This guide aims to inform you on different aspects of lighting to help you buy the right combination for your home. Everyone has individualistic taste that reflects our lifestyle and preferences. When it comes to lighting, few people pay attention to details, whereas a thoughtful approach can help you bring to life your very own home in ways that add drama and ambiance to any space.
Start with a realistic list of the lighting fixtures you require. With lighting, you need to look beyond the trend, because you don’t want to buy a fashionable lamp only to change it one year down the line. Work on the list with emphasis on:
- Interior lighting: Living room, bathroom, study, bedrooms
- Outdoor lighting: Home & garden lighting
A good lighting plan will:
- Highlight and illuminate
- Improve on poorly lit areas
- Bestow a room with desired ambiance
- Personalize and enhance safety and security
Once you have rescheduled your list and prioritized areas, you would exactly know where you stand. Maybe you are looking for complete lighting make-over or installations. Or perhaps, you would like to do it in stages, starting with the high-priority list. Here are some of the known lighting solutions, categorized for your convenience:
Ceiling
Ceiling and overhead lights can add a great deal of charm and elegance to a room.
Chandeliers: One of the most popular types of ceiling lighting, chandeliers can enhance the aesthetics of a room like few other piece. Traditionally arranged tastefully in the dining room, chandeliers can also be placed in living rooms, hallways, entrances and entertainment rooms. As for the ideal distance from the ceiling, ideally it should be about 32-35 inches above a table.
Ceiling fixtures: Ceiling fixtures are not just decorative; they can be used to highlight important areas in the kitchen and bathroom. You can find ceiling light fixtures in different shapes and sizes to fill the space.
Pendant lights: Unlike fixed ceiling lights, pendants are hanging lights suspended from the ceiling. You can create interesting impressions with pendant lighting.
Low lights: Fixed directly in the ceiling, recessed lights can be used as spotlights in all rooms.
Track lighting: Track lighting consists of a light or series of lights mounted to a metal track. Just move, swivel, or rotate a light to suit your immediate lighting needs.
Wall Lamps
For highlights and accents, wall lights handily add softer shades to a room’s decor. They can be used practically anywhere, from living areas to bathrooms. Indirect lighting decorates a wall space, and when used intelligently can offer an intriguing combination of art and decor themes. When used in a bathroom, you can highlight the areas you wish to, such as above a mirror, and opt for a shade to minimize glare. There are great modern and combination wall lights available for a variety of interior settings like:
Wall-mounted fixtures: Wall sconces can be fixed to walls. Used to highlight paintings, artwork and other decor areas, they illuminate the surface of a wall and add a touch of sophistication.
Swing-arm lamps: For study and work, swing-arm lamps offer utility and function.
Table Lamps
Table lamps, desk lamps or task lamps serve well in the study. Used to highlight specific work areas, there is a wide variety available, from architects’ lamps to task lights to bankers’ lamps to dimmable and adjustable desk lamps that can swivel and swing and can be used for a variety of functions.
Floor Lamps
While buying floor lamps, you may want to ask a few questions, such as:
1. What is the purpose of the lamp – is it aesthetic, functional or does it highlight specific areas? Is it a combination of all of these?
2. What is the style of your home? Does the lamp complement the theme?
3. What is the ideal material for your space: glass, steel, paper, wood, bamboo, bronze?
Console Floor Lamp: A classic design with a single pole and a glass or cloth globe.
Tree lamp: A central pole with three or more branches; used to highlight different areas.
Arc Lamps: Aesthetic and modern, they can just stand as statement pieces or be used to highlight specific areas .
Torchière/Torch Lamps: Designed to highlight and focus on light directed upwards, this option provides a great ambiance.
Outdoor Lamps
Outdoor lighting is equally crucial to highlight important zones for safety and security as well as to provide right amount of illumination for outdoor life. Here are some important types of lights:
Path lamps: Used to light up a path, this is important to highlight walking paths that lead to a home.
Light lamps: Useful in patio and outdoor areas, you can hang these on the wall next to the front door, in an open entrance or outside the house on walls that lead to the garden.
Floodlights: Use these to highlight any favorite area, like the sitting area in the garden or a great looking plant.
String lights: These are festive lights, but can add a new dimension if you place them on a tree or a path during outdoor parties, or to highlight trees and shrubs.
Lanterns: An interesting contrast to modern decor, you can light up lanterns to highlight the yard, lobby, backyard, entryway or driveway.
This article was provided by Spacify. For more information about Spacify, visit their website at www.spacify.com. Spacify is one of the premier online resources for home furnishings and home decor. We source our products directly from the manufacturers to pass the savings directly to our customers. Since we don't have a retail showroom, we can offer discount furniture to our customers. We have an excellent selection on bedrooms and dining room furniture.
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