Featured image: Circadia, an illustrative light study. Confirm the supplied finish and light settings with the studio.
A luminous object changes what you look at when you enter a room. Its position matters from the doorway, from a favorite seat and as you move past it. Choosing a place for it begins with those everyday views.
Designed by Kip Geddes, Circadia brings a broad frosted acrylic face, exposed luminous edges and a surrounding frame into one wall light. Considering the face, the edge and the frame together gives you a useful starting point for placing it.
Begin with the view from the room
Choose the place from which you expect to see Circadia most often. That might be a sofa, a reading chair, the entrance to a room or a route through a shared space. Photograph the proposed wall from that position, then take another photograph from the entrance.
The two views can raise different questions. From a seat, you may notice the relationship between the light and a nearby piece of furniture. From the doorway, the whole wall may matter more. Look at both before deciding where the object should sit.
A picture light directs illumination onto a separate artwork. With Circadia, the luminous surface is part of the object itself. Consider whether you want it to be the main point of interest on the wall or one element in a wider composition of furniture, art and materials.
Give the wall a clear composition
Make a simple elevation of the wall: a straight-on drawing that includes doors, windows, furniture and the objects that will remain nearby. It can be a measured sketch. Its purpose is to show the relationship between the parts before you commit to a position.
If a bench, console or seat sits below the proposed light, include it in the drawing. Compare a position centered on that piece with one aligned to the wider wall. Then look again from the place where you will usually sit. The best starting point is the arrangement that makes sense of the whole view.
The Circadia product page includes an illustrative study of a panel above a bench. Use it as a composition to consider, while developing the placement around your own furniture and the confirmed dimensions of the light. The study does not establish a mounting height for another room.
Check scale before settling the position
Circadia's outer housing is 12 inches wide by 48 inches high, with a quarter-inch border around both wood and aluminum versions. Mark that overall outline on the wall with removable paper or another method suited to the wall finish. View it from the entrance, from your seat and from an angle.
The luminous body projects 2.5 inches beyond the 1.75-inch-deep housing, giving a total body depth of 4.25 inches. Confirm the installed mounting stand-off and clearances with the studio before preparing the wall.
Download the Circadia dimensional planning reference (PDF) to compare the luminous face, outer housing and side profile. Confirm the selected version's installation details with the studio before preparing the wall.
Include the object's depth in the discussion. Circadia's exposed acrylic edges are part of its design, so a side view belongs in the assessment as well as the view straight on. In a passage or a shared room, consider the route people take past the piece and share that information with the studio.
Plan the wall mounting and power connection
Circadia mounts to the wall using a Z-clip and is available in installed or plug-in configurations. Choose the configuration alongside the position of the light so the power connection and cable route can be considered together.
Include the wall construction and proposed power location in your room brief. Use the installation information for the selected version when preparing the wall, and coordinate the final connection and controls with your project team.
Choose the frame alongside the room's materials
Circadia's frame options are Oak, Ash and Walnut, or Clear and Blue anodized aluminum. Start with the materials already present: a timber floor, a cabinet, a metal fitting or the upholstery of a nearby chair.
Decide whether the frame should repeat a material in the room or introduce a different one. A timber frame can be considered alongside existing wood surfaces. An aluminum frame offers another way to define the perimeter. Compare the actual finishes with your room samples when available, especially where you are trying to coordinate two materials closely.
The product page shows frame finishes with different light settings. The displayed light color is separate from the frame finish selection, and the images are illustrative. Choose the frame for its material and finish; confirm the available light settings separately with the studio.
Look at the light within the lighting you already use
Think about when you will see the piece. A wall beside a window raises different questions during the day and after dark. Make a note of the daylight reaching the wall and the lamps or other fixtures normally used in the room.
Ask to see a current demonstration of the actual light and its available settings. Discuss the proposed room conditions, how the supplied version is operated and any control requirements. A rendered color study can help communicate an idea; it cannot confirm output, operating modes or compatibility.
Consider reading, work and other activities in the same room when planning the overall lighting. Evaluate those needs alongside Circadia's role as a luminous object. Where the project requires a particular light level or lighting specification, confirm it with the project team using current product information.
Plan a sequence as part of the space
For a larger interior, the product page also presents a corridor concept with repeated Circadia panels. Repetition changes the question from where to place one object to how a sequence is seen while moving through the room.
Sketch the whole route, including openings and changes of direction. Review the proposed spacing in relation to those features, and ask the studio to confirm the installation and control requirements for the arrangement. The corridor image is an illustrative concept, rather than a record of a completed installation or a specification for a multi-panel system.
Commercial projects require a request for quotation so the appropriate specification can be confirmed. Share the setting and requirements through Trade & Projects before finalizing the scheme.
Bring a useful brief to the studio
A few pieces of information will make the first conversation more specific:
- A photograph of the wall from the main viewing position and from the room's entrance.
- A measured wall sketch showing doors, windows and nearby furniture.
- The frame finish you are considering, with relevant room or material references.
- A note about daylight, other lighting and how the room is used.
- Your proposed quantity, delivery location and target timing.
- Any installation or control requirements already identified by your project team.
Begin with the view you want to create, then work through the materials and practical details. Explore Circadia and its frame options, or share the room with the studio to discuss a project.