The future of smart lighting is here. In the past, say “smart lighting” and people would automatically think of colour-changing bulbs and being able to switch the lights on from one’s phone.
These days, smart lighting is so much more sophisticated than that. We now live in a world where we can adjust our lights’ brightness and warmth from literally anywhere in the world, and even program our home so that the lights gradually turn dimmer towards bedtime, signalling that it’s time for sleep and helping you have a consistent early bedtime.
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Full integrations between smart home systems and lighting designers are also now a thing, meaning you’re no longer limited to a narrow range of lighting options by a single manufacturer.
One such example is the partnership between Sol Luminaire, who are experts in lighting solutions, and smart home systems like Domus, Inhaus and IG Solutions. These companies work hand in hand to provide smart lighting for design-led projects, so that your home is both beautiful and functional.
To help you with your search for a smart lighting system, we chatted with Joseph Ho, co-founder of local lighting company Sol Luminaire, to find out about the five factors you’ll need to consider.
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About Sol Luminaire
A homegrown company founded in 2008, Sol Luminaire are experts in the art of lighting in design. They provide a comprehensive tailored lighting solution for both commercial and residential projects, and their flagship AEON range is designed in-house right here in Singapore.
1. Design of lights
Good lighting is like a supporting actor on the stage of your home’s interior design: it should highlight the rest of the decor without drawing too much attention to itself, unless intended.
Regardless of your home’s design, your lighting should blend in seamlessly and give you free rein to control its brightness and beam angles.
For the design-conscious homeowner, the AEON Globula and Voli by Sol Luminaire are good choices. “Think of a clean, sleek ceiling look with lights that can be controlled via your phone,” says Joseph.
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Those who prefer a more minimalist look can opt for the AEON Globula, a sleek cylindrical light that can either be a statement on its own or recessed into the ceiling. With its compact size, the Globula was designed to be stylish yet inconspicuous, keeping the focus on the rest of your interiors.
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If you’d prefer to make more of a style statement while still keeping it subtle, the AEON Voli fits right into contemporary homes with its sculptural spherical body and textured matte look.
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2. Placement and function of your lights
What will you be using the lights for? It’s essential to do a walkthrough of your everyday activities in the home and consider where you’ll need the lights to be placed.
The bedroom and living room, for instance, are prime areas for relaxation, so you’ll want to have warm-coloured lights that can be dimmed at a moment’s notice for an evening of Netflix or bedtime.
Likewise, warm lights can create a relaxing ambience for dinners.
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The AEON Voli lights are ideal for these areas since they have dim-to-warm capabilities. What this means is that you won’t merely have the ability to control the brightness of the lights; you’ll have the flexibility to adjust the warmth too.
Need to take photos? Tell the lights to turn up to Warm White. Time to wind down? Adjust the lights to a gentle orange hue reminiscent of the sunset for a relaxing and cosy ambience.
Check out how the dim-to-warm functionality works in the video below:
The AEON range’s compatibility with most smart home technology systems also means you’ll be able to control the lighting right from your smartphone or via voice control. You can even program scenes, so saying the line “Netflix time!” will immediately result in the lights dimming to your desired brightness and hue.
Thanks to the quality of the AEON range, your lights will remain steady with zero flickering even at a very low setting.
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3. People using the lights
Are you the only one using it, or will there be others in the household? If you have a few other family members living with you, it’s important to consider the accessibility of the smart home for them as well.
Luckily, it’s extremely easy to switch your AEON lights on and off, thanks to the different ways it integrates with smart home technology.
“It’s the added convenience where at a touch, you don’t have to physically be there to actually control the lights. Technically, you don’t have to leave your couch when you’re already comfortable. Or it can be something you flaunt when your guests are over.” – Joseph Ho, Sol Luminaire
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1. Switch
Smart switches can be programmed to turn on different pre-programmed scenes at the touch of a button, saving you time having to adjust the lights manually. You can experience these for yourself at Sol Luminaire’s showroom, where their official partner Domus has integrated their Lutron system with the lights.
2. Voice Control
With Google Assistant, adjusting the lights is a simple matter of speaking commands, Tony-Stark-style.
You’ll be able to program the system such that saying “Time for bed” will turn the lights down low, or you can fine-tune the lighting on your own with a line like “turn the lights down to 50%”.
Don’t worry about the tech — the support team from the automation company will help you program the settings to your preferences, so you don’t have to set anything up yourself.
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3. Smartphone or Tablet
Need to turn on the lights for your kids who can’t reach the switch? You won’t even have to leave the couch to do so, since most smart home systems have an app that you can use to control your AEON lights from.
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The app by Domus, Sol Luminaire’s official partner, lets you turn on pre-programmed scenes or individual lights at the touch of a button.
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4. Compatibility of your smart products
What most new homeowners don’t know is that not all smart home products are compatible with each other.
If you purchase a smart system and electronics separately and they don’t “talk” to each other, you’ll wind up having wasted money and time – a common issue especially when products are from different countries with different data privacy policies.
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You won’t have to worry about that with Sol Luminaire’s AEON lights, though. They integrate beautifully with most smart home systems, and the setup for your home is done in tandem by both the lighting and smart home companies, so you’ll have peace of mind knowing that it’s all taken care of.
“If you’re using a separate automation system on your own, it is ideal to always test and understand the systems that are going to be hooked up with AEON, to ensure that there aren’t any issues with dimming.
Alternatively, you can choose from the automation partners we work with,” says Joseph. If your automation system isn’t one of the partners, Sol Luminaire will conduct complimentary in-house compatibility testing for you to make sure it works.
Although Sol Luminaire’s AEON range is compatible with most systems, their official automation partner is Domus, which can help you integrate the AEON lights of your choosing into your smart home with one seamless system.
Their Lutron system is integrated into the Sol Luminaire showroom, and you can experience the system for yourself when you visit and find out how it works.
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5. Timing and communication of your renovation process
Setting up the lighting and a smart home – these are considerations you should be thinking about early on in the design and renovation process, and not something to leave till the last minute.
Speak to your interior designer as soon as possible about the possibility of doing up a smart home, so that they’ll be able to advise you on the practical considerations.
“Pre-planning is extremely crucial – this gives not just us, but even the homeowner more time to decide and discuss the ideal outcome that they would like in their home.” – Joseph Ho, Sol Luminaire
For homeowners who are more hands-on in the design process, it’s also possible to explore the idea of a smart home on your own, since Sol Luminaire only works with smart home companies that have a strong local support team in Singapore.
Communication and accessibility is a breeze — essential since planning a smart home takes a lot of collaboration and discussions — and you’ll never have to worry about after-sales support.
For viewing, book your appointment from Monday to Friday from 10am to 7pm and on Saturday from 11am to 5pm. Contact Sol Luminaire at 6612 1221.
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