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Lighting can make all the difference in your home, and oftentimes this is more important than your actual décor or furnishings. There are many different forms of lighting that you can utilise for your home, as well as different ways in which you can use those lights. The combination of different types of light fittings and the way you use them can significantly bolster the appeal of each room. To help you decide how to light your home, we’ve put together a few great tips for you to use.
Functional Lighting
While aesthetics is a very important part of your lighting decisions, functionality is the main reason for adding certain lights to a room. You can make use of many different types of lights within different areas of each room. For example, you can have general lighting to brighten the whole space. Ideally, this would have varying options of brightness with the use of smart lights or a dimmer switch to suit different things. For example, a cosy get-together with friends won’t benefit from bright, glaring lights, which may otherwise be useful during gloomy daytimes. Don’t forget to add things like a reading lamp to a relaxing corner of the living room or even spotlights in your kitchen cupboards to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Using Layers
A big mistake that some people make is to not vary the lighting in each room. You should do this by considering lighting layers. Start with an impactful main light source, which is usually a ceiling light, and then build on from that. For example, alongside your room’s main light, whether it’s a single pendant or a system of different ceiling lights, you can then have table lamps, spotlights, and even things like coloured LED strip lights around the room. This variety of lights at different levels will help to make your rooms flexible and versatile, giving you the option to set a variety of moods for your home, depending on the event.
Choosing The Right Direction
Simply littering your room with lights is not going to automatically make the place look great. You need to think about these things, including the direction your lights face. In fact, picking the right lighting directions can work wonders for your room, especially if it isn’t overly large. You can change the perceived dimensions of a room with the right lighting setup. For example, side lamps near walls can add visual depth to a room, whereas a torchiere style floor lamp shining towards the ceiling can add height too.
Letting In Natural Light
One of the most important aspects of lighting a room is letting in as much natural light as possible. There are many different ways that you can do this, from installing larger windows or possibly skylights in rooms with a roof above. However, you can also direct natural light into rooms that don’t have window access using mirrors and light, reflective surfaces like bright wall paints. Using decorative mirrors, like antique French mirrors, also kills two birds with one stone. Firstly, you get to add a classy, visually stunning antique to your walls, and secondly, you will be increasing the natural light flow throughout your home. Alongside these benefits, you actually help to make a room look bigger with more mirrors.
Artistic Lighting
Similar to eye-catching antique mirrors, you can also use actual lighting as artistic décor. You can find many different table lamps which have been specifically designed as artistic pieces. Your best choice is to find something that complements the rest of your room’s aesthetics while acting as a standalone, quirky design. Of course, try to be conservative with these things, as overloading a room with various different lights that all have their own unique look could be at risk of looking gaudy. At the same time, having too many lights that have the same design will detract from the uniqueness of that design.
Highlighting Your Rooms
Instead of using lights as art décor, you could also use your lighting specifically as a highlighting tool for other art pieces. For example, suppose you have a prized statue on display or an area in your room to showcase a collection. In that case, ceiling spotlights highlighting that area or specific art piece can provide a phenomenal effect to direct the eye of your guests. As well as this, you can do the same for any hanging artwork too. Spotlights shining at your walls can really help these pieces stand out. For larger wall pieces that reach the floor, you could even use floor lights.
Implementing Lighting Tech
Today, many more options are available for your lighting due to advancements in technology. Smart lighting is a great option for the home, and it can help to enhance the visual appeal of your home significantly. As well as providing you with so many more options for design choices, it can also serve as added security, adding an extra layer to your lighting. Many smart lights can be turned on when you’re away from your home, allowing you to change settings such as brightness or even putting them on a timer, giving the illusion of you being at home.