JOIN USEvery activity, occasion and room calls for some different kind of lighting. Prema Varadarajan gives you some quick tips to brighten the varied areas in your home
By the time we come to installing lights in our new homes, we are so tired of details, that we tend not to pay too much attention to this important facet of decor. You, however, can avoid making this mistake.
Plan your lighting right in the beginning and allot a suitable budget for your lights and shades. This is important as lights play an aesthetic and functional role in your home’s decor.
The task of three
Lighting can make or break the mood and look of your home. Over-lit rooms can be uninviting, while some paintings can actually disappear because there’s no light. Lighting is quite simple. Just bear in mind that every room needs three types of lighting: accent light, task light, and ambient light.
Accent lights create a mood, an environment and help brighten dark corners. Most importantly, they highlight art. Accent lights can also serve as night lights. This is very welcoming when you come home late; also it doesn’t let the house become completely dark at night.
The most important function of accent lights is to highlight plants, sculpture, or a painting and provide an easy way to add a spark of light to a room without totally illuminating it. You can create drama by shining a light through your houseplants to create an exotic atmosphere.
Task lighting is directed light, which helps you with a task such as reading, preparing food, or working on hobbies. These come in various shapes and sizes, depending on your needs. Some examples are swing-arm reading lamps or under-cupboard kitchen lights.
This type of lighting is usually best attended to after you move into your home, have the furniture in place and know where you need specific lighting.
Ambient light is, perhaps, the only light that we pay attention to in our decor. This kind of lighting is an overall bright source of light. Every room should have them as they are used for brightening the entire room and for lighting chores.
This type of lighting usually comes in the form of an overhead flush-mount light fixture or a floor lamp, which directs light onto the ceiling and reflects it into the room. LED lamps could go a long way in saving electricity and cutting your power bill.
Speaking of minimising your electricity spend, tube lights or fluorescent lights do this too, but are not exactly decorative. Restrict usage of these lights to garages, balconies, or workshops.
You can make your home look more attractive and accent it by using lights and shades, which are wonderful and multi-functional.