Lighting

The art of

Getting the lighting right in the sociable spaces in our homes is important all year round, but especially so as winter draws in. A simple job for the electrician, you might assume; but if you have an interesting collection of art and antiques, your money would be better spent on calling in a specialist.

‘An electrician will know how to wire a house,’ says Andrew Molyneux, founder and director of TM Lighting, leading experts in art lighting, but understanding how light actually behaves is a different thing. ‘You want a well-structured, layered lighting scheme,’ he explains. This might involve lamps around the perimeter of the room on a circuit with a dimmer switch and a central chandelier, or pendant, for a soft glow – a base level of light – on a separate switch. And finally, picture lights, for your art, will be on another circuit again. ‘You’re trying to build a scheme where you can control each layer with a separate switch, and have different effects depending on the time of day and the mood you want to create,’ says Andrew.

If the art on your walls is lit, but you find that your eye is drawn to the frame or the shadow it casts, the chances are you’re using old-fashioned incandescent picture lights. ‘Incandescent bulbs throw a ball of light and don’t evenly light artworks,’ Andrew explains, and they tend to create a glow on the frame that distracts your eye from the actual art. The problem will be compounded if there is no layering or hierarchy underpinning the other light sources in the room: the eye doesn’t know where to look and it’s tiring not being able to focus on anything specifically.

Back in 2012, while working at Goodwood House, TM Lighting identified a need for an LED picture light that could illuminate art evenly, without emitting any infra-red heat or UV light, which can damage art over time. Since then they have forged ahead with an innovative range of environmentally friendly designs. ‘Really great art lighting means you only see the art, y