The lighting in an interior can change the mood and mien of a home, as well as how large a space feels. Aside from the important aspects of type and placement, you need to think about colour schemes, the space you have available, the availability of natural light and the furniture you have in your home. If you’re planning to tweak the lighting in your home, here’s a closer look at the different factors you need to consider…
Managing Colours
The way you use lighting in any given space can add or take away from the existing colour scheme in the many surfaces the light will cover. Darker colours can make a room feel smaller and cramped, whereas light-coloured surfaces will have the opposite effect. The illusion of more space is determined by the light that reflects off the surface of the walls. Some kinds of lighting can make a room feel larger and more breathable, like the panel LEDs covered in this guide: How to select LED Round Panels / Downlighters. Aside from that, directional lighting, for example a track light, can soften the colours of a wall. Then you have pieces like recessed can lighting, which casts a gentle, downward glow that illuminates the floors, rather than the surrounding walls. If you’ve got areas of a space that always seem dark and gloomy, the careful application of this kind of lighting can make all the difference.
Functionality
Of course, one of the major roles of lighting in any home is functionality. After all, if your lighting doesn’t serve a purpose, it will simply be wasting electricity. Chandelier-style lighting, for example, is not only used in hallways and large foyers because of their central placement, but also because they spread their illumination throughout the whole room. Wall lights can create an illusion of greater length and space in a hallway, as well as lighting the way. When you’re browsing the market, be sure to consider the style of lighting you want to ensure the best luminescent or directional type for the setting. When it comes to desks and similar work areas, look for task-specific lighting, as functionality will be more important here than overall illumination.
Directional Lighting
Non-natural light in a room can either be used to illuminate the entire space, or draw people’s attention to specific elements. One perfect example of directional lighting is track lighting. When hung from a ceiling or mounted on a wall, the flexible necks of these lamps can be pointed and adjusted to highlight specific elements of the room. If you’ve got a canvas on your wall, a vase of flowers, or an entryway table that doesn’t seem to be standing out as much as you like, some directional lighting could be the perfect way to highlight these features in your home. You can even buy special mirrors and picture frames with attached LEDs to highlight areas of a wall. Though these can look garish and out-of-place in many instances, it’s certainly not impossible to make them work.