Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known as Caravaggio, (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter of the high renaissance. . Often, his work juxtaposes gut-wrenching, violent images with porcelain, angelic-like figures. Caravaggio became renowned for his chiaroscuro, or literally “light” and “dark,” painting technique, infusing spaces with a beam of light to lead the viewer to the subject matter, tell a story or to symbolize God’s grace or judgement.
The Milanese painter was a master of manipulation when it came to light and value, and many cite this as a driving influence on the Baroque movement. But this article is about custom home architecture. So what does Caravaggio have to do with hiring a custom home architect in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or building a custom home in Northwestern Arkansas?
Here’s the short answer: light is often an overlooked element of living spaces.
In this article, we’ll break down the importance of lighting when it comes to residential design. Whether it’s with custom home architecture in Tulsa, or a city like Rome where you can discover Caravaggio’s masterpieces in architectural landmarks scattered around the ancient metropolis, light matters.
Custom Home Lighting and Creating an Ambiance Just as Caravaggio understood the balance of light and dark, so too must a custom home architect understand the balance of light, shade and accents where appropriate. The ability to do so is the result of the acquired experience that only a knowledgeable custom home architect may possess. Qualified custom home architects possess a proven track record when it comes to creating alluring spaces with residential lighting.
Good Lighting for Residential Design Enhances Interiors Can you envision your dream home? What spaces do you remember the most or had the most impact on you? When you think of beautiful places and spaces, do you imagine light? More specifically, do you imagine natural light? Natural light is central to your custom home designs. When it comes to the interiors of your custom home, there is nothing more important than optimizing and making use of ambient light.
A custom home architect understands orientation, balances aesthetics, and can effectively direct light in desired places. Natural light brightens the overall feel of a room and creates the ambiance.
Accent Lighting And Your Custom Home In Tulsa, OK Natural light is one source available to create the custom home you envisioned. In addition to livening the feel of the room, good residential design lighting highlights features or specific details. That’s where accent lighting comes front and center. With accent lighting, you put light on the details or features you want to be more pronounced or withhold light for effect.
Task Lighting and Your Custom Home Beyond the effective use of ambient light and accent lighting, you can also employ the use of task lighting. This provides an additional layer of lighting level for specialized activities. Maybe it’s in the kitchen and cooking. Maybe it’s a quiet space for reading. Or maybe it’s even a dedicated task light for an activity such as sewing. The possibilities are endless when it comes to custom home architecture. The choice is up to you.
The Importance of Highlighting Landscape, Hardscape, Exteriors and Interiors There are myriad opportunities when it comes to spotlighting landscape and hardscape features, as well as exteriors and interiors. When it comes to landscapes and hardscapes, a custom home architect will identify and delineate sections and spaces that meet your vision. Architects perform the same task when it comes to exteriors and interiors and your custom home in Tulsa.
Balancing comfort, style and practical tasks. A good custom home architect values style and quality. Exemplary experience combined with the detail-oriented eye of a skilled custom home architect will ensure your custom home finds the balance between comfort, style and practical tasks. Perkins Architects believes your custom home should provide you with an unprecedented level of utility and style.
Color Management and Your Custom Home Good color management means ensuring uniformity across the various technological features of your custom home and the natural environment. A custom home architect will ensure balance through knowledge and skill.
A Final Word On Custom Home Architecture and Lighting Light elicits emotional responses. For architects, light is an integral and important part of the custom home building process. The effective use of light reaches something foundational in our being. If you find yourself in Rome don’t pass up the opportunity to closely examine a Caravaggio. You can tour the city tracking down his most famous pieces. What do the master artist and custom home architects have in common? The lessons Caravaggio taught us about the interplay between light and the human experience connects us to the spaces we inhabit.
Our architects bring years of lighting expertise to every project and help make sure your home is not only a beautiful representation of your life but it creates an ambiance by connecting you to your space. Lighting can be the difference between good and great architecture. Let Perkins Architecture elevate your next custom built home to a great piece of architecture.
