A beautiful suburban home in San Antonio, Texas has attracted attention beyond its four walls: Burdick Custom Homes proudly received the 2023 Summit Awards Best Product Design Custom Builder from the Greater San Antonio Builders Association. This home features clean, contemporary architecture with exceptional illumination. In fact, the lighting was designed to "disappear," which only contributes to the striking design.
During the design phase, the homeowner sought lighting that was both highly functional but also blended in. High ceilings in many areas of the home meant creating appropriate lighting levels with no glare. Aculux downlights were selected as the primary source of illumination.
Aculux’s 3” square Initia downlight can be found throughout the home as the source of ambient illumination in most rooms. Ceiling heights vary from 10 feet to as high as 18 feet across the residence, requiring a variety of beam spreads while maintaining the same appearance below the ceiling. Tighter beam spreads are installed in the higher spaces, and more broad spreads are in the lower areas. Some wall niches also feature a narrow flood beam to accent artwork.
“These Initia downlights perform like a high-end specification-grade downlight with a lot of features,” the homeowner said. “And I really appreciate that you can maintain a consistent aesthetic – using the same luminaire in different heights, patterns, and spacing - just by adjusting the light engine.”
In drywall applications the white-trimmed Initia downlights blend in with the ceilings. However the home also had select areas with wooden or darker grey ceilings, which made the black trim more appropriate. Light fixtures in the bathroom showers and outside porches have a Solite lens to ensure the trim is damp rated for better protection of the luminaires. All luminaires were specified with a 3500K color temperature to complement the predominantly gray color scheme of the interior.
The homeowner also selected Aculux’s 1” Lini recessed luminaire.
“Lini is a very unique fixture," said the homeowner. "The linear aesthetic adds an interesting
element to break up all the square downlights. And guests are always intrigued by these luminaires because you don't actually see the light source until you are directly underneath it."
Various Lini configurations of 4, 6, and 12-cells were installed above the wine racks and the fireplace, and the downlight has the dual effect of acting as a wall wash to accent these unique spaces. Long corridors also benefit from Lini’s ambient illumination.
“Illumination really adds value to the house’s overall design and architecture,” concluded the homeowner. “The Aculux luminaires create the right amount of light, regardless of location, without creating a glare source.”
Project Name: Private Residence
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Agent: Spectrum Lighting
Completed: 2022
Photographer: Endeavour Architectural Photography
