The Upside Down Holiday Apartment, Tahunanui, Nelson

Up on the hills in Tahunanui, Nelson, an uninspiring two-bedroom basement in a 1950s residential home was renovated into a separate apartment, independent of the main house. The basement space was uninviting and felt very dark and dated. The six month renovation project resulted in a designer unit with one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchenette, dining space and an added separate outdoor entertainment area.

The design concept was to create a boudoir smoky lounge vibe – a space that was both stylish and unique. Lighting was always going to be a critical part of this project, as the upgrade included walls that were painted in a rich burnt orange colour and a psychedelic mural installed across the main wall in the new lounge area. The newly added kitchenette was fitted out with black countertops with modern black appliances. The artwork throughout the unit was matched to the boudoir theme.

The lighting design concept came about as a need to compliment these unique finishings. All luminaires selected were Switch Lighting tunable white fittings. The rich, warm lighting tones created an environment of ultra comfort and luxury. In the lounge, the Switch Lighting ZELA Deep Offset Tilt luminaires are set to an automated lighting scene, which turns the mural wall into a living piece of art! The beautiful cool blues on the artwork pop when the Casambi enabled lighting rotates through to the 4000K settings, and the warm rich reds dramatically engulf the artwork when the lighting slowly dims down to 1800K.

The rich wooden flooring needed beautiful lighting to ensure the natural wood grains and textures did not look dull and lacklustre. In the kitchen, dining, and bedroom, Switch Lighting ZELA Deep Tilt fittings were installed, all with black trim. The burnt orange painted walls and ceilings needed a unique type of lighting to ensure the space felt warm and inviting, rather than dark and glary. Switch Lighting's colour tunable range of luminaires were critical in highlighting the unique qualities of this property. Both the lounge and bedroom feature the Switch Lighting Cirro Ceiling Washer, for soft cloud like illumination indirectly spread with an even wash over the ceiling above without highlighting the wall behind the fitting or either side of it.

Lighting scenes were programmed into the momentary push buttons on the wall, giving the homeowner full control throughout the apartment. The Switch Lighting Intelligent Control Casambi Evolution Push Button Controller units were installed behind all momentary push button units on the walls. Switch Lighting Intelligent Control Casambi Evolution Luminaire Controllers are connected to each luminaire in the property, including luminaires for outdoor lighting, indoor lighting, art and mural lighting, bathroom lighting and indirect wall and ceiling lighting. With multiple scenes created within each zone on the property, the Casambi controls were critical in the lighting management. Each space within the apartment has a 4-unit push button plate on the wall, commissioned with options to select multiple lighting scenes, dim the scenes up and down, activate the art & mural automation scenes, and to put all luminaires on or off in the room.

With the unique nature of the project, the Casambi smart lighting technology was proven easy to use and provided a platform where any variation of the imagination could be brought to life with lighting.

The homeowners were passionate about creating an environment with less glare in the living spaces, and less light pollution by reducing the amount of bright white light emitted from the property, especially at night. The property is discreet and blends into the natural bush surrounding the apartment's new outdoor deck. All luminaires have been commissioned with scenes set to a low dim, which results in reduced electricity consumption as an added bonus.

With Switch Lighting smart lighting products, this project has resulted in a spectacular living environment – and as such the homeowners have since decided to turn the apartment into a holiday apartment, listing the property internationally with extraordinary success! Global and local visitors are wowed by the property and the unique ambience created with lighting. The lighting design has resulted in not only a beautifully renovated space, but also a successful business opportunity.