Let There Be Light! What lights will work best in your new home.

Let There Be Light! What lights will work best in your new home.

‍

Lighting can really make a difference to the overall look and feel of your home.  Lighting can create warmth, highlight architectural features and assist with everyday living. Which means it’s imperative that you take the time to consider your lighting plan and the different lighting options available.

In this article, we discuss the type of lighting you can use and examples of light categories that would be best suited.

‍

AMBIENT LIGHTING

‍

Ambient lighting sets the mood within a space. It’s intended to light up a room in its entirety and provide illumination throughout the space whilst remaining conspicuous. The level of light it provides is uniform across the space and is the most dominant form of lighting.

Some examples of ambient lighting include:

‍

Ceiling Lights

Down lights and pendant lights fall into this category.  In the case of a low ceiling, you can maximise the space by using down lights, which are mounted directly into the ceiling rather than hanging from it, such as a pendant light.  

Wall Sconces

Wall sconces are a great option that offer enough ambient light to brighten a room. These are perfect to flank features within a room, such as a fireplace in a living room or bathroom mirrors.  There’s a great range of styles and sizes and can be used in hallways and stairways to create a light transition between rooms or between different storeys.

‍

ACCENT LIGHTING

‍

As the name suggests, accent lighting is used to focus on specific interest points within a room or to achieve a desired effect.  Often used to highlight an architectural feature, a collection of objects (such as artwork) and sculptures, it can also give the impression of a larger room.  

Examples of accent lighting are:

‍

Cove Lighting

These types of lights are installed near the ceiling to highlight architectural details or placed under cascades or shelves.  Cove lighting will make you see only the light, not the actual fitting.  Proper placement of these types of lights are essential, so make sure you hire a professional!

LED Lights

LED lights are great for accentuating certain spaces whilst also creating mood within the space. They can be used to illuminate many different spaces such as under cabinets in the kitchen which can enhance food preparation, illuminate a coffee bar, or highlight a splash back. They can also make for nicely lit work spaces, laundries and bathrooms. LED lighting is also being used behind bathroom mirrors, creating a lux feel. And better yet, LED lighting is more energy efficient and longer lasting.

‍

TASK LIGHTING

This type of lighting is intended to help with the more practical aspects of your home rather than the aesthetics. It could include using LED lighting in your pantry, or spot lighting over your bathroom vanity. It’s there to help guide and illuminate the way while you carry out specific tasks around the home.  It’s best to consider the tasks that will be performed in a room before finalising the lighting.

‍

Desk Lamps

These are a great adjustable task light that can be aimed in a specific direction, for demanding visual tasks such as reading or writing.

Wall Mounted Lamps

These types of lamps are often found in the bedroom, near the bedside and are most commonly used for bedtime reading.  They are usually on movable arms, so that they can be positioned directly onto the reading material to suit the reader.

‍

While we’ve only touched on a fraction of the available lighting types, we hope this gives you a good starting point. Click here to check out some of the lighting featured in our recent projects!

‍