Have you ever been in someone’s home that is too dark and you feel the life being sucked out of you? Lack of lighting in a space can do that to you! Besides the obvious of being able to see what you’re doing, light can affect your mood, emotions and overall well-being. This is why lighting plays a vital role in interior design. Here’s the kicker… you can do lighting wrong, and when you do it will totally ruin your space. So let’s avoid that and go over the basics of lighting.
Understanding Lighting Types
Knowing the type of lighting you need for the task or purpose is important to choosing the right type. The types might seem obvious, but there are actually a lot of complexities to each one, and it’s essential to understand how to use each of them in your space in the way that allows them to shine individually and create an overall cohesive lighting experience.
Natural Lighting
Windows don’t just give you a pretty view of the skyline, or your garden, or the landscape, they bring natural light into your space. There are some benefits to having natural lighting - you can save energy on artificial lighting, soak up some Vitamin D, and even add a spark of energy to your room. And the shadows that you’ll get at certain times of the day, really highlight architectural features you have.
The ideal way to bring natural lighting into a space is through a large window or skylight, but if you’re stuck without a ton of natural light there is still hope! A tip to get more light in your space is by using mirrors. Their reflective surface helps spread the little light you do have further in your space. It’s important to strategically position your mirror close to your window/natural light source in order to maximize its effect.
Pro Tip: When building or buying a new home, consider where the sun rises and sets (east to west) and how the home is positioned to understand if you’re going to get flooded with natural light or not based on the window locations.
Ambient Lighting
This is usually the lighting that comes on when you flip the light switch in a room - think chandeliers, recessed lights, pendants, the things attached to the ceiling. It’s also known as general lighting and its purpose is to provide an even spread of light throughout your space.
Ambient lighting helps set the overall mood of a room, for example kitchens have more because they need to be brighter for working, while bedrooms and tv rooms have less ambient lighting as they are intended to be darker experiences. This type of lighting sets the tone of your room, and depending on the placement, can even help separate zones in a large, open room.
Pro Tip: Don’t overdo the ambient lighting. Use this lighting as a way to add warmth and brightness to your space, but know you will not always have these lights on. You’re actually going to find that you use your task and accent lighting more because it’s more welcoming and intimate.
Task Lighting
This is the most important, and most used lighting from a functional standpoint. It helps you see in order to get sh*t done. Task lighting is just as it sounds… for focused tasks. This is the lighting you use when you need targeted illumination. You’d use a table lamp or swing-arm floor lamp for reading, and a desk lamp for working. In the kitchen, you’ll have under-cabinet lighting to help illuminate the counter space while you’re prepping or cooking.
You can never have too much task lighting, in my opinion. What’s great about it is that you can control the amount of light you have because it’s right at your fingertips. Want to set the mood in your living room at night? Turn off the ambient lights and let the warm glow from your table lamps light the space. Need to turn up the brightness in your office, use lamps on both your desk and behind you on a credenza.
Accent Lighting
Want something to stand out in your home? Accent lighting is the type of lighting you’re looking for. It draws attention to a specific feature or elements in a room. You see this all the time outside with landscape lighting. It’s the same concept, but indoors.
You can use a picture light over a piece of art to add drama and highlight its beauty. If your home has architectural details like built-in bookcases or wall paneling, consider using a spot light or track light that washes light over your wall instead of straight down. Or maybe you have some other focal point you’re trying to create, sconces can be used to create a “light” frame around the accent drawing your gaze in. Accent lighting is an important element for added oomph in your space.
Ultimate plan for layering lighting
A good lighting plan is like a winning football team - it takes more than one person doing their task to win. The same goes with lighting. It’s functional; it’s practical; it’s decorative. If you think you can achieve all that greatness with just one fixture, you’re mistaken.
You should always use more than one kind of light in your space, all of them if possible. By layering lights, you can create a space that adapts to you as you change throughout your day, while adding balance and warmth to your space. Here’s a really simple lighting layering plan:
Layer 1: Assess your natural lighting, keeping in mind it’s only useful for 12-14 hours a day. For daytime rooms, natural lighting will be able to replace ambient lighting, but in nighttime rooms, there may be a need for better controllability of your ambient lighting (i.e. more switches). Position your furniture in a way that allows your natural lighting to shine into your space.
Layer 2: Look up at the ceiling. Consider the overhead lighting, whether more decorative like a chandelier, or more functional like recessed, and make sure your fixture has enough light bulbs to spread light evenly throughout your room. (i.e. Does your living room chandelier only have one light bulb? If so, you have a problem!) This layer of lighting provides general illumination for the room.
Layer 3: Looking around, while standing up and sitting down. This is the level of lighting at your eye level that helps illuminate surfaces and spaces while you’re doing different activities. Add table lamps on side tables or consoles. Add floor lamps in reading corners next to chairs. Think about how you’re using a space for different tasks and plan your lighting accordingly.
Layer 4: Like the finishing touch of make-up you put on - Highlight! Decide what key elements you want to highlight in your space and find the right lighting to do just that. Add a picture light over a piece of art, or sconces on both sides of your fireplace, and let the light create the focal points of your room.
Pro tip: Choosing the right bulbs will make or break your lighting plan! Do you choose warm, soft, daylight, natural, cool? There are too many to trust the name, instead trust the temperature of the bulb. My go-to bulb temperature is between 2700-3000 Kelvin. It has a warm glow and makes your space bright and cozy. AND, make sure all your light bulbs are the same Kelvin temperature, or else your home will look like it has multi-colored polka dots and no one wants that.
Light up your home
Lighting is one of those design elements the professionals use to set the vibe of a space and create ambiance. It’s not always about having maximum lighting, it’s about being able to control the lighting. Whether you want to draw the eye of your guests to a specific spot in your home, or you plan to set the mood with dimmable lights, choosing the right lighting is an important part of creating the perfect feeling in your home.
Are you struggling to layer lights and need help? Shoot us an email for a free consultation to chat about how we can help with your lighting needs!
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