The importance of lighting in interior design

The way you light your home is an important part of redecorating. A change in lighting can change the way the room looks. Interior design lighting contributes greatly to the appearance of a room. There are many types of lighting that can be used in various rooms. We are no longer restricted to a few lamps around the room.

Ambient lighting is a hidden light source that bathes the room in a glow. This creates very few shadows and tends to flatten out a room. Japanese paper lanterns and wall sconces produce mood lighting. For temporary ambient effects, use a dimmer with your normal lighting.

Accent lighting adds interest to a room. This method of lighting highlights the interior design and the object or architectural feature. To use accent lighting, you only need a bulb and a shield to direct the light to the desired spot. Halogen spotlights and table lamps with opaque shades provide accent lighting.

Another type of lighting used in interior design is task lighting. This is a more practical lighting strategy, highlighting an area for daily activities like reading, cooking, and sewing. Effective task lighting prevents eyestrain and helps with performance of vital activities. The kitchen is a particularly good place to incorporate task lighting into your interior design. Task lighting sources need to be unobtrusive and shielded to prevent glare. Task lighting can be effectively combined with accent lighting to produce charming effects.

Some lights can be a work of art in itself. Aesthetic lighting is purely decorative, like a neon sculpture or a spotlight illuminating a statue or painting. This type of lighting should not be used alone, but in conjunction with other lighting strategies in your interior design.

Of course, no lighting interior design study would be complete without a mention of natural light. The rooms can be arranged to take advantage of the position of the sun at different times of the day. This type of lighting is also called kinetic lighting because light from outside moves. It is one of the least reliable types, being affected by the seasons and weather, but natural lighting can produce an effect unmatched by any artificial light source when used correctly.

Lighting is an important tool in your design collection. The way you do your interior lighting design affects the perception of any room. Lighting is also versatile. Using multiple strategies at once in a room allows you to disable any one of them, changing the appearance at the flick of a switch. This can be effective in creating different moods in different rooms at night.