Internationally acclaimed lighting designer Tino Kwan specified the lighting for the five-star Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. In designing his scheme, Tino Kwan aspired for minimal quantities of equipment to achieve maximum lighting effect, so it was only fitting that recessed DR7 luminaires from Remote Controlled Lighting (RCL) were selected.

The 5.2m high Grand Ballroom, which measures 788 square meters and features floor-to-ceiling windows and black-out curtains, plays host to a number of events, including weddings, conferences, and banquets. As the Grand Ballroom has such varied use-case, Tino Kwan’s lighting scenario had to be flexible enough to ensure that the lighting effect is always perfect, regardless of the use of the space.

DR7s provide flexible lighting solution for Grand Ballroom’s events

The recessed DR7s specified provided the hotel with a luminaire that can be remotely rotated through both the pan and tilt, ensuring that the luminaire can be focused on any element of interest within the Ballroom such as pin-spotting tables in formal banquet settings, or providing an even ambiance in lecture theater configurations.

Controlled via a hand-held remote, the DR7s offer the hotel’s events team the opportunity to refocus the luminaire from ground-level, without needing ladders, scaffolding, or mechanical lifts. This allows the Four Seasons to host multiple events with different lighting requirements with minimal changeover times for the lighting set-up.

This flexibility is particularly important when recognizing the architectural considerations of the Grand Ballroom; the Ballroom can be divided into two completely separate venues, and this adjustability required Tino Kwan to design a nuanced scheme that could allow for differing events with diverse requirements from the lighting scenario.

Uniquely, the DR7 offers up to 35° tilt without any elements protruding from the ceiling line, offering an elegant aesthetic that fully respects the architectural vision of the Ballroom. This discretion contrasts sophisticatedly with the glamor of the dazzling, hanging chandeliers that offer a decorative lighting element for the ballroom and thematically link the scheme with the luxurious décor of the Grand Ballroom, including the custom-designed Axminster carpets from Brintons.

Kioku restaurant sees benefits of remote controlled DR7s

The unique functions of the DR7 also served to benefit Tino Kwan’s design scheme for the Kioku restaurant, a three-story venue hosted by Japanese Chef Kazumi Sawada. As the restaurant is sky-lit during the day, the artificial lighting had to be discreetly concealed, while also being remotely dimmable. To meet aesthetic considerations, the DR7s were installed into shallow trenches embedded into ceiling beams, so the fixtures are unobtrusive during the lunch service.

As nighttime descends and the dinner service begins, the 70 DR7s provide the accent lighting, and transform Kioku into a warm, luxurious dining room, with narrow pin-spotting on each table. To add warmth and intimacy, the DR7 luminaires provide a comforting glow, achieved by color-tuning the 90 CRI LED luminaires to 2700K.

As the restaurant features open dining areas, exciting sushi bars, and offers diners the possibilities of semi-private and private dining areas, the luminaires needed to be flexible to take into account the configuration of the restaurant, such as moving tables. As such, the remote pan and tilt functions that the DR7 brings to the hospitality market came into their own in delivering a discrete yet versatile lighting solution.

To complement the DR7’s role in providing remote pin-spotting of the tables, decorative luminaires were specified for the dining areas that offered a balanced aesthetic; the rustic Asian styling of these lanterns strengthened the interior theming of the restaurant.

In the design for the Four Seasons Seoul, Tino Kwan’s scheme delivers the ideal treatment for the luxury of the five-star resort. With the versatility of the remote-controlled DR7s, Kwan delivered on his mandate for the best lighting effect with the most intelligent use of discrete and considered equipment. The result is a Grand Ballroom and a perfectly stylish restaurant that offers beautiful lighting effects with the functionality to match.