We humans, we love light. We thrive off it. And in the winter months, when it is cold and dark, we seek solace in our homes; shutting the curtains, turning on the lamps and crossing off the days on the calendar until its spring again and time for Mr Sun to put his hat on, hip hip hooray!
Light, and especially artificial light, can have a dramatic effect on our mood and general well being, ask anyone suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Aside from making sure our homes get ample natural light, by opening blinds and curtains during the daytime or picking a property that boasts oversized feature windows as an element of its design, we should make sure that we are always supported by a sufficient light source, natural or otherwise.
Selecting an effective lighting system for your home is not as simple as picking a few nice table lamps. Lighting needs careful planning and a specific scheme should be designed for each room according to the function of the space. The trick is not to make it too bright or too dim unless it is called for. It is only when you get it wrong that you’ll notice just how uncomfortable the wrong type of lighting can make you feel.
For each room you need to consider the various functions the lighting will provide and whether specific sections of the room will need special lighting for tasks such as reading or writing - this is called Task Lighting. In addition, you need sufficient overall lighting so that people can see to move around the room - this general lighting is commonly referred to as Ambient.
In a family room, for example, you’d need low level ambient lighting for optimum TV viewing (don’t view in a darkened room as the sharp contrast of the bright TV screen can cause discomfort) and a table lamp set at shoulder height, or a floor lamp positioned behind and to the left or right to provide task lighting for anyone reading a book or magazine.
A bedroom should also feature low level lighting – preparing the body for rest and relaxation. If you shun the advice of sleep experts and are a fan of reading in bed then follow the same principles as the family room and opt for a table lamp at your bedside or a wall light, slightly above and to the left or right depending which side of the bed you sleep on.
A kitchen, however, would be the opposite. A kitchen should always be well lit and a central ceiling light is not nearly enough to illuminate the numerous detailed tasks that go on in this hive of activity. You need concentrated light sources installed in activity areas – such as where you chop and prepare food, over the hob and the sink. Fluorescent tubes concealed underneath kitchen wall cupboards are the most effective here as they give off a uniform and shadow free light.
Bathroom lighting should also be bright but a ceiling lamp without further sources of illumination will create cruel shadows under your eyes, nose, cheeks and chin – not a good confidence booster first thing in the morning! In addition to the ambient lighting, find another light source by buying a mirror with strip lighting or Hollywood style light bulbs, very Marilyn Monroe. If you’re using fluorescent lamps then soft white tubes are the most flattering to your skin tone.
The lighting in a study or work area should be free of shadows and also glare. The more time you plan to spend at your desk the brighter the wattage of the light you should choose. Here’s a handy hint – if you are right handed place the lamp on the left so that the light is not shadowed by your arm, and do the opposite if you are left handed.
In addition to serving a specific room’s function, lighting can also be used to create a certain mood – just as it would be used on a theatre or film set. A brightly lit room encourages action and an upbeat mood whereas a darker room is more mysterious, relaxing and romantic. But you also need to achieve the many variations in between rather than having it so bright you need sunglasses or so dark you can’t see what you are doing! The only advice I can offer here is to experiment with this middle range of lighting and find out what works for different situations.
Have some fun too. As well as being mood enhancing and functional, lighting is also an element of your interior design so match it to the overall theme of your room – traditional, contemporary, oriental, sparkly or austere. You should also use it to highlight or detract from your room’s features and flaws. An illuminated corner of a room draws the eye to it – and away from something else.
But in addition to all of this, you should select a light fitting just as you would select any other item of furniture you choose to have in your home – because you love it.
