Let colour lift your lighting

New lighting technologies from Hunza and LuxR are opening up enormous potential around the highlighting of architectural and garden details, creating drama and vibrancy in ways that weren’t previously possible—and all controlled from your smart device.

And now, homeowners and building owners can let their creative side come to the fore, with a myriad of colours performing in a way that enhances the enjoyment of the outdoors.

“Every day we hear from someone wanting some more excitement in their garden lighting, and it’s wonderful to see how far you can take it—there are literally millions of colours and sequences you can programme,” says Katie Cunningham, Sales Representative for Hunza Lighting.

“Your backyard becomes a stage with so much more spectacle than you’ll get from solid-state colours. Whites can incorporate pastels to create duck egg blue, sea foam green, sunset yellow, burnt orange… the possibilities are endless when you have the colours of a paint chart to use and the tools to make them dance.”

Lighting of commercial buildings enhances both security and profile and adding a colour palette that has the option of movement and change enhances both. If you’re designing a building to be proud of, then surely it’s important to see it at night, too, when the architectural features are in even stronger relief—and a properly lit building is a safer building, from both theft and vandalism.

A well-lit business is also inviting, easier to access and increases the chance that more potential customers will approach.

For homes, outdoor lighting adds illumination to outdoor spaces, making them much more usable at night and a delight to look at—outdoor lighting adds a backdrop to entertaining or just increases the time one can enjoy their garden into the evening. Beyond just adding ambient light, strategically placed lights are also an excellent way to show off special elements in your yard—water features like fountains or ponds, or to spotlight trees.

After all the time and money put into creating a beautiful garden, the strategic use of lights throughout will also show off all the beautiful colours and textures—and the evening enjoyment can often outshine the daytime delight.

Real estate agents the world over will agree that curb appeal is one of the biggest factors in selling your home and outdoor lighting plays a big role in establishing curb appeal. In fact, in research conducted overseas, 41 per cent of potential buyers rated outdoor lighting as an essential quality for their desired home.

By strategically placing outdoor lighting throughout your garden, you can increase the street appeal of the home and its setting—buyers can be wowed through strategic timing of a visit to enjoy the drama of a well-lit home.

One of the most important features of outdoor lighting is to add security to your home and deter crime. Flood lights are a good way to brighten dark nooks and crannies and guests will also feel more comfortable coming to your home at night if they can see a clear path to your front door and your entry is well lit.

Well maintained landscape lighting also shows people that your home is well cared for, another important consideration when you’re looking to sell.

“Hunza units are more often recommended for architectural/commercial settings while LuxR is generally more focused on residential applications—mainly due to the size of the units,” says Katie.

Both, however, come with the utmost commitment to quality build and materials—from powder coated aluminium, to pure copper or 316 marine-grade stainless steel, as well as cast solid bronze; and all come with a range of warranties from 5 to 25 years.

“We’ve had units come back that are 20 years old from when Hunza was first established in 1990 and they’re in excellent condition,” says Katie.

“We encourage our clients to refurbish them with LEDs and new electronics and we’re confident they’ll easily last another 20 years.

“These are a premium product, of course,” says Katie, “but they’ll give pleasure for years, and, while there is a jump to the RGBW format, it is a relatively small stretch from a regular static fitout—and these are a lifelong investment.”

Different sequences and different ‘looks’ can each be programmed and either timed to run on a schedule or changed at a whim—the control lies with the user, thanks to the new digital controller app that sits on your device of choice.

Learn more about the exciting possibilities of RGBW lighting for your home or commercial application.