How to Choose the Right Lighting for Commercial Spaces: Expert Guidance from a Signify Gold Partner
Why Lighting Matters in Commercial Spaces
Lighting in commercial spaces isn’t just about visibility—it’s about experience, functionality, and efficiency. Whether you're refurbishing a hotel, specifying an office fit-out, or upgrading lighting in a retail environment, the choices you make will impact atmosphere, energy use, brand perception, and even employee wellbeing.
As a Signify Gold Partner, Lightsave is trusted by commercial professionals across the UK to supply and specify world-leading lighting systems. In this guide, we’ll break down how to choose the right lighting, backed by the latest innovations from Signify brands like Philips Dynalite, NatureConnect, and Trulifi.
Define the Purpose of Each Space
Every area within a commercial building serves a different function, and the lighting should reflect that.
Examples:
- Reception & Lobbies – Create a strong first impression with high-quality ambient and accent lighting.
- Hotel Rooms – Enable mood and task lighting with intuitive, easy-to-use controls.
- Kitchens & Back-of-House – Prioritise bright, functional illumination that complies with safety regulations.
- Meeting Rooms & Conference Areas – Provide tunable lighting that supports collaboration and focus.
Understand Your Lighting Layers
Effective commercial lighting involves more than choosing a bright fitting. By layering your lighting—combining ambient, task, and accent illumination—you can create spaces that are more functional, comfortable, and visually engaging.
Here’s a breakdown of the three essential layers:
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Ambient Lighting – Your Base Layer
What it is:
Ambient lighting provides the general illumination for a space. It’s the primary source of light that allows people to move safely and comfortably throughout the environment.
Why it matters:
Poorly designed ambient lighting can result in glare, uneven coverage, and visual fatigue, especially in workspaces or hospitality areas with extended occupancy.
Examples in commercial settings:
- Hotels: LED downlights in corridors, soft linear lighting in lobbies, large-scale pendants in reception areas.
- Offices: Suspended linear LEDs or modular ceiling panels with uniform brightness.
- Retail: Recessed ceiling lights for consistent product visibility and customer flow.
Recommended fittings:
- Signify Ecolink LED panels
- Interact-ready ceiling luminaires
- Suspended modular or track-mounted systems Philips my Creation
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Task Lighting – Precision Where It's Needed
What it is:
Task lighting delivers focused, high-intensity light for specific activities such as reading, working, food preparation, or point-of-sale interactions.
Why it matters:
Over-reliance on ambient lighting can cause shadows or inadequate illumination in critical zones. Task lighting improves accuracy, productivity, and comfort.
Examples in commercial settings:
- Hotels: Bedside reading lights with adjustable beams; vanity mirror lights in bathrooms.
- Offices: Desk-mounted task lamps, under-shelf lighting for hot-desking setups.
- Retail: Spotlights aimed at checkout counters or product demo zones.
- Hospitality Kitchens: IP-rated strip lights or batten fittings for clear visibility and compliance.
Recommended fittings:
- Adjustable LED downlights
- LED shelf strips or undercabinet lights
- Directional spotlights (e.g., Philips LuxSpace or StyliD Evo)
- Suspended workbench task lights in kitchens and workshops
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Accent Lighting – Focus, Drama, and Identity
What it is:
Accent lighting is used to highlight architectural features, signage, artwork, displays, or brand elements. It helps create mood and guide visual attention.
Why it matters:
This layer adds depth and personality to a space. It can emphasise design details, create focal points, and reinforce brand identity, key in hospitality and retail.
Examples in commercial settings:
- Hotels: Wall grazing lights on textured surfaces, uplights for feature columns, or niche lighting in lounges.
- Retail: Spotlights on seasonal product displays, illuminated signage, or halo effects around shelving.
- Restaurants: Hidden LED strips under bar counters or behind banquettes to add a warm glow.
Recommended fittings:
- Color Kinetics wall washers and linear grazers
- Tunable white or RGBW strips for feature zones
- Recessed directional LED spotlights
- Modular architectural lighting (e.g. Modular Lighting Instruments)
Pro Tip: Combine all three layers with smart control systems like Philips Dynalite to create custom scenes for different times of day, moods, or events, ideal for hospitality, retail and workspace environments.
