Lighting Design: 6 Things You Should Know About It

If you want to create a stylish room, pay attention to how you choose your lighting – here’s how!

Photos By: Unsplash

Many of us take the lighting of our homes for granted, simply flicking a switch whenever we enter a new room. However, if you want to create a stylish environment that is ideal for both your decorations and comfort, it is vitally important that you pay just as much attention to the type and quality of lighting in your home as you do in choosing light fixtures. This article will help you understand the basics of lighting design so that you can create a more stylish, comfortable home.

Using Lighting to Accentuate a Particular Style

Lighting is perhaps one of the most effective ways to accentuate any design style you particularly like. For example, if your living room has a baroque feel then chandeliers might work perfectly for you. They are attractive and also help to draw attention to the finer decorative features on your ceiling, as you can learn more about that here if you wish. Conversely, contemporary lighting can be far more subtle than other types so it won’t jar with the minimalistic decor in this type of space. You must consider both your tastes and those of any future occupants when choosing which designs will best suit your home. 

Quality of Light

Lighting design is the process of using light to highlight, create or enhance a space. It can be used to create different moods within the same room so it’s important to prioritize your lighting needs depending on what you wish to achieve with it. Quality of light is an extremely important aspect of any lighting design and must be considered carefully before beginning. You may wish to create either soft diffused lighting for decoration or bright directional light for use when working at home. This will depend on both your interior decorating style and also the practicalities involved in your living environment. Some people prefer bright lights while others like more muted tones that aren’t too harsh. The most common options are spotlights, ceiling lights, and table lamps.

The Benefits of Task Lighting

Task lighting refers to lights that are used for specific practical purposes such as reading, writing, or sewing. However good your general lighting is, if you only have task lighting in certain areas then you will always feel like you’re fumbling around in the dark when trying to do something in a different part of the room. Task lighting is very common in kitchens where you need bright lights above work surfaces and also in bathrooms which often need good lighting for shaving or putting on makeup. You can also purchase table lamps that have a flexible neck so that they can be adjusted to fit any surface. Task lighting can be an effective way to add extra light to any room without causing discomfort from glare.

Maintenance Requirements

In addition to considering your style preferences and interior decorating goals, you must consider how much maintenance each design requires and whether you’re willing to put in the work to keep them looking their best. For example, a chandelier requires a lot of intensive cleaning and also fine jewelry polishing if you want it to stay bright and shiny. Ceiling lights may be slightly less high maintenance but they will also show up any dirt on the ceiling so these must still be kept clean. Conversely, a table lamp is easy to wipe over and doesn’t need much in the way of cleaning or maintenance.

The Benefits of Soft Lighting

The benefits of soft lighting have been discussed at length by interior designers for many years. Although bright directional light is often necessary for working purposes, it tends not to compliment decoration very well because of its harsh quality – especially when pointed directly at particular surfaces or objects that you wish to highlight. On the other hand, diffused lighting helps provide a more subtle look that allows decorative features such as paintings and sculptures to stand out more from the surrounding environment. Softer lighting is also more flattering on people since it reduces problems with shadows under the nose and chin.

Dimmability is More Important Than You Might Think

Although there are many different benefits to soft lighting, you should bear in mind that it does have one major drawback – you won’t always need this much light so it can be wasteful if your light fixtures are still glowing brightly when they aren’t needed. A dimmer switch will solve this problem by allowing you to set exactly how much light you want at any given time without wasting energy on unnecessary levels of illumination. Most modern LED bulbs already come with dimmers but some types may not work well on certain dimmers so check this first if you’re having issues with low brightness.

Lighting is an important consideration when designing your home because it has the power to completely transform the look of any given room. By choosing a suitable style and taking into account your personal preferences as well as those of future occupants you should be able to create a lovely atmosphere for yourself and others to enjoy.