Northcote Studio

February 18, 2015 Adele Locke

Back in late 2013 I received a call - urgent design needed for a unique curved studio structure in a back garden. Within 36 hours, we had resolved the design, the suppliers, brought the electrician up to speed and set this project up for success.

Late last year, I was able to visit this lovely couple with a camera in hand, and was delighted to see that my clients had taken all of the knowledge they'd gleaned in that 36 hours and used it to bring the rest of their lighting for their home renovation to completion under their own steam.

empowered by lighting design

February 11, 2015 Adele Locke

When a little design inspires for a whole renovation, you know you've got the perfect combination of client and designer working together. Starting with striking architecture certainly helps the creative process. Using light as function and art, this home is full of creative statements and proves that light can turn corners!

Great Hall: University of Newcastle

October 30, 2014 Adele Locke

Our solution was to develop a custom built luminaire using high powered LED to suspend along the spines and provide fully controllable light to the general space. Hunting through old drawings, I also located the original specifications and so was able to replace halogen feature lights which had long since failed and been forgotten.

Grape & Grain Craft Beer Bar

July 1, 2014 Adele Locke

A hero "Chandelbeer" plus strategic lighting brings this new Moorabbin craft beer bar and bottle shop to life. Careful lighting of the bar also draws the eye and welcomes beer enthusiasts to enjoy a drink

Residential Lighting Design

July 1, 2014 Adele Locke

This is where we love to work - with you, working to bring the beauty of light into your home. I've no doubt you've been scouring the internet and the big retailers trying to work this out for yourself already. Now that you've found us, have a look at some of the work we've done, then give us a call, or drop through an email to find out how we can help you.

Brunswick Kitchen Renovation

June 25, 2014 Adele Locke

Late 2013 I started working with the owner of this home in Melbourne to find a way to "clean up" the ceiling in the kitchen, reducing the number of lights while at the same time providing more light in a space which was notoriously dim. The existing lighting consisted of 36 x Halogen GU10 spotlights (which constantly blew) and 2 plain white pendants placed off center from the bench.

As a living space, it left a lot to be desired. Even with all of that light, it was dim, and didn't meet the needs of the family for both enjoying each others company and for the kids to do their homework on the kitchen table.

This before image shows the lighting pre-design - a total of 1840W in lighting alone!

We discussed not just lighting, but also the finishes in the room, to ensure that the renovation would have the greatest impact. We decided to paint the ceiling and move away from "directional" downlights and create an open, diffuse light with minimal fittings. One of the key design elements was the creation of a "sunrise" over the kitchen cabinetry to bring life to the room in the depths of Winter.

This is the result - at just 220W with everything on (the lighting has been designed to be both layered and dimmable to allow the family to create a wide range of moods in this living space)

Images courtesy of ItalStyle - the specified suppliers of the luminaires seen in this image. www.italstyle.com.au

This home now has a new lease on life - as do the family who live here - with vibrant soft light in their main living space and more to come in the main bathroom and lounge.

Kitchen Transformation

June 13, 2014 Adele Locke

This kitchen has been taken from 1840W of messy halogen misery to just 220W of strategic designed lighting bringing bright, cosy indirect light to the room and functional lighting to the task areas. Add in a coat of paint and you have an utterly transformed Kitchen in an old home.

Great Lighting in under a month

May 2, 2014 Adele Locke

In 3 short weeks from the day we first spoke, this couple has brought beautiful modern lighting into their home, and are already saving big on energy!

Designers Goldmine, Caulfield

April 24, 2014 Adele Locke

The owners of this fantastic 70's gem in Caulfield are design savvy young professionals who engaged Mint Lighting Design to collaborate with them on their home lighting. We worked together to ensure that the lighting would be both functional and stylish and bring the WOW factor to their newly renovated home. The renovation is a triumph - and the lighting, the perfect jewellery for this beautiful home.

To engage an independent lighting professional to bring light and glamour to your home, call 03 9555 2275 or drop us an email design@mintlighting.com.au

Dingly Village Downlight Upgrade

April 23, 2014 Adele Locke

The couple who own this home are delightful, we had a great time together working out how to update their 20 year old home with LED lighting. The key was to find a way to bring pizzazz and style to the home, to reflect their newly retired lifestyle and to keep a firm grip on the budget. Very firm.

The result is spectacular.

(we were all so excited to have the lighting done within 3 weeks of our first chat about what lighting design is all about, that we couldn't wait for the plasterer to do their job before we got together again).

Pushing light onto walls and ceilings updated the rooms and brings a calming atmosphere to these key living spaces. What used to be a bland home office is now a calming study/reading room.

But the best part, and I know my clients agree, is that the beautiful artworks they've collected over the years are now perfectly illuminated. We could all see further into the art, feel more of its vibrancy and enjoy its colour and texture in the room with the new lighting installed.

On the techie side... in the Kitchen we've gone from 558W down to 126W - but even better, the ceiling looks cleaner, and the whole room feels brighter and more open... the study from 324W to 82W and the lounge from 372W down to 64W. A serious win in anyone's book.

There's more to come for this home - we've integrated HUE lamps into a range of rooms so that home can be invitingly lit upon arrival home - without even going through the door - and a few critical lamp changes to improve function and light in the home, updating from aged CFL lamps to a fantastic new 10W LED replacement - which makes beautiful light, instantly.

Updating from halogen downlights can be a beautiful inspiring process - you just have to know where to start.

Ivanhoe Porter Davis Home

March 18, 2014 Adele Locke

For many people, their new home will be constructed by a volume builder such as Porter Davis to manage costs and simplify the build process.

The owner of this new home wanted something more from the lighting than the standard packages offered by the builder and came to Mint Lighting Design for assistance.

We designed the lighting to suit the family's needs and budget bringing life and creative lighting to their new home.

We steered clear of downlights and washed walls and ceilings with light, opening up the rooms and providing useful light to enhance their interior design.

All the photos shown for this project are taken by the talented photographer Nic Granleese

New Year... New light!

February 23, 2014 Adele Locke

After completing 28 home lighting designs in 2013 and developing our studio from a shabby old factory into an exploration of lighting effects, here we share with you a review of the unique tools Mint Lighting Design has on site to help you both understand lighting for your home and share in our joy of light by playing with it for yourself.