When it comes to interior décor, some would argue that there’s technically no such thing as getting it right or wrong – it all comes down to personal preference. And there is indeed a great deal of truth and logic to this, but one area in which it is more than possible and indeed rather easy to go wrong is that of lighting. According to the experts at www.thelightyard.com, lighting more often than not tends to be the single most overlooked area of interior design when it comes to the decorating efforts of homeowners up and down the country. They go to great lengths to breathe new life into their homes, they spend a small fortune on the bits and pieces they need to do so and yet in the end, the results are diluted quite severely due to bad lighting.
Of course, exactly what type of lighting works in an interior décor sense will significantly vary from one home to the next.Nevertheless, there are certain golden rules to follow when it comes to interior lighting that apply in all instances and to all interior spaces across the board. So for those who may be considering going about their own interior remodelling or renovation efforts in the near future, here is a quick look at just a few of the most important universal room lighting tips to live by:
Table of Contents
1 – Focal Points
First up, try to get out of the habit of seeing lighting as something that involves a single source of light that’s tasked with the job of lighting the whole room with flawless precision and elegance. It really doesn’t work like this in practice – a much better approach is to decide on the various corners, spaces and objects around any given room that deserve to be highlighted as points of focus. You can then use additional lighting sources to make it happen.
2 – Object Luminosity
Work with the objects you already have around the home that have the potential to add a touch of sparkle and magic if accompanied by the right kind of light. For example, that ornate picture frame on the wall, the beautiful mirror on the mantle or any of those ornaments on the sideboard could be made to look all the more gorgeous at any time of day on night if lit up using a focused feature light or task light from a strategic angle. Feel free to experiment and you might be surprised with the results.
3 – Shadow Watch
It’s important to remember that where there’s light, there’s shadow – in this instance shadows being both your best friend and your worst enemy. Shadows have the potential to frame certain areas of the room and draw attention to areas of focus, though in other instances can make a room feel cramped, chaotic and generally devoid of sparkle. As such, you’ll need to invest as much time and thought as necessary in exactly how the lighting choices you go for create or combat shadows and how this affects the room’s look and feel.
4 – High and Low
Ceiling lights might be something of a standard when it comes to lighting any given room, but they do nonetheless have the potential to make the room look and feel smaller than it in fact it. Of course it’s difficult to get away with not using any ceiling lights whatsoever, but regardless of the room you are looking to revamp it is important to think both high and low when it comes to light sources.
5 – From the Ground Up
Quite to the contrary, light emitted from lower-level sources has the potential to make a room feel considerably more spacious. One of the most effective ways of accomplishing this sense of perceived spaciousness is to project lower-level light sources onto empty walls.
6 – Go Natural
Stepping away from all this technology for a while, never overlook the way in which candles have the potential to transform a pretty much any room of the home into a cosy, comforting sanctuary. So rather than considering them something of an afterthought, try instead to work them into your decorating strategy.
7 – Can the Cables
Last but not least, go to any and all means necessary to ensure that the fantastic overhaul you bring to the rooms of your home is not diluted or undone entirely by the presence of a thousand and one cables. There are so many ways and means by which cables can be hidden from view or at least kept tidy these days, so be sure to do exactly that.