The ultimate lighting guide

The effect of lighting:

Lighting is essential to any indoor space, like a home, office, or room, but we often disregard and underestimate its importance. Apart from having the biggest impact on a place’s aesthetics, it also affects a person’s well-being, emotions, and mood.

This means if you stay most of your time in a place that is dim and has poor lighting with a shadowy effect, then your mood will become gloomy to the extent that it might turn into a part of your personality (and we are sure you don’t want that, right?)

So, it is important to emphasize lighting’s importance in every indoor setting. However, since you only have 100% control over your home’s lighting, we will focus more on properly lighting your home. So, again let us ponder on how you can turn your home environment more productive and cheerful with lights. Well, after reading this blog, you will know how.

How many types of lighting are there?

Before you can start putting up lights everywhere, we suggest you learn about their types so that when you buy them, you know what exactly you are looking for and for what purpose. Here are the four types of lighting:

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the general lighting in a room that provides overall illumination. It can be achieved through recessed lighting, ceiling fixtures, or chandeliers. This type of lighting should be even and balanced throughout the space to avoid dark spots. Ensure that if you want your whole room to be illuminated, it shouldn’t cause glare in any part of the room. Some examples of ambient lighting are:

• Wall mounted lights
• Wall scones
• Ceiling lights
• Track lights
• Chandeliers

Task Lighting

Task lighting is used for specific activities such as reading, cooking, or desk work. It can be achieved through desk lamps, hanging waterdrop pendant, or under-cabinet lights. Task lighting should be directed towards the task at hand and bright enough to reduce eye strain. They are perfect for locating small objects in darker places. Some examples of task lighting are:

• Desk lamps
• Recessed fixtures
• Pendant lightings
• Vanity lamps
• Under cabinet lights

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting highlights specific objects or areas, such as artwork, sculptures, or paintings. It can be achieved through direct track lights, chandeliers, wall scones, etc. Accent lighting should be brighter than ambient lighting to draw attention to the highlighted feature. Some examples of accent lighting are:

• Floodlights
• Track lights
• Chandeliers with dimmers
• Wall scones
• spotlights

Natural Lighting

Natural lighting is the use of daylight to illuminate a space. It can be achieved through windows, skylights, or solar tubes. The natural lighting provides a sense of well-being but can also cause glare and heat gain, so it should be balanced with artificial lighting. Don’t put a life-sized glass just for sunlight; put glass and lights together for balance.

Basics of lighting indoors:

1. Layer your lighting and combine ambient, task, and accent lighting to create a balanced lighting scheme.
2. Choose the right light bulbs with the right color, temperature, and brightness for the lighting.
3. Consider the placement of light fixtures and make sure light fixtures are placed in the right locations to achieve the desired lighting effect.
4. Use dimmer switches as they help you to adjust the brightness of lights to suit your mood, preference, and emotions.
5. Pay attention to the lighting design; consider the style, color, and materials of your light fixtures to ensure they fit with the overall design of your space. If you have a house built on modern terms, there shouldn’t be vintage lighting and vice versa.

Lighting effects:

Now let’s take a look at some effects that lighting can bring to your indoors:

Dimming the lights can also create a softer, more relaxed atmosphere and save energy. This can be achieved through dimmer switches or smart lighting systems.

Color temperature is another important factor in achieving the desired lighting effect. Cool white light can create a more modern, energizing atmosphere, while warm white light can create a cozier, intimate feel.

Directional lighting can also highlight specific areas of a room or create interesting patterns of light and shadow.

Finally, backlighting can create a dramatic effect by illuminating objects from behind. This can be achieved with the use of wall-mounted fixtures or LED strips.