Interview with NOON Home
Q: How does lighting affect interior design?
LG: In my opinion, lighting is the single most important design element above all others. Interior designers are creative problem solvers – we employ different techniques to reach the same end goal: enhancing our client’s spaces to enhance their experience spending time in them. To achieve this, we make hundreds of decisions about furnishings, décor, paint colors, fabrics, art, etc. – and don’t get me wrong, each of those play a critical role – but it’s the addition of great lighting that brings each of those decisions together to create the warm, inviting energy we are striving for. The quality of lighting is ultimately what sets the mood, which impacts how we feel and therefore how we show up in our relationships too. It is so powerful!
Q: What makes bad lighting?
LG: Think of police interrogation lights, sterile doctor’s offices, and laying in the dentist’s chair. Now think about the feelings you feel when you imagine yourself in any of those situations… That is bad lighting. It’s uncomfortable, off-putting, intimidating and makes you feel hideously unattractive. Bad lighting is typically intensely bright, creates harsh shadows, and gives off cold, greenish hues. When I think of bad lighting, the words fluorescent, LED and the absence of dimmers come to mind.
Q: What makes good lighting?
LG: I recently heard someone say, great lighting isn’t seen but instead it is felt. To me, that means, when you walk into a space you are less aware of where the source of light is coming from, but rather you feel it. Invited in, instantly at ease and drawn toward the welcoming glow – excited to experience all that is to come, including the other occupants and design elements within the space.
An easy-to-understand rule of thumb I like to go by is this – when determining lighting settings, mimic the sun’s natural progression throughout the day. The morning starts out as a soft glow, builds into a strong bright warmth mid-day, and ends in a soft glow, becoming more dimly lit by the hour as the sun sets.
Q: How does one get started if they are not comfortable with design?
LG: First, drum up some patience and confidence. Patience because great designs are not achieved instantly, even by the best, most experienced designers. It’s often a process of trial and error, experimenting, seeing how something feels, and revising. Confidence because there will be times you gravitate toward something, but you don’t know why, all you know is it’s unique… listen to that and don’t care what others think, there’s a reason you like it. Let it be an expression of your individuality.
Tackle one space at a time and avoid putting any tight deadlines on yourself because no doubt you will have many decisions to make and the pressure of a deadline will not serve you…
From there, rather than heading straight to Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram to search for accounts that perfectly match your aesthetic, start with Google. Google is my happy place for most of my brainstorming because I can free flow with any idea that comes to mind and I’m instantly directed to 100 other images and keywords I may have never thought of otherwise…
For example, if I’m looking for images to match an idea I have for a “simple white living room,” by throwing that into Google I’m lead to articles and pictures titled with keywords like “monochromatic” and “minimalist” … which are like gold in terms of Pinterest-speak! Identifying design words that mimic your taste are incredibly helpful for whittling down the enormous amount of inspiration out there.
From there, find a few images you love and scrutinize every detail about them. Ask yourself why you like each piece. For example, maybe a fluffy pink pillow catches your eye, but you hate the color pink, so it doesn’t make sense… when you question it, you realize it’s actually the fluff you like! Then head back to social media to search for fluffy throw pillows…
Then, my favorite part… Take inventory of your space and belongings and think creatively about what you already have and how you can move it/repurpose it/tweak it to reflect what you’re liking about what you’re seeing in the pictures.
From there, fill in the holes with new pieces as needed.
Q: How does one figure out their style?
LG: There are tons of quizzes out there to help identify design/décor styles, including these by: Decorist, Apartment Therapy, HGTV, Houzz, PopSugar, Lonny & Bed Bath & Beyond. That is a fantastic place to start, just keep in mind your style may be a blend of many so please don’t feel confined by your results! Take the quiz again, take another quiz, see if you get different results and then start to use some of the key words that come up as search tools for inspiration, and zero in on your style from there. The more eclectic, the more unique!
Q: What do you keep in mind before designing?
LG: Projects can either be massively collaborative or not at all, it depends on the client. But, the key for every project’s success (I believe) is developing a strong, trustworthy, communicative relationship at the outset. Not only is that how you come to understand their true taste, but it’s also how you navigate the many inevitable challenges that arise. That is my first priority.
With respect to the actual hands-on design work, my #1 goal is to always stretch my client’s budget as far as humanly possible, to ensure we achieve everything they want and more. I seek to cut corners where I can (repurposing and breathing new life into current pieces they have), but never sacrificing quality. It’s the most exhilarating part of any project because it challenges and fuels my creativity.
Q: How do you see NOON helping with the lighting issues interior designers face?
LG: Interior designers can be very particular about their designs – once we finish a project, we want our clients and occupants to experience the space in the exact way we intended for it to be enjoyed. With respect to lighting (#1 most important design element), if our design looks absolutely stunning more dimly lit, it makes us cringe to think of occupants sitting under the brightest lighting setting available to them. NOON’s brilliant presets and ease of use takes the burden off themhaving to think about the lighting and guarantees us satisfaction knowing the space is being experienced in its ultimate beauty. It’s a win for all designers out there!
Another great example is with commercial properties – take restaurants and bars for example. Think of how it feels walking into a very dark restaurant for lunch mid-day, or a very bright bar at night… it’s off-putting to our senses because it’s contrary to how we think we should perceive/experience that time of day. Many people aren’t lighting-conscious and therefore often overlook how poor lighting impacts a the customer experience. NOON solves for this by simplifying settings across large spaces, requiring minimal effort to strike the perfect vibe any time of day. Critical for business success…