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Decorative Lighting – Statement, Style, and Brand Identity
Decorative lighting plays a dual role in commercial environments — it enhances the design narrative of a space while offering functional illumination. These fittings often act as statement pieces, chosen for their form as much as their light output. Think sculptural pendant lights in hotel lobbies, bespoke chandeliers in upscale restaurants, or stylish wall sconces in boutique reception areas.
When chosen well, decorative luminaires reinforce brand identity and elevate the customer experience. This is especially important in hospitality, where the visual tone of your space influences guest perception. At Lightsave, we support commercial clients in sourcing decorative lighting that aligns with architectural intent and meets photometric standards — whether that’s off-the-shelf or bespoke fittings via Signify’s myCreation range.
Pro Tip: For maximum impact, layer decorative lighting with ambient and accent lighting. It should complement rather than compete with your functional lighting design.
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Emergency Lighting – Compliance, Safety, and Continuity
Emergency lighting is a legal and safety-critical component of any commercial lighting plan. Its primary function is to provide illumination when the mains power fails, ensuring occupants can safely exit the building and that emergency routes are clearly visible.
In the UK, emergency lighting must comply with BS 5266 and other relevant fire safety regulations. This includes escape route lighting, open area (anti-panic) lighting, and high-risk task area lighting. While often overlooked in early design stages, emergency fittings must be strategically placed and regularly tested to meet compliance standards.
Lightsave offers a wide range of LED emergency lighting solutions — including maintained, non-maintained, and self-test luminaires — designed for seamless integration into commercial interiors. We also supply DALI-compatible emergency fittings for use in smart lighting systems such as Philips Dynalite and Interact, enabling remote testing and monitoring for added peace of mind.
Pro Tip: We recommend planning emergency lighting as part of your overall lighting scheme rather than treating it as an afterthought. This ensures both visual harmony and full compliance.
Specify the Right Colour Temperature and CRI
The colour of light dramatically affects mood and functionality. Choose carefully depending on the application.
| Area | Colour Temperature | Why it works |
| Hotel Bedrooms | 2700K-300K (Warm White) | Promotes relaxation and comfort |
| Kitchens & Offices | 3500K–4000K (Neutral/Cool White) | Enhances focus and clarity |
| Retail Spaces | 3000K–4000K with CRI >90 | Ensures true colour representation for products |
| Bathrooms & Corridors | 4000K+ | Helps with visibility and alertness |
Colour Rendering Index (CRI) Explained
CRI, or Colour Rendering Index, is a key metric used to assess how accurately a light source reveals the true colours of objects, materials, and surfaces when compared to natural daylight. Measured on a scale from 0 to 100, a higher CRI indicates greater fidelity in colour representation. A CRI of 100 means colours appear exactly as they would under ideal daylight conditions. In commercial settings—particularly in hospitality, retail, or design-led environments—a high CRI ensures that finishes, fabrics, food, and branding look their best and as intended, enhancing the overall visual quality of the space.
Leverage Smart Control, Connectivity & Customisation
Today’s commercial lighting isn’t just about illumination; it’s about control, connectivity, sustainability, and brand experience. Whether you're designing a hotel, a co-working space, or a retail store, the right technology can help you reduce energy consumption, improve ambience, and deliver better customer and employee outcomes.
As a Signify Gold Partner, Lightsave offers expertise in deploying world-class systems, including Philips Dynalite, Interact, Trulifi, NatureConnect, and myCreation. Here’s how these smart and sustainable technologies can elevate your space
Philips Dynalite – Scalable Lighting Control
What it is: A robust and flexible lighting control system for commercial buildings. Dynalite allows facility managers, designers, and end-users to fine-tune lighting across large, complex sites.
Key benefits:
- Set pre-programmed lighting scenes (e.g. welcome, cleaning, conference)
- Integrate with AV, HVAC and blind control
- Optimise energy savings through daylight harvesting and occupancy sensing
- Ideal for: hotels, offices, conference centres, and restaurants
Philips Interact – Data-Driven, Connected Lighting
What it is: A cloud-based smart lighting platform that goes beyond illumination to deliver insights, automation, and real-time monitoring.
Key benefits:
- Centralised control of lighting across multi-site hotel portfolios
- Scene-setting and scheduling for ballrooms, restaurants, and meeting spaces
- Real-time energy and occupancy analytics for smarter decision-making
- Integration with BMS and IoT platforms
- Ideal for: hospitality groups, corporate real estate, and retail portfolios
As one of Signify’s most widely adopted hospitality platforms, Interact ensures your property is future-proofed and intelligently managed.
