Art and science: A guide to lighting design in your home

Lighting isn't just about removing darkness—it's an essential element of interior design, that sits in the middle of function and beauty. Whether you're revamping your home decor or starting from scratch, here's how you can approach lighting design to create a home that feels warm and inviting.

The Basics

Before diving into lighting fixtures and styles, it's important to understand the three primary types of lighting:

• Ambient Lighting: Also known as general lighting, it provides overall illumination to a room. It sets the foundation for your lighting design and ensures a comfortable level of brightness for daily activities. What are they? Ceiling lights, down lights, wall sconces, spotlights

• Task Lighting: Serves a specific purpose, such as reading, cooking, or working. It's focused and brighter than ambient lighting, providing adequate illumination for tasks. What are they? Under-cabinet lights, wall-mounted lighting, lamps

• Accent Lighting: Adds drama and visual interest by highlighting architectural features, artwork, or focal points in the room. It creates depth and dimension. What are they? Wall sconces, cabinetry light, recessed lights, or track lighting

Creating a Lighting Plan

So, now you know the different types of lighting, it makes creating a lighting plan much easier. Begin by assessing the different activities that take place in each room. Consider the natural light sources, room size, and layout to determine the type and placement of lighting needed.

Here's a step-by-step approach to creating a lighting plan:

Think about how you want the space to feel

Lighting can do it all . From creating cosy areas in an open plan space, through to creating a bright and fresh canvas in art galleries. The first step in any lighting plan is to decide how you want each area in your space to feel.

TIP - Installing dimmer switches and lighting controls gives you the flexibility to adjust the intensity and mood of your lighting scheme. Dimmers are especially useful in areas where varying levels of brightness are desired.

Identify Lighting Zones

Which then takes us on to zones. Don’t think of a room as just one space. Divide each room into zones based on function and activity. For example, a living room may have separate zones for entertaining, reading, and watching TV.

TIP - Contrast between different light levels helps to draw attention to the lit areas, so if you want to create a different feel for various areas in one space, light is the perfect way to achieve this.

Layer Your Lighting

Incorporate a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting to achieve balance and versatility. Layering lighting sources creates depth and allows you to adjust the ambiance according to different occasions.

TIP – Get out your floorplan for your room and start marking in where you want light to go. Then layer your lighting, first adding ambient, then task and finally accent lighting.   

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Night lights

This is a bonus section as it is not a necessity to have night lights in your home. But some motion activated lighting placed under your bed or in the bottom of your bathroom cabinetry through to some carefully placed recessed LED marker lights along a hall can make night-time trips much more pleasant.

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Choosing your fixtures

The exciting bit! Now that you have a solid lighting plan it is time to choose your fixtures. You want your light fittings to complement the overall design of your space. If you have a modern home, look for fixtures with clean lines and simple designs. If your home is more traditional, look for lights with ornate details and classical shapes. You can also make your design look more cohesive by matching the metals in your fixtures to what you already have in your room design.

TIP –The look and feel of the lamp itself plays a role in providing visual interest in your space. Choose statement materials and textures to add another element to your design.

BONUS TIP – Remember switches! Where you place your switches can take the experience of lighting your home from easy to annoying, just by placing the switch a foot further away than you would like. Make sure to place light switches as you enter a room (or before you enter if the room has no natural light source).

Great lighting design is a blend of art and science, enhancing the aesthetics and functionality of your home. By understanding the basics of lighting and tailoring your design to suit your lifestyle, you can create a space that works and feels cosy and inviting no matter what time of the day.

In our upcoming blog we will look at great places to source lights for all budgets, so make sure to check out our next blog coming on Saturday.