The right lighting can make or break the mood, no matter what the setting. When you’re running a venue, striking the right lighting balance is all the more important. You want to perfectly match form with function to create exactly the right ambiance for your guests. That can be a tall order, especially if your venue is new. To help light your path, here are seven unique ways to light up your venue.
Table the Conversation
Whether it’s a restaurant or a room, finding the right table lamps for hotels is one of the most important design steps. This means determining the right look and brightness level for tables in the restaurant, lobby, guest rooms, and even in conference or meeting rooms. Look for lighting that won’t make the sitting experience uncomfortable, but that will instead enable to conversation to flow easily.
Floor the Guests
Floor lamps and other fixtures allow you to illuminate dark spaces even when there’s no table nearby. It also allows you to add height to your lighting, rather than being limited to more compact options. If your lighting will be in a high-traffic area, consider opting for cordless lighting to help keep feet away from the wiring.
Get Underfoot
In-floor lighting can dazzle and inspire your guests. Some venues utilise television screens embedded in the floor to display directions or important information. Others take it a step further and use pressure-sensitive lighting tiles to allow guests to change the lighting colours and patterns with each footfall.
Back Up Your Lighting
One way to create a dazzling lighting effect without a lot of specialty equipment is through backlighting. Position lighting behind furniture or even behind translucent walls to give off soft glows and highlight the shadows. This creates visual interest as well as gives you a unique opportunity to play with the shapes of shadows. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination run a bit wild here.
Project Your Ideal Image
Projectors are extremely versatile pieces of equipment, and you just may find that they’re well worth the investment. Projectors, as their name implies, project an image on a surface through the use of light. You could display static images such as logos, menus, calendars, and more on walls and screens. You could also display videos, such as advertisements for upcoming specials or events. There are quite a few possibilities, and you can do it all with one machine.
Get Groovy With UV
The 1970s may be long over, but that doesn’t mean that UV light is out of fashion. UV light is still a fun visual experience, especially with dance clubs or parties. Blacklight is the most common form of recreational UV lighting, but you can find a couple of different options in addition. If your venue has a club or party space, building in UV lighting options from the beginning just may give your event planning team (& budget) a boost.
Raise The Roof
When you are making your final lighting decisions and designs, be sure to look upwards from time to time. Neglecting your overhead or ceiling lighting can put quite a dim on your overall venue look and feel. A show-stopper centrepiece of a chandelier can take your venue from fine to fab with the flick of a switch. Be sure to choose your lighting method as carefully as you do the chandelier design. Harsh fluorescent bulbs can cast an unflattering light, but switching to LED can give you far more brightness for far longer for a fraction of the energy costs.
There are endless ways to design the lighting for your hotel venue, and it may feel like there are endless areas to consider. Don’t let all of that choice overwhelm you. Instead, see it as an opportunity to create a truly unique lighting experience for your guests. Take advantage of uncommon pieces, methods, and colours to set yourself apart from the competition. Make sure that conversation is able to happen smoothly in common areas, and that the rest areas are peaceful. Incorporate your venue’s logos, themes, and values into the overall lighting design. Above all else, work towards creating a space that ensures that the time each and every guest spends at your venue will be utterly unforgettable.