014 Smoke and Mirrors (Mostly Mirrors)

Smart Lighting, the CRI Compromise, and Why Light Quality Matters I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with smart technology, and lighting is no exception. From my days as a lighting designer, the allure of being able to control my home’s ambience with just a swipe on a smartphone screen was irresistible, until it wasn’t. I remember when the first wave of smart lighting hit the market, and it felt like the wild west of illumination: full of promise but rife with tech-pretenders. Now, whether you’re fiddling with Philips Hue bulbs or pondering the potential of a smart-lit office, we’re at a crossroads. Smart lighting is here to stay, but is it truly smart, or just a fancy gadget for the middle-class bourgeois who have more money than sense? It’s a question worth asking, don’t you think? In this episode of the Strike a Light Podcast, Chris Fordham and I roll up our sleeves to dig into the contentious world of smart lighting. What’s clever about it, and what’s just coloured LED showboating? From its security perks to the undeniable pitfalls in colour rendering, there’s a lot to unpack. Is smart lighting the future of our industry, or just an overpriced novelty that leaves us cold? We tackle these questions head-on, with the odd detour into fantastical realms like pebble lights from other dimensions. Intrigued?? Well, you’re just going to have to listen to see where we landed on this illuminating debate… Podcast name: “The Strike a Light Podcast” Hosts: “John Bullock & Chris Fordham” Produced by: “Duncan Smith for The Light Review” Episode number: 16 “Chris, explain to me what you mean by smart lighting.” Episode Summary Is smart lighting a brilliant evolution in home and office illumination, or are we being sold on a pipedream? John and Chris dive into the pros and cons of smart lighting, discussing everything from its initial appeal to the stark realities of lacklustre colour rendering. They share insights on the compromises faced by consumers and professionals alike, whilst debunking the myths and realities of the much-hyped Internet of Things. The conversation touches on the potential of smart lighting as a security tool, its role in enriching domestic comfort, and the pitfalls of selling high expectations with low-quality delivery. The episode is filled with witty debates and thought-provoking anecdotes, as both hosts challenge each other on the state of current smart lighting technology. With John often sceptical and Chris playing the occasional advocate, the episode offers a nuanced view of an industry that’s navigating its way through both innovation and inertia. Is it time for a smart lighting revolution, or should we temper our enthusiasm for technology that hasn’t quite hit its mark? Key Takeaways You’ll Hear in This Episode:

Years ago, I wrote an article with the rather pointed headline: You mean you expect us to pay for this sort of stuff? It was born out of that recurring, teeth-gritting moment every independent lighting designer knows only too well, when a prospective client stares at your fee proposal as if you have just tried to sell them fresh air. Selling lighting design is notoriously tricky because, unlike an architect or an interior designer, you cannot hand someone a tactile sample or point to a finished structure before the work begins. Nothing actually exists until you switch that bugger on, and that intangible reality makes discussing money one of the most uncomfortable, fraught parts of running an independent practice.

