort.
This article aims to support interior design professionals in developing a coherent lighting design strategy, from photometric planning to the selection of Karman fixtures that will enhance and bring their vision to life.
- What is lighting design?
- Karman lamps to install for your project
- How many lights should you install in your home?
Moby Dick
What is lighting design?
Lighting design is a strategic component that should be carefully considered not only by professionals, but by anyone designing their own home.
The term lighting design refers both to the technical and artistic aspects of shaping light within an architectural space.
It is the process that involves studying, planning, and defining the lighting project. Through lighting design, the professional determines how artificial light is employed within a space and how it interacts with natural light.
It is essential to treat light as an independent design material. This means that lighting design isn't a phase to be dealt with later in a project, but rather an analysis to be integrated upfront, during the conceptual stage of the intervention.
It is not enough to simply select lighting fixtures; a thorough analysis is required, one that considers intended functions, surfaces, materials, and the desired atmosphere.
All of these elements must be translated into a lighting plan that defines the quality, intensity, color temperature, direction, and distribution of light.
Lighting design, therefore, requires considering illumination from a physical and engineering perspective on one hand, and as a visual narrative that acts as luminous direction and an emotional interface between the space and the user on the other.
Filomena
Lighting calculations: when they are needed and how to perform them
While intuition and experience are essential qualities that set one professional apart from another, a truly well-executed lighting design project also requires scientific validation.
At the heart of lighting design lies what is known as a lighting calculation, a method that uses a series of parameters to quantify the appropriate level of illumination within a given space. This process makes it possible to determine not only how many luminaires are needed, but also where they should be positioned for optimal effect.
In essence, it serves as a guideline to help the lighting designer avoid common mistakes such as glare, intrusive shadows, or over-illumination.
To carry out a lighting calculation, designers rely on dedicated software tools that are based, as mentioned, on a set of parameters, including:
- The dimensions of the environment;
- The desired illuminance value (expressed in lux);
- The utilization factor, which is the percentage of light emitted by the lighting installations that actually reaches the surface;
- The maintenance factor, which accounts for the reduction in light output over time;
- The reflection coefficients of the walls and ceiling;
- The reference values from the technical data sheets of the lamps to be installed, provided by the manufacturers.
Generally, it's always advisable to proceed with a lighting calculation so that both technical performance and aesthetic results are equally satisfied. This becomes essential in complex and exclusive residential projects where you're working with light layering and lamps with a strong decorative connotation.
In the case of linear and compact environments, experience and a conscious design approach might (the conditional is a must) be sufficient for a lighting design with practical and aesthetic value.
Ti . Vedo
Karman lamps to install for your project
Once the technical and functional goals of the lighting have been defined, the next phase is selecting the light sources.
The chosen fixtures not only provide a technical response to the lighting plan, but also become its aesthetic expression, the voice of a luminous narrative.
Karman lamps are designed not only to deliver technically calibrated light, but also to fulfill the desire for emotional “nourishment.” This nourishment speaks to the psychological and sensory realm, capable of evoking moods, sensations, and emotions.
Let’s now explore four Karman solutions for private homes that embody this narrative style:
- The Asso suspension lamp, a black aluminum disc that appears to float, is the perfect meeting point between diffused and focused lighting.;
- The Rainbow wall lamp uses refraction prisms to project beams of light that create ever-changing patterns on ceilings, walls, and floors;
- The Alibaglass suspension lamp, crafted in borosilicate glass and available in various color options, embodies the perfect balance between tradition and modernity;
- The Ikonika lamp, available as a suspension or floor version, features a lightweight metal cage structure that interacts with its surroundings while offering soft, diffused illumination.
In each of these designs, as in all of Karman’s decorative lamps, light embodies its dual role as both medium and language. Depending on the context in which they are placed, Karman solutions become active elements in shaping the identity of a space, transforming it each time.
A scenic presence, then, for those who view lighting design as the foundational element upon which to build unique and authentic environments.
Sherwood e Robin
How many lights should you install in your home?
As we’ve seen, lighting calculations are a mathematical tool for determining how many lights are needed in a home. However, we’ve also explored a role of light that goes beyond its purely functional value.
A successful lighting design project, therefore, isn’t about the number of fixtures, but about design intent. It’s the identity of the space, the perceptual effect, and the desired atmosphere that truly define how many lights should be included.
Moreover, as lighting design professionals know well, the quantity of fixtures does not necessarily equate to better light quality.
The goal is not to add more light sources, but to layer them, assigning each one a specific function within the space. This means creating a lighting hierarchy based on a compositional logic that ultimately results in visual coherence.
This is the vision embodied by Karman lamps, which, through unconventional forms, unexpected materials, and luminous interplay, become expressions of intentional and mindful lighting.
