Lighting for Design

There is a great deal of modern technology that can impact our health, the way we shop, and even our mood throughout the day. It can be hard, as a business owner, to know how to optimize your go-to-market strategy, including the storefront and how customers interact with your business in that context. Urbaine Home has had to consider the dynamics of lighting their new space as they moved in, and what technologies will help them show the true beauty of their product. In addition, there is the need to differentiate from competitors, as well as stand out in an area with other interior design collections. SAV specializes in this lighting design process, and we were able to help Rain & Skye plan out the space according to best practices

A view from the front entrance of Urbaine Home, during the rough-in phase of construction.

A similar view from the front entrance, post-construction, during the opening celebration.

Much the same way that seeing an image of art is different than seeing the same art in a gallery or another real life setting. Rain Houser & Skye Anderson, owners of Urbaine Home, an interior design firm here in Bozeman,  joined SAV’s team for a trip to the Ketra Experience Center in Austin, TX. There, we experienced this advanced human-centric lighting, and knew it could make the difference in Urbaine Home’s new showroom. In their own words, “We believe that hardware and lighting [are] the jewelry of a home.”

Challenge: Our partners at Urbaine Home needed a way to share the true nature of their collection with their clients, and in a way that reflects what the pieces could achieve in their clients’ homes. It can be tough to mentally recreate what outside light feels like inside - especially when considering how interior decor will look under this condition - and the best we’ve got right now is skylights and windows. However, “daylit” spaces are and will always be present in the homes of Urbaine’s prospective clients. Most homes aren’t using fluorescent lights, after all. In essence, they needed to show their product in “livable” spaces, rather than a washed-out, super bright and ultimately unrealistic setting. 

In addition to this difficulty, interior designers and architects (and really anyone who works with fabric or paint samples) may need to stand next to a window to get optimal lighting on the sample. This poses its own challenge, as comparing samples in different lights usually requires examinations at different times of day, in order to understand how things will look in varying conditions. 

Lutron Palladiom Shades, Half-Drawn, inside the office.

Lutron Palladiom “Bottom Rail” Hem Bar Options.

Solution: Coordinating with Rain & Skye after the event, our team was able to assist in the design process and create a space that would . This changed Urbaine Home’s new space to show their collection in a realistic yet flattering way, and to simulate daylighting as if the product was already in the client’s home. The Ketra lighting can be tuned to any color in the spectrum, so the possibilities for customization are limitless. The photos below show how the lighting transforms the office, from warm to cool, with a special pink splash at the end (a preset chosen by the owners, they love pink). We wanted to show Rain and Skye that we could align with the design language of their new space, and so we designed accordingly: simple, effective, but with some room for showing off. With the help our partners at Lutron, we brought the dream of perfectly tunable lighting to life in this gorgeous luxury showroom.

Results: The lighting in their new space allows clients to visualize the available product as if it were in their own home. As a result, customers are more compelled to seek out something that fits into their narrative of life. Clients in the store can then contextualize the pieces they look at more easily with the help of the lighting and lighting control, with the hope of facilitating higher purchase intent. Rain and Skye have reported that since they opened, business has been brisk and clients are very responsive to seeing how light at any time of day can affect what they purchase. The lighting control in the office and conference room (Lutron Palladiom shades, Pico Remotes, Alisse Keypads) is a high point, allowing for privacy with clients in rooms with floor to ceiling windows without sacrificing daylight illumination.

The back wall of Urbaine Home during rough-in.

The same back wall, post-completion, with a Lutron Alisse Keypad to match the theme.

A Lutron Alisse Keypad.

“We love having Lutron Palladium shades in our studio. With all the glazing in our space we noticed a difference the moment they went in; before the shades we felt like we were in a fishbowl so the privacy aspect was very impactful and the glare mitigation was the real game changer. The simplicity of design was important to us, the Palladiom brackets and finishes allow for the shades to be installed without any valances being needed which changes the way that we think about shades. They are also incredibly easy to control with the wall plates and little remote Picos on our desks. We are thrilled to have the Lutron Palladiom product at Urbaine Home, and to be able to showcase them to the design community, our clients and the general public as well.”

System Specifications:

  • Lutron HomeWorks QSX System

  • Motorizes Shades

    • Lutron Palladiom Wire Free battery-operated shades at Conference Room (x3) and Office (x3)

  • Lighting Control

    • Lutron Custom Engraved Pico Remotes (x7)

    • Lutron Alisse Custom Engraved Keypad at Office (x1)

    • Lutron Palladiom Custom Engraved Keypad at Conference Room (x1)

  • Ketra Lighting Fixtures

    • Ketra S30 lamps in Office (x10)

    • Ketra A20 lamps in Library / Samples (x6) and Conference Room (x6)

    • Ketra A20 lamps in Retail Space (x4)