Blog Post

How to use light in interior design?(1)

Lighting is one element of interior design that is often overlooked. But, when you consider it, the lack of proper lighting can have a tremendous impact on your space. Lighting can affect your mood and even the overall perceived size of a space, which is why it is an essential element to any design scheme. Proper lighting can drastically alter the atmosphere of your room, it can enhance the colors used in your decor, and it can even prove useful in marking different areas of your home.
You don’t have to know everything about lighting or spend tons of money to make rooms look light and lively. You do need to know the basics of functional and decorative lighting and how to get help for planning and buying lighting. Lighting design is broken down into three kinds of illumination: general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. Mix all three types to achieve decorative lighting.
Decorative lighting creates mood (an overall feeling of serenity or playfulness) and meaning (communication; sometimes this includes signage, such as Exit). Flat, functional lighting (such as the kind in your office) puts people on the alert. Decorative lighting, on the other hand, brings out the shape of objects, the “feel” of texture, and important keynotes.
General lighting makes a room visible, illuminating the bulk of the area. Task lighting is the type of lighting used to facilitate close-range work, such as reading, working on hobbies or crafts, or food preparation. And finally, accent lighting is used to change the mood and atmosphere of your space. This lighting is used to create ambiance and drama by delivering light to a focal point in the room, and overall it is one of the hardest types of lighting to properly create. That’s where we come in.
In order to properly light your space, you must first envision all the possible situations you will use that particular room for, and how lighting will be needed. Imagine yourself in each scenario and think about where your light will be coming from. For example, in the living room, try to envision the functionality of that space and at different times during the day.