Week 10: But Not Least

Greetings, all!
I went to the Spectrum, which is somewhere I've seen relatively little of (I can count the number of times I've been there on, if not one hand, definitely both). As such I took the opportunity to wander around a little, and so here's some
pictures that I think capture the atmosphere:

Relatively bright, and embracing the holiday spirit, as you can see.

I was only familiar with a few stores, and so I tried to branch out and explore a few places I hadn't had reason to visit before.

One of the first places I ended up visiting was the coffee shop next to/affiliated with Nordstrom's (e-bar), because passing it made me think about what I notice about lighting when I get coffee (if I notice it).

Directly in front of the door upon entering was this display, and I was struck by the spotlight-like quality of the design here, especially in relation to the rest of the shop, which had a warmer and mellower feel to it. There are, in fact, literal spotlights on the products they wish the customer to buy, and with attention drawn there first upon entering it seems like the design is a success. As you'll see in the next picture this light is far more white than in the rest of the shop, and it's easily the brightest section. Although the next picture does not convey it well I did have cause to wonder if the light over some of the tables in the main part of the shop would be enough to read by.






This is the main seating area, and the more amber, balanced tones make this a much more pleasant place to sit for longer periods, I would imagine. The light actually appears brighter in this picture than it did in reality, but there is a definite feeling of coziness conveyed with the tint and reflective nature of the lights, especially as they compliment the colors of the decor. Overall I thought that the lighting accomplished its presumed goals, creating a welcoming atmosphere/refuge that contrasted with the cold beyond the windows.

The other store I explored (as a contrast) was Urban Outfitters, and here you can see a basic idea of the layout.

The light was far more white, there, and even just being in there a short time it felt like it might easily become so tiring to the eyes as to be harsh. With the downlight so intense, it seems to me that people would not want to linger for all that long.

There were decorations that explored other shades, including what I assume is a Christmas tree themed one (featured below) that explored more tinted colors. I thought that was a nice touch, a sort of color oasis among the harsh light.

Perhaps the goal of Urban Outfitters is to keep people moving through their stores, but with the exception of the decorations, which added some nice angle and color variety, I thought that the lighting design could have been more conducive to wanting to remain there and look at clothes.
Even the gold background of one of the holiday decorations (pictured below) had a reflective element that made it more harsh - edgy, perhaps, and maybe that's in line with their brand?

While this is a far larger space, in comparison to the coffee shop, and I think the concentration of lights (instruments) was probably greater there, here the light is more invasive. Partially, I realize, that's because this is a clothing store and so visibility is far more key. But I wondered if the lighting might be more effective not with less light, but with a better balance of warm and cool, and playing with tints (only slight ones, so as not to compromise visibility) to make the atmosphere less harsh. So overall, I had more questions about the successfulness of this store than the other.

(This has so strict relevance, I just thought these lamps/lanterns were really cool.)

And with that, I say farewell.