How you control your lighting is a major and often overlooked part of the design process. Even the best lighting can be frustrating if controls are poorly designed, and it will become troublesome, confusing and challenging to use. Many people have this feeling after staying in hotels where they cannot work out what button does what.

How do we mitigate this?

Whenever we approach a project, we talk to the client to build a brief of what their wants and needs are. This includes how they wish to control their lighting. Clients have a main choice of two methods;

1: Conventional Switching. Our most popular choice. A budget-friendly, easy-to-use & familiar approach.
2. Smart Scene-setting system. Less familiar but just as easy to use, ideal in larger dwellings and open-plan areas.

Conventional SWitching

Conventional switching is something we are all used to. it is so familiar and straightforward to use. It is for this reason, among being cheaper, that it is our most popular lighting control method.

When specifying these types of systems, we ensure each lighting circuit has a dimmer where possible to ensure flexibility of the lighting.

Pros

Familiar for users.
Familiar for electricians.
Simple.
A variety of finishes are available.
Rotary and central retractive dimmers are available.
Etching can be used to label switches.
Affordable option.

Cons

Less flexible for future use & changes.
Adding automation and timers can be very difficult.
Several buttons need to be pressed and twisted to create scenes.
Maximum of four lighting circuits at each switch point.
Only able to dim lights from one point (can be switched from many points).
Needing multiple switching points can become problematic.
Not best suited to open-plan spaces.

Scene-setting system

Scene-setting systems are something many people have limited experience with. Often, their only encounters are in hotels, where the systems are neither intuitively programmed nor come with clear instructions. When we design a system using this method, we always ensure it is programmed in the most user-friendly way possible. We work with you in person, allowing you to have input while we offer our professional advice. We programme the keypad so that the brightest scenes are at the top and the dimmest at the bottom.

We highly recommend using the etching service to label each button for ease of use. We provide a comprehensive handover to ensure you feel entirely comfortable with your new system, including guidance on how to use the app if you choose to take advantage of this feature.

It's important to know that you can use as many or as few of the available features as you wish.