Lighting is an element of interior design that, if used correctly, can have a huge impact on your home.
The reason why it is considered an essential element in any design scheme is that light can affect the perceived overall size of a space.
Correct lighting can improve the atmosphere of your room, can show the colours used in your furniture to their best effect and can even be useful in marking different areas of your home.
Basically, designers use three types of lighting to create style and functionality:
- ambient lighting: provides general brightness to the room, illuminating most of the area;
- work lighting: this is an intense and direct light, used to facilitate activities at close range, such as reading, food preparation or personal care;
- accent lighting: highlights a specific object or area and can be used to change the atmosphere of the room, providing a focal point.
In this article we will try to give you some suggestions on how to properly illuminate the rooms of your house.
How to light your rooms adequately
To find the right lighting, you must first imagine all the possible situations in which you will use that room.
For example, try to imagine what you’ll be doing in your living room at the different times of the day when you use it.
Will your guests sit there after dinner? Will you spend your time reading in your favourite chair? Will you spend time with your family watching TV on the sofa?
All these different scenarios require specific types of lighting.
Once you’ve determined how you want to use your different rooms, you can move on to selecting the type of lighting you’ll need.
Hall
This is the access point to your home, so it’ s the first thing your guests will see, but that goes for you too.
You want your hall to make a good first impression and be warm and welcoming when receiving your guests but also to make you feel better when you come home.
This effect can be given by lighting with wall sconces which create tricks of light, or with ceiling lights, pendant lamps or designer floor lamps.
Living room
Do you spend most of your time in the living room? Then it’s important to have lighting that’s easy to control and functional for this area.
Try to combine ambient lighting with a mix of floor and table lamps.
Don’t forget to take advantage of natural light too, by using blinds that will make your living room look good and save energy.
Choosing automated Venetian blinds can help you manage brightness in the best possible way, even when you are comfortably seated on your sofa.
Dining room
Your dining room is a place where you share family meals and dinners with friends, so lighting is extremely important in this area.
Pendant lamps or chandeliers strategically placed above the dining room table are a must.
And, of course, don’t forget to install dimmers to give your dining room an atmosphere suitable for romantic dinners.
Kitchen
All the lighting in your kitchen should be functional and focused on the worktops.
A good ceiling light is suitable in the kitchen combined with recessed spotlights to be used under the wall units, to illuminate the surfaces where you prepare food.
This system makes the kitchen a room where you can combine aesthetics and functionality, with lighting that defines the character of the space.
Bedrooms
Soft, ambient lighting is the best option to use in the bedrooms to help you relax at the end of the day.
Bedside lamps and wall lamps with dimmers are perfect in this space.
Again, consider the use of natural light, using blinds that can aid your sleep cycle, admit daylight but be dark at night and protect your privacy.
Conclusions
After you understand the type of lighting you need for each room, try playing with different layers of light to accentuate the architectural characteristics of your space.
Remember, the right lighting has the power to transform a space from simple and uninviting to warm and welcoming.
So, make sure you choose lighting that not only suits the style and function of your space, but also improves the atmosphere of your home.