It might be a design cliché, but good lighting truly is everything. When thinking about the flow of space, ambience and atmosphere in your home, lighting can be one of the most fundamental elements. Proper lighting can also drastically alter the atmosphere of your room, it can enhance the colours used in your decor, and it can even prove useful in marking different areas of your home.
A great lighting scheme will complement the interior design and the architectural features of the space. Incorporating different types of lighting in your home will also enable you to create enjoyable spaces. Here are lighting design ideas and tips that will help guide you in your light planning journey.
Make a lighting plan
Plan a Lighting scheme during the initial design phase of a new build or renovation. A lighting scheme should be planned around the architectural features in the space and how the space is to be used, so you can plan the position of plugs, switches and wall, floor and ceiling lights.
Think about what activities take place in each room such as eating, working or relaxing, the key features of a room you’d like to highlight, and what architectural boundaries you may need to take into account. Consider style, scale, output and even color temperature of lights before you rush into decisions.
You can begin by choosing the largest lighting elements first. Start from selecting your big lighting fixtures, so they complement the overall design and colour scheme of the room.
Use spotlights to highlight your favourites
Let’s think about some special features of your home that may be more personal to you. If you’d like to highlight the special features and pull out as an area of interest, use spotlight/ accent lighting to highlight and draw attention. It can be a feature wall, architectural element or key possession like your mahogany leather sofa or winged armchair.
Accent lighting is used to highlight a particular focal point, such as a piece of wall art. Otherwise, picture lights, wall-mounted-fixtures or track lighting are also great choices, and dimmers are often used on these features to provide mood lighting.
Layer your lighting
Don’t be too even with lights, you’d want diversity and contrast. So, take a layered approach to lighting with different light sources across different levels to create ambience and interest in a room. Lighting also can make the most of a room's size and shape, up lighting makes a room feel larger, low hung pendants will create an illusion of height and clusters of lighting make large rooms seem cosier.
A general rule of thumb is to use a triangle pattern when lighting a space. Think about how lighting might be used in the floor, wall and ceiling when planning. This will result in a more cohesive lighting scheme.
For example, in a living room, lamps can be placed on a console table behind a sofa and on an end table near a loveseat, while a floor lamp is placed by a reading chair. In small rooms, aim to light all four corners to make the space seem bigger and use lights with vertical beams to increase the perception of height.
Play with Ambience
When you install your lighting, consider dimming technology. Installing dimmers allows you to manually adjust lighting to respond to changes in natural light, and also being more productive, reducing energy consumption, saving money,
Since dimmer switches add versatility to any light fixture, they are one of the top inexpensive interior design lighting tips. Dimmers allow you to fine-tune the level of brightness, and making rooms more customizable to the situation, while also helping to conserve energy and extend bulb life. Just imagine being able to dim the lights for your favourite movie, or brighten up your kitchen when you are cooking dinner.
Consider the Uses of the Room
While this is ultimately a matter of personal preference, there are some standard layouts that work well. If you’re unsure where to start, use these room-by-room guides as a source of inspiration:
Living room:
This is a good place to use track or recessed lighting throughout. If you have a main seating area, use a larger, overhead fixture to centre it. You can also place floor lamps where needed to light shadowy corners. Task lighting such as an arched lamp behind the couch or armchair is useful for reading. Finally, if you’re planning on installing an overhead fixture or recessed lighting, make sure they are dimmable to suit different activities.
Dining room:
Strategically placed pendant lights or chandeliers above the dining room table are a must to achieve a welcoming feel. Wall sconces, track lighting and recessed lights work well in dining areas to provide extra lighting, so do not hesitate to include those in your lighting design. If there are additional dark corners, you can use a floor or table lamp to supplement. Don’t forget to install dimmers to add drama and ambience.
Kitchen:
Kitchens and utility areas call for bright general lighting along with task lighting for countertops and prep areas. Focal areas like the kitchen island and dining table should have overhead pendants or chandeliers. Work areas benefit from the addition of under-cabinet lighting, which greatly define the character of that space, all while adding functionality.
Bedroom:
Soft, ambient lighting is best use in bedrooms to help you relax and unwind at the end of the day. You can opt for low-hanging pendant lights or sconces on either side of the bed. Or you can complement a beautiful ceiling light fixture with a pair of table lamps on each nightstand.
Bathroom:
Bathrooms are best lit with fixtures mounted above or at eye level on each side of the mirror, so that shadows are minimized. If there is no space for sconces on their side of the vanity mirror, you can install backlights behind the mirror. For a dramatic touch, accent lighting above the tub to give the area a warm and calming glow, toe kick lighting underneath the base cabinets to provide illumination at night.
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