A platform for design of a lighting installation generally includes an automated search engine for retrieving and storing a plurality of lighting objects in a lighting object library and a lighting design environment providing a visual representation of a lighting space containing lighting space objects and lighting objects. The visual representation is based on properties of the lighting space objects and lighting objects obtained from the lighting object library. A plurality of aesthetic filters is configured to permit a designer in a design environment to adjust parameters of the plurality of lighting objects handled in the design environment to provide a desired collective lighting effect using the plurality of lighting objects.