Featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme, the ‘House by the Water’ is an innovative eco-friendly new build situated on the banks of the Thames.
The core of the house is a central drum dining space with open plan living areas on the east and west sides. A floating curved glass and timber stair leads to a central link bridge which connects the upper bedroom wings of the residence.
Partner: ACDC
Carclo Optic Part Nos Used: 10194, 10195, 10196, 10209
Photography: © Lysette Offley & Design International
Project brief
Design International was tasked with creating a sympathetic, innovative scheme for this unique cutting-edge eco-friendly riverside home and garden. The client wanted a scheme that was easy to maintain and sustainable to keep in line with the eco-friendly credentials.
The key emphasis was to maintain a light, open feeling that is apparent during the day, but which was flexible for different events during the night.
From the out-set it was clear that the lighting would have to encompass a simple clean single colour appearance with the option to create spaces of colour; therefore avoiding the need for permanent coloured walls.
acdc’s solution
Reena Patel from Design International explained, “with the brief of the project being forward-thinking, eco-friendly, it was a no-brainer for us to use LED lighting throughout the house. For us, acdc is a go-to company for LED products, especially in the residential market. Also with the project being UK based, it was important for us that the client had local support and it was great for us to support the UK economy by using a UK manufacturer.”
A selection of acdc products were used to fulfill the client’s brief. The down lights used were cost effective and provided the most variants so Design International could use a single range or a couple of ranges to satisfy all the down lighting requirements.
The simple use of linear fittings was used to wash walls, with down lighting highlighting soft furnishings and functional spaces like the offices. The linear fittings used also provided great output, and fulfilled the tasks needed. Reena added “the colour consistency of the RGB products was great, and the client had a lot of fun mixing the hues that were just right for them”.
Minimal lighting was installed in the landscape, highlighting the features and in keeping with a quite ethereal theme. Due to the location of the property, and previous issues with flooding it was imperative that flood proof lighting was installed in the landscape and basement. A number of acdc products have IP68 versions, which offered a wide selection for the client to choose from.
Speaking about the project, Reena commented, “I think the biggest demand on us was satisfying the ‘his and hers’ lighting throughout the house. It’s a house with 2 sides, simple, calm serene white light feeling, and a livelier colour filled space. We have a good relationship with acdc as they are reliable, maintain good support and above all had the best products for the application we required at the time.”