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Posts Tagged: Pendant lighting design

Lighting Design using Google SketchUp

Ceiling grid is a favorite feature in HBA parade home

Living room ceiling grid in Seven Custom Homes HBA parade house.

Living room ceiling grid in Seven Custom Homes HBA parade house

In a previous blog post we shared the plans for a unique living room ceiling treatment in the Seven Custom Homes Greater Austin HBA Parade of Homes. This spectacular home was a big hit on the tour and won awards for Best curb appeal, Best fireplace, Best lighting, Best master bath, Best master suite and Best landscape.

Legend Lighting was privileged to work with Seven Custom Homes to provide the lighting for this project and we were very honored that the home won the award for Best Lighting.  Legend Lighting designer, Cathy Shockey, worked with Sheena McKnight, from Seven, to come up with a very creative lighting application for the living room. The inspiration was a photo from Houzz.  Here is what Cathy had to say about the project:

“When specifying pendants, odd numbers look best in almost every situation. I would love to say that I had some grand plan for 15 pendants, but in reality, I arbitrarily picked that number! With the unique grid system on the ceiling, the key was not to overload the space visually, but have the lighting help draw your attention to the ceiling treatment. When designing the layout inside the grids, we did not use more than two pendants in a section and some sections ended up with one pendant. The pendant locations were spray painted on the floor for the electrician to mimic on the ceiling.

The height of the pendants varies slightly, as we did not want to have them all hang at one height. We started with the lowest point and worked up from there. There was some concern about the amount of light from the pendants, but I really think they provide the perfect amount of light. The pendants are dimmable, so they can provide low light for smaller, more intimate gatherings, or bright light for bigger parties.

The project turned out even better than we had imagined! It was so cool and got so much attention in the parade.”

We applaud Seven Custom Homes for the innovative and distinctive design features that are incorporated into their homes to make them so stunning. We loved working on this project and always welcome the opportunity to get creative with lighting.

Seven Living Room 1

Seven Living Room 3

Seven Living Room 4

For a virtual tour of this fabulous home click here.

To see more from Seven Custom Homes click here to visit their Houzz profile.

Lighting Design using Google SketchUp

Today we want to share with you how we are using Google SketchUp in lighting design. Sometimes it is really difficult to imagine and visualize how lighting will actually look in a space. Google SketchUp is being used by many interior designers to show colorful perspectives and three dimensional illustrated plans. It is an excellent design, presentation and sales tool used by over two million professionals around the world. We wanted to give it a try with lighting design. Cathy Shockey and Alissa Fischer, both with Legend Lighting, worked together on the design.

The photo below was shared with us by one of our custom home builders as an idea inspiration. They wanted a similar look with the ceiling and the pendant lighting for a new construction project.

Design Inspiration Photo

Design Inspiration Photo



The photo below was taken at the job site.
Dropped ceiling grid

Dropped ceiling grid



The next two photos are what we came up with using Google SketchUp. They are the same, just slightly different views.
Pendant lighting design using Google SketchUp

Pendant lighting design using Google SketchUp

Pendant lighting design using Google SketchUp

Pendant lighting design using Google SketchUp



We think using Google SketchUp will really help us plan the lighting design with our customer and eliminate any confusion and miscommunication. It will also come in handy when it comes time to hang the pendants. When the project is complete we will post it to the blog-stay tuned!

Traditional & Contemporary Lighting & Ceiling Fans | Custom Lighting Designs | Energy Efficient Solutions | Landscape Lighting
Architectural Downlighting | Cabinet Lighting | Turn-key Installation Services | Table & Floor Lamps | Home Décor | Light Bulbs