At The Online Lighting Store, we always like to see customers coming along with commercial projects. We especially like the variety that comes along with hospitality-based projects. From small independent coffee shops right through to larger Hotel chains, every project is different, and the type of lighting required is also unique to your business needs. For example, the lights a small café needs for a warm setting will be ever so slightly different than the more romantic feel many restaurants need.
Saying that, a lot of the same rules and design guidelines still apply, but the approach can be very different. The fact that The Online Lighting Store draws from so many different suppliers allows us to offer many different styles, from industrial through to shabby chic and even minimalist commercial lighting if needed.
If you’re working in hospitality and need a little guidance on where to start with buying commercial lightings, our lighting experts have pulled together a few ideas that we generally run through with clients; ideas that typically help us get a feel for the establishment, design etc., with a view to helping people find the commercial lighting solutions they need.
Your Lighting Themes
Is there an overarching theme for the design? It’s one of the first questions we normally ask. If this is clear from the outset, then the types and styles of fittings offered can be tailored to suit. From our range of wall lights, feature pendants and other floor and table lamps, we should be able to put together a good selection of most things.
We also have direct access to several manufacturers who can offer a fully bespoke service. It’s always worth looking at this option if nothing off the shelf will suit. You’d often be surprised at what’s out there after having a quick chat with the team.
Your Lighting Features
In hospitality, feature lighting can be anything from large flamboyant chandeliers (a feature in themselves) right through to good lighting of artwork or highlighting architectural features.
For large feature lighting, we have a good selection of different crystal chandeliers, modern feature pendants, and different styles of lighting families that could be worked into different situations. Again, bespoke commercial lighting is also an option in this field, and with additional detail, we can come up with some extra special designs to suit most visuals.
Track and spotlighting can be used to great effect for art or architectural features, with the correct colour temperature and control of the shape and direction of the light. Doing so allows for bright areas to be contrasted by areas of darkness and draws all the attention onto relevant features.
Your Lighting Moods
Lighting needs to be able to enhance a design and capture a mood. For example, it is quite common nowadays for some coffee shops might be starkly fitted out with exposed services and natural building materials.
We can accommodate this with industrial type fittings or maybe something in a natural wood finish, possibly even exposed bulbs on lamp holders will suit, while some may want to keep a very intimate feel by lighting little else than the features and the tables. We can help to enhance your vision for whatever mood you are trying to create.
Single pendant lights, wall Lighting and even well-positioned table lamps can all help with this idea, maybe with some surface or recessed downlight covering the amenities. An overall mood can be enhanced with great commercial interior lighting, and more importantly, great placement.
Your Lighting Functionality
As much as lighting can create or enhance an atmosphere, it also has to meet certain guidelines and regulations to keep the customers and staff safe and enable them to move around the place without fear of having an accident.
Using background lighting or additional discretely placed general lighting, our staff can help with compliance where required. We can also help with things like emergency lighting if required.
It can also be a matter of practicality or needing to work around tight spaces. For example, we have some great wall light options for barbers and salons that want bright spaces but need to keep floor (and sometimes ceiling) space free.
Helping with Your Commercial Lighting needs
No matter the theme or atmosphere you are trying to create, the right lighting can make or break a project.
At The Online Lighting Store, we understand this and will work tirelessly to try and achieve exactly what look and feel you are trying to portray.
Sometimes it’s not about a feature. Sometimes it’s not even about being subtle, but it’s always about the right product, in the right place, doing its job to the best of its abilities.
That’s something that we make possible as leading commercial lighting specialists. If you’re just about to start shopping for this type of lighting but need a little help knowing what will work best, hit the chat icon in the corner of the page or leave a message, and we’ll be in touch.