Of all the amenities in a home, lighting can have the most impact on design, ambiance and even your sense of well-being. Set at the appropriate brightness and color temperature, lighting can accentuate the architectural features of your home while affecting your mood and well-being. Smart lighting has the ability to touch every part of our lives in some very positive ways, and the continual evolution of LED lighting technology is largely responsible.

LED lighting has also introduced a new approach to lighting design, called Human-Centric Lighting, or HCL. Able to simulate daylight and dusk and develop a deeper connection with the outdoors, Human-Centric Lighting offers an exciting new approach to home lighting.

HCL Brings the Outdoors Inside

The objective of Human-Centric Lighting is to enhance the human experience, in particular, to satisfy our craving for natural sunlight. This involves advanced lighting solutions that simulate the shifting color spectrum and intensity of light throughout the day. This simulated natural light seamlessly blends with daylight, so you can start your day with bright, energizing light, and wind down with the same warm evening glow that you would experience outdoors as the sun starts to set.

HCL has also become a cornerstone of biophilic design: technologies specially configured to facilitate a close connection with the outdoors, even while you’re inside the home. The biophilic approach has evolved over the years—it was previously focused on enhancing a space with natural materials (i.e. wood, stone, etc.), greenery, and colors, textures, and patterns found in nature.

Today it has been elevated through HCL, which enables the interior space to feel flooded with natural light, regardless of proximity to windows. Simulating the daily progression of sunlight with indoor light fixtures has further blurred the lines between indoors and outdoors to help indoor occupants feel more connected to nature.