Marcus Steffen invited to speak at Grand Designs Live

MS Lighting Design is excited to announce that our owner and principal lighting designer Marcus Steffen will be taking the stage at Grand Designs Live Birmingham in October. Following a successful speaker slot at the London show earlier this year, Marcus has been asked to return to the incredibly popular show to share his expertise with attendees.

On 8th October at 12pm, Marcus will be co-delivering a keynote talk with Richard Dudzicki of RDA architects. Entitled ‘EnerPHit and Lighting Renovation of historic building’, Marcus and Richard will share with the audience the details of their collaboration to renovate a historic 1960s Michael Blackstock building.

Discussion points include the complexity of bringing in natural daylight while achieving EnerPHit status, and how to save 83% on heating bills and dealing with the restrictions in place to create a beautifully lit environment at night.

You can read more about the renovation in the project showcase.  

The talk will take place in the Grand Designs Magazine Theatre. Marcus and Richard will also deliver a session as part of the Sustainable Future Theatre events programme, at 2pm – also on 8th October.

More information on Grand Designs Live is available on the event website

Wardrobe lighting - what do you need?

At MS Lighting Design when we discuss lighting with our clients, we often recommend wardrobe lighting. We know that it can be very frustrating to find accessories or shoes on the bottom shelf in near darkness, because the only light is 3m away in the room.

Unfortunately, we often see examples of wardrobe lighting that has not been considered or designed properly. These issues include sensors which switch the light off, or cold white light, that is shocking when you open the door. We also see problems such as dots on the LED strips, and poor colour rendering.

Here are the key points you should check for when you are designing and fitting wardrobe lighting.

1.     Make sure the colour temperature matches the light outside the wardrobe, so there are no jarring transitions (we recommend 2700K most of the time).

2.     Make sure the lighting has a high CRI. Ideally Ra Value will be a minimum 90+, and ideally all values should be above 90 (including the tricky R9 red value).

3.     If using LED strips, check the depth of the channel, and make sure it is more than the pitch (spacing between chips) of the LEDs. This will prevent spotting.

4.     Make sure the right switches are used. We prefer IR door switches over sensors, so that you don't have to do a little dance every 30 seconds to keep the lights on.

5.     Plan early in your build. We are normally trying to design all of this before the electrician is even started on site.

If you want help and advice on any joinery lighting, including wardrobe lighting, then please get in touch.

Marcus Steffen takes part in expert discussion at Circular Lighting Live

Marcus Steffen takes part in expert discussion at Circular Lighting Live

MS Lighting Design’s owner and principal lighting designer Marcus Steffen recently took part in an expert panel discussion at Circular Lighting Live. The conference is the UK’s first major event dedicated to sustainable lighting, and was held at the Cavendish Conference Centre at the end of September.

Marcus took part in a discussion entitled ‘Will lighting by numbers mean the end of creative design?’. The panel explores whether sustainable standards and regulations will stifle creativity, which led to a lively debate on the topic.

The discussion, and the whole event, was well attended by delegates from across the lighting sector. Brought to the industry by Recolight, Circular Lighting Live is part of Recolight’s agenda to connect the supply chain as the lighting industry moves towards net zero carbon.

You can find out more about the 2022 event and plans for next year’s conference through the Circular Lighting Live website.

Marcus Steffen joins Silhouette Awards as a Mentor

MS Lighting Design's owner and principal lighting designer, Marcus Steffen, is delighted to be joining the Silhouette Awards initiative as a Mentor. ⠀

The awards programme is searching for the lighting industry's rising stars, aged 35 and under. The awards will celebrate success and give the winners the support they need as they progress with their professional career. ⠀

Brand new for 2021, the Silhouette Awards programme will be focused on identifying the rising stars of the lighting industry and subsequently supporting these young professionals beyond as they progress their careers.

