As the days grow incrementally longer, Australian Design Review (ADR) turns its attention to lighting. We’ve spoken to leading designers and invited them to share their expert insights on topics such as harnessing natural light, crafting thoughtfully orchestrated lighting design schemes, and their favourite lighting products. 

Gerald Matthews is the managing director and senior architect of award-winning Adelaide architecture and interior design studio Matthews Architects. Known in the industry for his intellectual rigour, which informs exceptional design outcomes across multiple typologies, Matthews shares his principles for residential lighting design that is both functional and makes you feel at home. 

Lighting is a crucial aspect of any home – whether artificial or natural.

It sets a mood, and illuminates and showcases objects and artworks. From a practical perspective, it helps us tackle daily tasks, from getting ready in the morning, to studying, reading or preparing meals. 

This came to light – pardon the pun – during a recent conversation with a friend about his ongoing home renovations.

He showed me some photos of a bathroom where the current lighting created an experience nobody would enjoy in front of the mirror. Glare was a major culprit. 

When downlights, for example, are positioned directly overhead, harsh shadows are cast downwards. So as your iris naturally closes from the glare, everything seems dimmer. On the other hand, lighting from below creates an unflattering, almost theatrical effect, like being lit by a campfire.

Everyone wants good lighting when they are in front of the mirror. You want something that tells the truth but is not demoralising to look at when you wake up in the morning.

So, to feel good about yourself, there are simple principles about how the direction of light should arrive at your face, as well as the ratio of light from each side. 

Light will feel better if it arrives approximately at eye level – or slightly higher or lower. It will also feel better if the light source is not a point but rather spread over a large surface area. The larger the better. 

The key to a flattering and functional mirror experience in your bathroom lies in achieving the right light balance. Ideally, the light should come equally from either side, or with a subtle bias towards one side. This creates a soft, dimensional effect that highlights your features without harsh shadows.  

I’m also a big believer in indirect lighting. When it comes to other areas of a home, rather than throwing light on people and task areas, lighting indirect surfaces like walls, paintings and sculptural art, can create a much softer mood within a home. 

I would love for people to become more creative and embrace some adventure to enhance their living spaces through lighting. Instead of a ‘downlights and pendant’ approach, there are so many possibilities to explore that can be inexpensive as well.  

For example, what if a garden could be turned into an expansion of a living space? While natural light fills a house during the day, at night the beauty of a garden is often lost because the interior is brightly lit. But what if we flipped this? By strategically illuminating gardens and outdoor spaces, it’s possible to borrow its warm glow to create a softer ambience inside. I’d like to see people light their gardens at night and use that as part of the interior lighting design. 

For clients currently in the throes of designing and building their houses, I encourage them to take some time to consider the orientation of spaces. From north, east, south and west-facing, there are ideal orientations to consider for certain spaces in a home. 

A north-facing window, dependent on the shading, will offer a gentle and constant glow that shifts throughout the day. While sunrise and sunset won’t be captured, it is possible to position elements within the house for light to land on. It’s one of the reasons why, in Adelaide in particular, a north-facing living space is very good to have. However, a well-considered shading approach is crucial. 

For west-facing windows, you’ll witness a beautiful sunset, however, that means a lot of direct sunlight at the hottest part of the day. In this case, having smaller windows to compensate for this is ideal.

East-facing windows offer that first burst of sunlight, which is usually cooler in the morning. While direct light fades after midday, there is a constant glow. 

With south-facing, unlike other orientations, you won’t experience the intense bursts of direct sun. Instead, the light becomes a gentle, indirect glow that subtly transforms throughout the day. This orientation is functionally ideal for workspaces or home offices as it gives good and even natural light, eliminating the need to constantly open and close blinds to deal with glare. 

Another consideration to maximise natural light in living spaces is incorporating windows on two adjoining walls. This doubles the natural light intake, creating a bright and airy atmosphere. This lighting effect generally improves the human enjoyment of the space profoundly. 

The heart of a home is the living space. Prioritising natural light from multiple directions – north and west, north and east, or south and west –  is ideal. That is why I always aim to design living spaces that are bathed in light from two directions. 

Getting more out of natural light isn’t only about creating bright spaces, it is also another strong potential area to save the planet and reduce energy costs. 

I remember when I was growing up and it was very much drilled into me not to leave the lights on: when you leave the room, switch the lights off, because it was expensive. I don’t think this sentiment is as strong now that we have LED lights because they’re not using as much power. 

Significant leaps forward have been made in the way dimming works in homes. Years ago, old resistors used just as much power even when the lights were dimmed. However, most dimmers are now electronically controlled so that when the light level is turned down, it’s actually using less power.

One of the ways to reduce long-term energy consumption is to install dimmers and think carefully about optimising the lighting experience while reducing power consumption. 

By embracing natural light in your home, it’s possible not just to create a beautiful and inviting space, but also make a sustainable choice to save the planet and reduce energy costs. Natural light has the capacity to uplift your mood, boost energy levels, and even improve focus.

Photography supplied unless otherwise noted.

Discover how Matthews Architects used light at St Peters College to support time orientation and enhance learning experiences.