You know what they say. Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.
This is precisely why the team at Hanson Audio Video has created an incredible Lighting Lab showroom that displays what standard lighting looks like in a typical build as well as what a home looks like with upgraded lighting. They display 40 different lighting scenes in their showroom (including kitchen, living room, bathroom and dining room) so customers can truly experience the stark difference good lighting makes in a home’s atmosphere.
Typically, when building a house, a homeowner is asked how many lights they want in each room. We’ve been led to believe that the more lights we install, the brighter the space will be. To a certain extent that’s true, but it doesn’t mean the room is well lit.
“All you’re doing is lighting the floors or providing general lighting in a room,” says Troy Hanson, owner of Hanson Audio Video. “By doing a little more planning and putting in the right kind of lights, you can greatly enhance viewing areas.”
This is ideal for homeowners who have nice furniture, fine art, striking cabinets or other items they want to spotlight.
According to Hanson, more than 90% of people who build put in canned lighting simply because they don’t know any different. Once you see — and feel — the difference in what great lighting options can do, however, standard lighting feels subpar.
At Hanson’s Lighting Lab showroom, they focus on the various layers of lighting and how they draw attention to assorted elements in a home. One is the architectural layer, which demonstrates how decorative ceilings, columns, niches, facades and skylights are accented by lighting.
“The light is recessed so you don’t see the bulb or fixtures,” says Hanson. “All you see is wherever the light is being focused.”
Then there is the decorative layer, which enhances wall sconces, wall hangings, mirrors, etc. The art layer focuses on how lighting enriches surfaces such as galleries and art hanging on the wall. The path layer energizes transition spaces, such as flooring and hallways.
The task layer includes areas like countertops, cabinet interiors, and kitchen islands — those surfaces where people prepare food or accomplish other tasks. The interior decoration layer involves coffee tables, dining tables, carvings, murals, drapes and so forth. The view layer is what you see when you look out the window at night.
“If you don’t have lighting out there, all you see is your reflection in the glass,” says Hanson. “Having some light outside allows you to see through that glass and view whatever’s on the outside.”
The adaptive layer incorporates all those lighting examples working together in the same room to highlight the finished product. Instead of having a handful of canned lights in a room, you may have numerous lights accenting all different things.
Keep in mind that not everyone needs all these layers. You can select those areas that you particularly want to enhance.
“The impact and effect that light makes is well worth every dime that’s spent because it’s enhancing the furnishings,” says Hanson. “You can tweak the lumens, the spreads and the color spectrum to make everything look much better.”
As with all of their products, Hanson Audio Video sells “good, better, best, and ultimate” solutions depending on a homeowner’s budget.
“We invite people to come out and see the difference proper lighting can make with our good, better, best and ultimate approach,” says Hanson. Area designers and architects are thrilled to be able to send their clients to Hanson’s Lighting Lab. Previously, they had to take clients to Chicago to show them proper lighting. “They’re excited that we can now do that in the Cincinnati marketplace.”
Visit Hanson Audio Video’s Lighting Lab showroom at 10800 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242 to experience the magic firsthand. For more information, visit hansonav.com or call 513.563.0444.