Lighting can transform a room and combine style and functionality to the interior design of your home. The type, placement and brightness are all integral aspects of how to make a room truly enjoyable to spend time in. Lighting is often an affordable way to give a space definition and character.

Colour Transformation

Lighting solutions are available in an array of colours and can be incorporated with ease. They can be used to enhance or detract from the existing colours of a room. Darker colours make a room feel cozier, whilst light colours can make a room more spacious. These illusions can also be intensified by reflecting light from surfaces and walls.

Directional lighting such as a track light (a lighting fixture on the ceiling with lights that you can move in different directions) softens wall colours. Recessed lights shine downward with a soft glow which brightens the floors instead of the walls.

Directional Lighting

Lighting in a room either illuminates the entire space or specific elements. Track lighting can be used to illuminate specific areas such as an entrance, kitchen island or a piece of art.

Lighting can also be built into floors or ceilings to create sculpting vertical beams of light instead of a glow from one centralised point. Lamps are a great addition to most rooms. Not only can they make a room look edgy and stylish, but they can also illuminate dark corners without them becoming too light.

Home accessories also have built-in lighting which can highlight specific areas and create a varying degree of light. Another unique idea is lighting that is built into floors or ceilings, some of which can form vertical beams of light instead of a glow from one centralized point.

Functionality

Perhaps the most important aspect to consider when looking for ways to improve the lighting in your home is its functionality.

Having the ability to create different levels of lighting depending on your mood is important, especially in rooms where you spend time relaxing, such as in your bedroom and lounge. Having the ability to lower the light as you settle down for the evening encourages calmness and improves sleep. In fact, levels of light have a profound impact on sleep.

Listed below are places in your home where the functionality of light is most important:

• Chandeliers in large open entryways or doorways, because of their centralized placement and illumination of the space.
• Wall lights add size and length to an entryway or common space.
• A lamp in the bedroom or lounge creates lower levels of light in the evenings.
•  Task-specific lighting for desks and workspaces.