10 Ways To Use Lighting In Your Home

1. Use variety

Consider layering a space with a variety of light sources.

Good lighting contains numerous types of light sources for example:

Ambient or general lighting – this is the type of light required to light a space so that form and shapes within an Interior are visible.
Task lighting – the opposite of ambient lighting. Task lighting takes the form of concentrated illumination for specific tasks.
Accent lighting – a lighting style that highlights features or objects.
Kinetic lighting – the delightful moving light provided by the sun, a flame or flickering candle.
2. Period and style

When lighting an Interior always take the period and style of the space into consideration. For example, a Victorian Terrace with high ceilings will need pendant style lamps that hang down into the space in order to illuminate the interior adequately

3. Use contrast

Rather than blanket an interior with light as is often seen with the use of down lights, consider having areas of an interior that are pools of light and shade. The intention of artificial lighting should be to replicate natural light, which is inherently a variation of shade and light.

4. Create flexible moods

Build in flexibility, have a variety of lighting types that can be separately controlled. This allows for a variety of moods depending on the time of day and season.

5. Save electricity

Think of the environment, use energy efficient lamps, motion sensors, and timers.

6. Think about colour

Consider the colour scheme of the space and choose warm or cool lamps to complement the interior. Fluorescent, Halogen lamps & LED’s are now available in warm/cool colour temperatures (3000K & 4000K).

7. Highlight key areas

Artificial light is a terrific way to highlight with any architectural features such as columns, cornices and archways.

8. Make the most of your garden

Gardens are great places to use accent lighting. Consider up lighting trees, grazing fences and rocks with light and highlighting water features with light.

9. Try a seasonal approach

When lighting a garden think about having 2 scenarios one for summer and another possibly more dramatic option for winter when deciduous trees are bare. Bare trees look sensational in winter when up lit with exterior lighting which may highlight branch texture, objects, and even frost.

10. Think about how you use each space

Different spaces have different lighting requirements. The way a kitchen should be lit is different to the ideal lighting plan for a bedroom or living space. Think about the activities undertaken in a space and light it accordingly. For instance, good kitchen lighting should have adequate task lighting over bench tops. This can be through the placement of a row of down lights, pendant lights and cove lighting under overhead cupboards.