Across the interior design industry, lighting is regarded as a fundamentally important aspect. Whether natural or artificial, lighting can easily undermine or enhance the brilliance of living spaces. Those designing homes will hold sources of light in great reverence, using them to create a sense of space or comfort, or manipulating them to shift visual focus into certain areas of a space.
The importance of lighting goes beyond style too. If a living space makes a positive impression it is deemed to be more valuable and will perform better on the housing market, making interior design and lighting, valuable considerations for developers and homeowners wanting to see the best return on their investment.
While many may consider themselves to have an eye for design, lighting follows a number of rules that may not always seem obvious. These rules are as follows.
Lighting Temperature
All sources of light have a visual temperature. This degree of warmth and coolness correlates with appearance. Warmer sources of light move more deeply into the spectrum of deeper yellows and even oranges, while cooler temperatures sit comfortably toward blue. Recognising these temperatures is important when it comes to lighting a space, especially when choosing the colour of walls and furniture.
A room that is painted in pastel colours, one that is pale and refreshing, may not favour a colder source of light. This is because delicate colour schemes can suddenly appear stark and frigid when illuminated with blue light. By the same token, using a warmer source of artificial light can help to balance out the cooler element of a pastel shade and create a visually cosy space.
Natural Vs. Artificial
Natural light has a number of qualities that are very difficult to imitate via artificial means. In addition to the distinct brilliance it brings to rooms, natural light also supports health and sleep regulation. As such, it is a valued asset for interior designers. Many will try to welcome as much light as they can into living spaces or create rooms, such as log cabins, that are structured around an abundance of natural light.
This is not to say, however, that artificial light should be written off. While they may not deliver vitamin D to the body, artificial light sources are highly customisable, with versatile positioning and temperatures. Certain bulb shapes and designs can influence the way in which light illuminates a room, adding a degree of creativity, with smaller groups of spotlights adding elegance to shelving or larger floor lamps being directed to highlight the bold colour of a ceiling.
Brilliance And Dimness
Lighting need not be static. In the same way that curtains can be shifted to influence the amount of natural light that enters a room, dimmer switches can help to offer a greater degree of customisation with artificial sources of light. This is a potential that should be considered because the best interior designers are those who consider not only a room’s appearance but its appearance at different times of the day and year.
