8 minute read
Lighting Trends
LIGHTING
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THINGS UP
BY DEAN ROWLAND
Nobody could have predicted before the pandemic began in 2020 that lighting in the home office and workspace would be thrust into the spotlight and require more attention to detail, function, efficiency and design than ever.
After all, few homeowners spent as much time in their home office before COVID emerged as they did once it took a foothold in our lives. Working remotely meant rethinking how to transform the everyday home office into a comfortable, well-lit office away from the office.
Refresh and renew became new opportunities to move forward with new lighting styles, materials and designs in the office and other rooms as well.
Unlike your company’s workspace that’s in your rearview mirror. If you haven’t already done so, personalize your new workspace at home. Make it stylish, practical and conducive to productivity.
Infuse the room with as much natural daylight as possible through the windows. Direct and indirect lighting should be applied to all areas of the room, whether it be sourced in Art Deco, industrial or vintage styles. Minimize the glare and use energy-efficient bulbs for cooler light (3,000-5,000 Kelvin rating).
Table lamps with LED task lighting illuminate the working space, chandeliers brighten the entire room, and floor lamps highlight recreational spaces.
Lighting can be the starting point for the design of every room. Each fixture needs to have a purpose, specific function and be attractive.
Table lamps can double as sculptural pieces of art. Larger furniture can be accentuated by a pair of table lamps on either side. Floor lamps next to your armchair can light the pages of your favorite book or lighten a darkened corner of a room.
Bold lighting designs that bedazzle can complement a nearby traditional design.
Transparent bulbs continue their impressive track record as an affordable and trendy light fixture.
Lighting creates ambiance to fit any occasion; soft and low for the bedroom, bright and cheery for the game room, overhead lighting for the kitchen and pendant lighting for the island or breakfast nook.
Single-light pendants or two-light cluster pendants come in a variety of finishes like glass, brass and copper and styles like modern, rustic and traditional.
They also come in a variety of shapes to suit any preference from dome, bowl, lantern, globe and orb, geometric and others.
Pendants are also a smart choice for home bars, home offices, hallways and foyers. For overhead lighting that combines function with an attractive presence in a room, think chandeliers and pendants.
Keep recessed lighting on your list of considerations for their unobtrusive positioning to focus light on areas 4-6 inches in diameter. They also partner well in sloped ceilings.
Comfort living extends to warm lighting by using natural materials like textured wood, glass and jute. Simple designs, shapes and textures complement functionality.
Always try to incorporate dimming controls throughout the home to give you flexible lighting options and reduce electricity use.
Lighting Tips
• Living rooms: Ambient overhead and accent lighting. • Kitchens: Ambient overhead lighting and task lighting over workspaces, countertops or sinks. • Bedrooms: Ambient overhead lighting and task lighting over nightstands and near dressing areas. • Bathrooms: Ambient overhead lighting and task lighting near vanities. • Outside: Accent lighting along walkways and landscaping.
Lighting Temperatures
• 2,700 Kelvin: warm and darkest, similar to candlelight. • 2,900 to 3,200 K: warm and slightly brighter, the most common color temperature for most rooms. • 3,500 K: neutral and brighter color temperature. • 4,000 K: cold; this is where the imitation of natural daylight begins, and the light becomes colder depending on the time of day. • 5,000 K: cold, colder than before, and very bright; serves for rooms where the focus is needed.
The right lighting can make a big difference in ambiance and comfort.
LOVING THE
LIFESTYLE
ACTIVE SENIORS HAVE PLENTY OF OPTIONS IN THE LOWCOUNTRY
BY HEATHER QUINN
Although playing a round (or two) of golf will always be an essential retirement pastime, a new generation of active seniors want more than their predecessors.
Pickleball, Mahjong, wine outings, dining clubs, craft groups and daily Lowcountry excursions are just a few of the activities available to active seniors.
The idea of retirement communities began back in the early 1900’s. Basic boarding houses and bleak apartments gave way to more cheerful concepts and by 1960 the mega-popular inaugural Sun City opened in Arizona with huge success. As a result, active living communities began to open throughout the country, according to Jeff Hoyt at seniorliving.org.
With more than 60 years to perfect the art of 55-and-over living, the ideology is that it is not 55+ and older — it is 55+ and better.
Active adult communities such as Sun City Hilton Head (with more than 100 clubs), The Cypress, The Bayshore and Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head have changed the game when it comes to senior living, specifically in a postpandemic world. The silver lining, according to Suzanne Brown, the activities director at The Cypress of Hilton Head, is that “residents were forced to use technology.” As a result, residents became more comfortable with technology— participation increased as it became commonplace for seniors to sign-up online for activities and programs.
The words active and senior have become as much a mindset as they are an absolute necessity—the 55-and-older crowd wants to get out and have fun with the people who make them happy.
Mona Ward is the lifestyle director at Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head Island and she’s a proud Margaritaville resident as well. According to Ward the top three requested activities are pickleball, bocce ball and anything associated with the visual arts (crafts, photography, pottery etc.).
“The vibe is welcoming-like mindedness; we don’t stifle creativity,” she said.
The desire to stay on property is trending, according to Ward. After many years of hard work and raising families, friendships can finally become a priority.
“Now our residents are making friends for life and enjoying friendships they always wanted to have,” she said. As a result, the on-site activities are extensive, and there are new activities added frequently.
Bluffton-based K. Hovnanian Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks offers a bustling daily schedule of activities. According to its website, the community’s activities include pickleball, billiards, ballroom dancing lessons, and painting classes. There’s also tennis and an aerobics studio.
The Bayshore on Hilton Head Island has an arts and crafts center, outdoor bocce ball court, and an outdoor heated swimming pool.
The website’s calendar of events last month included a creative writing class, painting, an afternoon boat cruise and line dancing.
An active mindset is not just for those opting for a resort-style active living community. Those that are opting to “age in place” are just as active as their communal counterparts. In other words, “rather than seeing retirement as a time of limited opportunity or even boredom, Americans have begun to see the possibility of it being an active, productive period in life,” an NPR report notes.
On Hilton Head Island, The Island Rec Center has a robust list of offerings for the senior set. From Mahjong and cribbage to day trips and a monthly Diners Club—the senior center has become a bustling place.
“Many of the events we do are the suggestions from our members and I believe this is what makes this center unique and fun,” said Cherie Bronsky, Senior Center Director, Island Recreation Association.
In addition, local businesses such as Needlepoint Junction in the Village at Wexford have seen a huge uptick in “crafters” who are 55 and older.
“We have a regular group of knitters/crocheters and needlepointers. Some have been strangers to each other that have become long lasting friendships. They grow to deeply care for one another. The talent is crazy,” noted Michelle Greene, owner of Needlepoint Junction.
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For publication, dates and rates contact Meredith at meredith@hiltonheadmonthly.com