The Case for Evidence Based Lighting Design I feel a bit like I’ve walked into a room with a tabletop scattered with jigsaw puzzle pieces, and as I start pushing them around, a rather radical picture is beginning to emerge. For decades, those of us in the lighting design community have operated under the comfortable illusion that we hold all the answers, dutifully armed with our beloved codes, standards, and the latest guidance documents like the SLL’s LG23. We design our schemes in what can easily become an academic fantasy lab, hand over the drawings, and rarely stop to ask the most fundamental question of all: once the contractors pack up and the building fills with people, how on earth do we actually know it works?? This is where evidence-based design, or outcome-driven design if you fancy the tech jargon, comes into its own. Working on circadian lighting projects with Dr Shelley James across care home environments has shown me that real-world outcomes (such as less night-time disruption, reduced daytime medication, and genuine resident well-being) don’t come from blindly hitting lux levels on a spreadsheet; they come from listening to the people living and working inside the building. So, pull up a chair, leave the compliance manuals to one side for fifteen minutes, and let’s explore why our industry desperately needs to start listening to the real evidence. Podcast: The Strike a Light Podcast Produced by: Duncan Smith for The Light Review Host: John Bullock (with intro by Chris Fordham) Episode: 13 Episode Introduction: “What I want to talk about is a thing that we are calling evidence-based design, which is a pretty radical way of changing the way that we look at our design briefs as designers… how do we know that it works if we don’t do the assessment at the end of all of that?” Episode Summary Are lighting designers spending too much time designing for compliance checklists instead of real human beings? In this solo episode of the Strike a Light Podcast, John Bullock dives into the concept of evidence-based design and challenges the lighting industry’s long-standing reliance on rigid codes and standards. While documents like the SLL’s Lighting Guide 23 (LG23: Design, Creativity and Compliance) offer valuable starting points, John argues that true design excellence requires stepping out of the theoretical “fantasy lab” and evaluating actual real-world outcomes. Drawing on his recent circadian lighting projects alongside Dr Shelley James in care home environments, John shares compelling evidence of how tailored lighting interventions deliver measurable benefits. From dramatic reductions in nocturnal distress and daytime medication to increased socialization between residents and staff, the hard data demonstrates that lighting has a profound biological and emotional impact. Crucially, these successes stem from a cooperative dialogue between designers, researchers at Oxford University, bespoke luminaire manufacturers, and the care home managers on the ground. John explores why every project must be treated as an individual assessment rather than a generic high-street rollout, how to interpret variables across complex buildings, and why post-occupancy evaluation remains the vital missing link in modern lighting practice. Key Takeaways You’ll Hear in This Episode:

ICEL Emergency Lighting Conference 2026 Preview & Why Compliance on Paper Isn't Keeping Buildings Safe

Do National Traits Define the Light Fittings We Create? I must admit, when Chris suggested we spend an episode unpicking whether light fittings carry a national character, I caught myself doing a bit of mental inventory. We all talk about a ‘Scandinavian vibe’ or ‘Italian styling’ when writing specs or walking exhibition halls, but how often do we stop to ask why those aesthetics exist in the first place? Is a Nordic pendant soft and glare-free simply because of a design trend, or is it a direct emotional response to four months of midwinter darkness? (And if you’ve ever tried hanging a wild Venetian glass sculpture in a low-ceilinged suburban semi, you’ll know that national traits don’t always travel without a few raised eyebrows.) In this episode of The Strike a Light Podcast, Chris Fordham and I explore the cultural DNA of lighting aesthetics. From the ruthless mechanical perfection of German engineering to the passionate, rule-breaking sculpture of Milanese design studios—where nobody seems to care how the bloody thing actually works until long after the prototype is built—we examine how geography, climate, and national temperament shape the fittings on our ceilings. Plus, we turn the lens on ourselves: in a globalised market, what exactly is British lighting design, and is our true creative superpower simply our knack for making other people’s ideas actually work properly? Grab a brew and join us for a proper wander through international design psychology. Podcast: The Strike a Light Podcast Hosts: John Bullock & Chris Fordham Produced by: Duncan Smith for The Light Review Online Episode: 11 “Can you look at a light fitting and immediately know where it came from? Is there a national character, a cultural DNA, etched into the aluminium and glass?” Episode Summary In Episode 11 of The Strike a Light Podcast, hosts John Bullock and Chris Fordham take on a fascinating question: does every light fitting carry the national character of the country that created it? Starting with the distinct, soft, glare-free geometry of Scandinavian classics by Poul Henningsen and Verner Panton, John and Chris examine how geography and climate shape a nation’s relationship with light. The conversation moves across Europe, contrasting the passionate, touchy-feely sculptural forms of Italian powerhouses like Flos and Foscarini with the unflinching engineering precision of German manufacturing. Chris shares personal reflections from his student days studying product design in Milan, comparing the Italian freedom to conceptualise impossible ‘holographic’ objects against the pragmatic British requirement that every design must explain exactly how it works. Finally, the hosts turn their attention to British lighting design and manufacturing. Rather than claiming a single aesthetic style, John and Chris discuss how British creativity often sits in pragmatism, problem-solving, and engineering refinement—taking great ideas like the Bestlite or heavy-gauge glassmaking and making them work flawlessly in the real world. Key Takeaways You’ll Hear in This Episode: