Week #6 - Site Specific Blog - Brandye Lee

I visited the Spectrum Center on a chilly Halloween night with my classmate, Chanel.  Being that we were there after hours, we got to take in more of the scenery than I anticipated.  I was impressed by how much fun the designers of this shopping center built in by using lighting. I especially loved the mist that changed colors along the pathway, the ferris wheel and the Christmas tree!  Overall, there was a feeling that something exciting was about to happen...even though I knew that wasn't the case, as all the stores were closed and there was no one around. There was a feeling of whimsy and magic around every corner. All you had to do was look up or down.  No space was left in the dark.  I couldn't help but wonder if one would be as equally entertained during the daylight hours.  Somehow I doubt it.

The following picture is of a store that I feel missed the mark where lighting is concerned. Especially when comparing it to the design of the exterior, and the pathways leading up to it, I feel like the lighting could do so much more! This store is overly bright and lacking nuance.  The fluorescent overheads serve as spotlights to all of the clothing, but do nothing to create the cool, hip, relaxed vibe that its clothing seeks to define. There is a blank wash over the entire place, and the concentration of pink and purple lighting feels cheesy and static, with a missing element of warmth. Instead of feeling like a unique shopping experience, the vibe is more like a factory. Go in, get your stuff and get out!
















The Kevin Murphy shop, pictured below, did a much better job of engaging the senses and evoking a sense of pleasure. Here, the lighting isn't simply there to create light, but it is actually incorporated into the overall design of the store. The bright lights that encircle each mirror beckon to customers to come in and indulge in their own image. The recessed lighting over the bar area lets passersby know that this is a modern store.  Lending themselves to the high-end lifestyle that the store is trying to sell, are fittingly, the golden globes.  They are chic, elegant, soft, and cast a warm vibe throughout the salon. They are juxtaposed very nicely with the necessarily bright working lights of the mirrors, which creates balance in the space. One more lighting element I noticed was the blue light in the refrigerator, which screams "amenity," versus "appliance." This small detail, though subtle, is part of the branding of this storefront, selling passersby a swanky life of luxury.