Lighting ideas for your designer home

Lighting Ideas Traditionally, spring is the time when many of us think about redecorating or remodeling a room in our home and we begin skimming through glossy magazines, or visiting showrooms for ideas. The results always look stunning, but how do you replicate ‘that’ look when your rooms are probably a fraction of the size of those featured in home interior publications?

Even if you had the time, energy and resources to purchase exactly the same products somehow they never seem to look the same in your own home.



Lighting Ideas

The answer may be in your lighting or more accurately your light levels and lighting schemes.

Every home will have a unique light level that is dependent upon many things;

The way the rooms and windows face, the size and type of windows, the color of the decoration and the density of furniture in the rooms.

Lighting Ideas - Colors - Textures and Fabrics

The many forms created by natural light are something that we probably notice occasionally, but perhaps don’t fully appreciate.

Before spending vast sums of money on elaborate interior design schemes, just carry out your own survey over a few days.

Move furniture and accessories around to see the effects the changes can make. Create new features and try different window treatments, like Venetian blinds or layers of fabric such as fine muslin.

If your budget only allows you to redecorate rather than refurbish, then bear in mind the effects different colors and textures can have on the level of light in a room.

Pale colors are reflective, while dark colors and materials absorb light. White ceilings reflect light as do cream carpets but dark wooden floors and dark colored walls absorb light and make rooms feel more claustrophobic.

Lighting Ideas - Choosing The Right Type of Lighting

So far, we have only addressed the natural light issue and how to understand and make best use of the level of light that you have.

Aspects of lighting should be an integral part of your thinking. It is not something that should be deferred until you have decorated and are putting the finishing touches to a room.

The type of lighting that you use should be thought about at the planning stage, as you may need to install some new electrical wiring or fittings.

It’s too late when the walls have been painted or wallpapered and the flooring has been laid!

How do you choose the type of lighting you need? Are you going to just replace the lampshade in the center of the ceiling, or are you going to be more ambitious and create different levels of lighting that can be adjusted to reflect the mood and atmosphere you want to create?

Lighting Ideas - There three basic types of light:

• General lighting or ambient light. A pendant light in the center of the room typically provides this type of lighting and it provides a good level of brightness for everyday use.

• Feature or accent lighting creates highlights and can be used to focus on particular architectural features you have in your home, such as fireplaces or alcoves

• Task lighting, which as its name suggests, is specifically designed to provide strong localized light for specific tasks, such as cooking, reading and close work.

Lighting Ideas - Light Fittings

Having identified the basic types of light that are used, you need to understand the different kinds of fittings that are at your disposal. For simplicity these can be categorized as follows:

• Downlighters: These are usually recessed in the ceiling, but can also be wall mounted. The light is direct and focused and will cast shadows. When used in quantity, these lights can provide a good level of ambient light.

• Uplighters: These wash ceilings with light, which is then reflected back into a room in an even manner. They can be free standing or wall mounted and therefore provide great flexibility. Some pendants also provide uplighting properties

• Wall washers: When surface mounted, these provide an even light across and down a wall. Different effects can be achieved by varying the fitting and its position on a vertical surface

Lighting Ideas - Decorative Lighting:

This can be used to add visual focus in a room and provide general lighting properties to specific areas. Decorative lighting is often used as an integral feature of an overall room set.

Lighting Ideas - Reflecting Your Personality

By experimenting with the categories of light that have been described above, you should be able to create the atmosphere and mood you desire.

This article is courtesy of Article City

Author: Laurence and Carolyn James

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