“Lighting is a complex science by itself,” says Manoj Sabnani, Principal Architect and Founder of Bangalore based consultants Nebulous Design. Indeed, for most architects and interior designers, lighting is almost a make or break factor in the entire spatial canvas, whether it’s a play of natural light or the use of artificial lighting. In the retail context, it is even more so. After all, the light at the end of the store experiential tunnel (pardon the pun) is often defined in terms of the sensorial response created in the shopper. Lighting is a key factor that adds to this. 

Elaborating further on how lighting triggered his interest and curiosity, Manoj explains, “Working at a museum in Detroit in US more than 20 years ago was a real eye opener for me. I discovered how experiential lighting could be designed using sensors and other technologies. It was essentially about using differentiated lighting across different zones in the museum to tell different stories. That and other experiences there gave me some real perspectives on how lighting could be used imaginatively in a given space.”  

Openness to investing in right lighting

But in the current Indian retail context, how open are retailers, especially traditional retailers, to investing in the right kind of lighting to create the right kind of effect? Answers Manoj, “Well, it does take some amount of convincing, but once they develop the trust in us and understand that certain lux levels are needed to enhance the store space, there’s no looking back usually. In the case of some established traditional retailers that we’ve worked with, we havebeen able to change their whole perception towards the store space. But yes, it’s a gradual process - one store at a time - and it took about three stores for us to standardise store elements, including lighting. Many of these local retailers also have a good relationship with their customers, who are loyal to them and trust them. So that enables them to experiment more.”

Lighting budget: How much is just right?

When it comes to budget allotment for lighting in terms of percentage of the total store budget, most architects/designer would agree it should be at least 10%. Manoj agrees, “It’s tough to come up with an actual percentage as it depends on many factors, but yes it should ideally be 10-12%. 

Finding the right lighting solution: Any check-list?

Budget is one thing, and then finding the right lighting supplier who can deliver what the project demands, is another. Manoj says in this regard, “We go with the client choice when it comes to choosing a supplier. When there is requirement for special kind of lighting, we keep looking till we find the right supplier who can offer what we need.”  

He further lists out some important factors when it comes to choosing and planning the right lighting solution for a project: 

• Credible brand name 
• Source of components
• Made in India: This is especially important for faster turnaround time 
• After sale service 
• Three -year Warranty 
• Logistics 

Working with lux reports 

Many store architects and designers rue the lack of enough lighting specialists in the retail space. In this context Manoj says, “We used to work with different lighting designers. But then we realised it was time consuming as iterations were taking too long and were not serving the purpose. So now we get all our lux reports done from one particular lighting designer, irrespective of the supplier we work with. The lighting designer ensures that requirements in terms of the illumination specs are met for every project. Fact is that each project has its own requirements; we may need to increase wattage, reduce lighting distance or make other adjustments depending on the space. So it’s important to get into many levels of detailing, especially for large scale projects.”

Well, when it comes to lighting a meticulous approach certainly helps. After all, it has a direct impact on the final store experience delivered. Any thoughts?

Home page image: Kalyan Silks store in Thiruvalla. Pic courtesy Nebulous Design