ANY EXPERIENCED INTERIOR designer will tell you how important lighting is when planning a room.
If you’re guilty of rushing into choosing fabrics and finishes before settling on lighting choices, you may regret it.
When choosing light, you actually need to consider the function of the space, how you use it and how you want to feel. Whether it’s cosy and relaxed, or energized and industrious — it’s a puzzle that can be easily solved by these simple interior design insider tricks.
1. There are three key lighting categories
The first rule of Lighting 101 is to understand the three key types of lighting. If you can get a good grasp of these elementary lighting genres, you can rule any decor scheme.
First, you need general lighting for background illumination, like a chandelier or overhead light. You’ll also need task lighting for illuminating particular activities, like a bedroom sconce for reading before sleep.
Finally, you’ll use accent lighting for drawing attention to specific features in a living room, like wall sconces or floor lamps. Accent lights are particularly important for providing enough light that you can turn down an overhead light in main living spaces.
2. ‘Temperature’ is key (and I don’t mean turning up the heat)
Humans instinctively relate to light based on how it’s represented in nature. In the mornings and evenings, we yearn for the calm and warm light of dusk or dawn, so it’s no surprise that golden hour selfies on Instagram have proven so popular!
Choosing the right temperature light bulb for your home is another lighting golden rule. Homes should be lit with a more yellow light, between 2,700 and 3,000 on the Kelvin scale. When we’re at work during the day, our bodies expect brighter, whiter light to energize us so offices are lit with cooler, blue-toned light at 3,500 to 4,000 on the scale.
3. Aim for four light sources per room
It’s time to think beyond the solitary ‘big light’ hanging in the centre of the room. Using a single overhead, bright light in a space can cause glare and overwhelms the eye. This will often mean that the rest of the room will appear much darker.
Instead, you want to evenly light a room, and it’s important to place lights in several key areas around the space to eliminate dark corners.
You may have tried layering accessories in your bedroom, with throws and cushions. Now it’s time to layer light sources, too. And the more, the better, to create even lighting throughout. The key is to scatter lots of different lighting around the room to create a magical ambience. You can use a mixture of table and floor lamps, candles, reading lights — whatever takes your fancy.
The golden rule here is that you’ll need at least four light sources per room, and ceiling spotlights don’t count.
4. A dimmer switch goes a long way
Nowadays, the same rooms are used for multiple purposes, so we need to be flexible with our lighting. Dimmer switches are the perfect solution that will allow you to change the atmosphere in an instant and make it easy to quickly create different scenes in a single space.
Dimmer switches can also save energy and make your light bulbs last longer, so they’re worth the investment of installation.
5. Picking points of focus is vital
The advantage to having lots of different light sources is that you will have more flexibility with what elements of the room that draw your eye. The golden rule here is that you want to focus the light where it matters.
In your living room, for example, you may want smaller lights to illuminate artwork and bookshelves, a bright reading light for when you curl up with a good book, and pools of soft ambient light to set the mood for watching movies.
In the kitchen, you will need strong lighting over the counters and island, slightly softer lighting over the kitchen table and various light sources dotted around the room for when you’re entertaining guests.
6. Too much glass can be a bad thing, lighting wise
Irish homeowners are embracing beautifully glazed extensions, but this can create lighting problems, too. If you find yourself squinting in your home at particular times of the day because it’s too bright, there are ways to control the natural levels of sunlight. Frosting is a smart solution that also offers privacy; sheer voile curtains also work, and soften the glare of a window without the visual weight of thick curtains.
The mid-century trend is here to stay, and with it is the resurgence of semi-obscured textured glass. Reeded or fluted glass, in particular, has become popular for its sleek aesthetic, but can also be a clever and stylish method for diffusing strong sunlight.
7. There’s always room for some drama
If you want to create drama in your space, go oversized with your lighting. Hang a large chandelier low over a bathtub for unabashed glamour, or cluster different size lights at varying heights over a staircase for an eclectic feel.
A clever trick is to choose extra big table lamps. For a sideboard or table, try placing a lamp that feels instinctively too large. It creates visual interest and adds a counterpoint for styling other elements, like plants, books and ornaments, for an unexpectedly fun vignette.
If your ceiling height doesn’t allow you to play with vertical space, you could instead experiment with horizontal space. Spread light across the room with a wide, Parisian bistro-inspired milk glass and brass pendant. These look particularly beautiful in a dining or living room.
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