Accentuate the Positive

IS THERE A PARTICULAR ARCHITECTURAL element of your home that you’d like to show off? Are there parts of the interior design that you find particularly beautiful? Maybe you have a collection of art that you’d like to showcase or an area of interest that demands attention? A lighting control system can ensure that all the favorite parts of your house are never lost in the shadows. They’ll make those features stand out for all to admire by simply illuminating them in a way that draws the eye and accentuates the positive.

Like dimmer switches, a lighting control system dims and brightens light fixtures to certain settings. The difference is, with a system you’ll be able to adjust multiple switches at the same time from one device. Moreover, a lighting control system enables switches to be grouped together to create lighting “zones.” For example, in the living room, one zone of lights could include all the overhead fixtures; another the table lamps, a third the small LED strips mounted inside a bookshelf and the last the tiny LED bulbs tucked around the perimeter of the cove ceiling. By arranging the room lights in this manner and tying them to a lighting control system, each zone can be controlled independently. During a holiday gathering, you might activate a zone to call attention to a family portrait above the mantel; at a cocktail party a different zone of lights could be activated to bring out the color and texture of cozy furnishings in the sitting area.

• Arrange the lights in groups, or zones, so features within a room can be illuminated individually
• Create lighting scenes to evoke moods and ambiance
• The position, angle and intensity level of the lights will impact its effect on a home’s architecture and interior, so hire someone knowledgeable in lighting design to install a lighting control system
• Feel free to experiment with the settings, as lighting control systems can be easily reprogrammed
• Consider wireless lighting control systems for installation during a remodel or renovation

With a lighting control system, adjusting every fixture in a group of lights to perfect intensity levels is a cinch. As your house is being built, renovated or redecorated, a home systems integrator (sometimes in in coordination with an interior designer, architect and lighting designer) will program the preferred intensity levels of every light into the processor of a lighting control system. These “scenes” are then assigned to a custom-labeled button on a lighting control keypad. Now, when you press a button labeled “cocktail,” for instance, every light in the sitting area illuminates to the most eye-pleasing level.

The keypads that are typically used to engage lighting scenes (although it’s also possible to use a smartphone or tablet) are just as elegant as the scenes they create. Manufacturers of lighting control systems offer a plethora of styles, colors and finishes, as well as custom engraving of the keypad buttons. The fact that a single keypad can do the job of six or more individual light switches is reason enough for many aesthetically conscious homeowners to invest in a control system, as it clears away what architects, interior designers and home systems integrators refer to as wall acne or wall warts. Although a lighting control system is high-tech, your house won’t ever give off that vibe.