Trulifi – Secure LiFi Connectivity Through Light
What it is: A cutting-edge alternative to Wi-Fi, using light to transmit data at high speed. Unlike traditional Wi-Fi, Trulifi uses light waves instead of radio signals, offering fast, secure, and stable connectivity, even where conventional wireless networks struggle. Whether in hospitality venues, offices, healthcare facilities, or transport hubs, Trulifi ensures connectivity is no longer a bottleneck but an enabler of performance and experience.
Key benefits:
- Secure, interference-free internet access (great for sensitive environments)
- Ideal for spaces with restricted or congested wireless networks
- Perfect for: conference venues, banking and legal firms, data-sensitive hospitality applications
Incorporate Natural Light & Human Centric Design
NatureConnect – Human-Centric, Biophilic Lighting
What it is: A lighting solution inspired by nature, designed to mimic natural daylight cycles indoors. Particularly impactful in guest lounges, offices, and wellness areas. NatureConnect replicates the rhythm and quality of natural daylight indoors – boosting wellbeing, enhancing guest satisfaction, and supporting higher-performing workspaces.
Key benefits:
- Supports wellbeing and circadian rhythms
- Increases occupant comfort and alertness
- Enhances natural aesthetics and brand perception
- Ideal for: hospitality lobbies, office spaces, healthcare and education
myCreation – Custom, Circular Lighting for Unique Spaces
What it is: A custom lighting service by Signify that enables tailored fittings made from 3D-printed, recyclable materials. myCreation is a powerful solution for architects and designers looking to create bespoke, sustainable experiences. Whether you're designing a boutique hotel, refreshing a restaurant interior, or upgrading a multi-site estate, myCreation delivers beautiful, tailored lighting that reduces your environmental impact without compromising on aesthetics or performance.
Key benefits:
- Rapidly produced, made-to-order designs
- Made from recyclable polycarbonate for circular economy compliance
- Perfect for branding-led hospitality interiors, reception spaces, and retail stores
- Ideal for: boutique hotels, hospitality design studios, and sustainable architecture projects
Lightsave has already supported UK hotels with myCreation custom lighting, including installations at Holiday Inn Windsor.
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Prioritise Energy Efficiency & Compliance
Sustainability and regulation go hand-in-hand when specifying lighting. Keep these in mind:
- Choose LED with high efficacy (lumens per watt)
- Look for IP-rated fittings in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor areas
- Ensure emergency lighting is compliant with BS EN 1838 and BS 5266
- Use PIR or occupancy sensors to reduce waste in low-use zones
Summary: 5-Step Commercial Lighting Plan for Business Spaces
Step 1: Define the Purpose of Each Space
Identify the primary use of each area — such as reception, workspace, corridor, or guest area — and the type of tasks performed.
Step 2: Layer Your Lighting
Incorporate ambient, task, accent, decorative, and emergency lighting to ensure a well-rounded and functional environment.
Step 3: Choose the Right Light Quality
Pay attention to CRI, colour temperature, and lumen output to achieve the desired mood and accuracy of colour rendering.
Step 4: Integrate Smart Controls
Use lighting control systems like Philips Dynalite or Interact to automate scenes, improve energy efficiency, and support building-wide control.
Step 5: Prioritise Sustainability and Maintenance
Select long-life, energy-efficient luminaires (e.g. from Signify, myCreation) and ensure your lighting meets emergency compliance and WEEE recycling standards
Why Choose Lightsave?
As a Signify Gold Partner in the Certified Systems Integration (CSI) programme, Lightsave is authorised and experienced in:
- System design and specification
- Supply chain integration and logistics
- On-site commissioning and technical support
- Sustainability-focused product selection
Whether you need smart lighting control, custom decorative fittings, or connected data insights, we deliver solutions that work — both for your guests and your bottom line.
Work With a Trusted Specialist
With thousands of SKUs available and evolving compliance needs, commercial lighting can feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in.
As a Signify Gold Partner in the Certified Systems Integration (CSI) programme, Lightsave brings:
- Product procurement with trade pricing
- End-to-end system specification and commissioning
- Expertise in Signify brands including Dynalite, NatureConnect, Trulifi, Interact Pro, Philips CoreLine and more
Ready to Transform Your Commercial Space?
From boutique hotels and high-street retailers to architects and M&E contractors—we’re here to help you get lighting right, first time.
Contact our team today to discuss your project and explore tailored solutions.