20 mentors, all senior professionals in the lighting industry will be whittling down all entries from the young lighting professionals until there are 20 Winning Mentees. Marcus will be taking one of these highly-coveted Mentor positions.⠀

The winners will then receive a 6 month mentorship programme, offering an opportunity learn from the best. You can find out more about these unique and industry-leading awards You can find out more about these unique and industry-leading awards over https://silhouetteawards.com/.

Marcus Steffen to speak at [d]arc room

MS Lighting Design is pleased to announce that our owner and principal lighting designer Marcus Steffen will be speaking at the upcoming [d]arc room. This year will see [d]arc room pop-up as an established lighting area within Design London, giving lighting specifiers a destination within a destination. The exhibition is being held between 22 and 25 September, at Magazine London, Greenwich Peninsula.

Hosted on the Magazine Mezzanine, the [d]arc thoughts programme of talks will take place over three days, and feature insightful discussions from leading industry professionals working with light.

Between 1 and 1.45pm on Wednesday 22 September, Marcus will be joining a panel discussion on Diversity in Design: Women in Lighting for Gender Equality. This is a topic Marcus has championed for some time, and he is excited to share in this important discussion.

You can find out more on the dedicated [d]arc room website.

MSLD's Marcus Steffen part of judging panel for brand new awards programme

We are excited to announce our founder Marcus Steffen has been selected to be part of the judging panel for a new recognition programme for a new age - Build Back Better Awards.

This new initiative will champion and celebrate innovation in buildings. During 2020 we learned how important the built environment is to our physical and mental wellbeing. And, post-pandemic, we realise that we’ll need spaces that better reflect our changed priorities. We’ll need workplaces with collaboration and wellness at their heart, homes that are designed for remote working, well-considered local community and leisure facilities and retail outlets that support online shopping.

What thinking, technologies and innovations will help us shape this new age? Build Back Better Awards will answer just that! As part of the judging panel, Marcus will be part of discovering these concepts, as well as celebrating them in a unique recognition and awards programme.⠀

You can find out more about the awards over on the brand new Build Back Better Awards website.

Changing perceptions of exterior lighting

Did you know that clear glass windows were developed by the Romans? They actually date back to between the 1st and 3rd Centuries. You can see evidence of this from Pompeii and Herculaneum, where one of the reasons for glass was to enjoy the ornate gardens they created during the winter season. This was a much more pleasant outlook rather than shuttering their windows.

Move to the 20th Century and Philip Johnson was a modernist architect who created homes with all external walls as glass. This allowed homeowners to truly enjoy the views from their property and from anywhere within the home (the photo below is of his appropriately named Glass House). The downside of this is the “goldfish bowl effect”, with those in the home feeling they are lit up and easily observed at night.

Philip Johnson Glass House.jpg

To help mitigate this, he worked with renowned lighting designer Richard Kelly to design a lighting scheme that helps those in the home to feel comfortable. Light around the buildings was added in soffits, and illuminated the planting of the trees. This stopped that harsh drop at the glass wall, and ensured the building was embedded within the landscape. The added benefit was the creation of more security and comfort.

This is a perfect example of how lighting doesn’t just stop at the windows, and exterior lighting needs to be a key consideration for a home. Whether the primary goal is security or beauty, or a blend of both, there are much better ways to achieve your vision without using a security floodlight.

Lighting your home office

The events of 2020 have seen a surge in home working and this is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future. Some companies have even embraced this change for the long-term, and we may see either full home working in the future for lots of us, or a split between the office and working from home.

When creating a dedicated space for working at home, make sure you consider the lighting. Having good working light is extremely important - not having the right light will lead to more stress and lower productivity.

Here are MS Lighting Design’s top tips for lighting your home office or working space:

1. Make sure you have a light source for the work surface. This should be positioned so that it is in front of you, ensuring there are not shadows.

2. Avoid discomfort glare. This is having a bright surface and dark background, and can cause tiredness and headaches. Add some ambient light to help reduce this.

3. Take advantage of daylight, but consider a sheer shade if it is very bright, to allow some softer light in.

If you want more help, then MS Lighting Design offers a consultation service to make your home office a space you want to stay in all day.