Lighting is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of home design – particularly when you consider that many people put a huge amount of time and effort into choosing just the right colours for their walls and furnishings, but fail to consider the effect that lighting will have on those colours.
The quality and type of light and the play of shadow can have a huge effect not only on colours, but also on overall ambiance. It is not something that should be considered after the house is constructed, but at a very early planning stage, well in advance of the electrician turning up and making those decisions for you.
Some people find it almost impossible to visualise their lighting requirements before they have seen the room and chosen the colours. If that's the case you may need to spend a little more money to at least ensure that you give yourself plenty of options further down the track.
If you are working with an architect or designer they should discuss lighting with you early on – and it would be reasonable to expect that they would have a good idea of what effect various lighting options will have on the space and the forms in the room.
If you are designing your own lighting plan, make sure that you are very clear about what the room will be used for and what sort of ambiance you want to create. The first step is to understand what effects are created by various forms of lighting and how you can use them (see below). Then you can apply these principles to your Room by room lighting plan.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting refers to light which doesn't appear to come from one strong source, but is diffused all around us – like light on an overcast day as opposed to strong directional sunlight that also throws strong shadows. Indoors, ambient lighting tends to come from overhead lighting (such as a central light hanging from the ceiling) or wall lighting. The problem with central overhead light is that it tends to be very flat and doesn't provide strong definition. This can be moderated with the choice of shade and with dimmers.
Accent Lighting
If ambient lighting has the effect of flattening a room, accent lighting helps to focus interest on particular features by using strong directional lights. Consider whether there will be displayed objects, paintings, or furnishings that you want to highlight. Low voltage halogens are particularly useful for accent lighting. They throw a white light that contrasts with the warmer light of ambient tungsten lighting, they cast crisp shadows and are generally multi-directional for precise control. Accent lighting tends to be used in living areas, or wherever there is a feature you want to highlight.
Task Lighting
This is concentrated light used to illuminate an area brightly – in particular kitchen, bathroom mirrors and study areas. Give thought to how they are positioned so that your body doesn't block the light, causing shadow to fall precisely where you need the light to be. In a study situation, an old-fashioned angle-poise desk lamp may be more useful that directional spotlights mounted on the ceiling. Also give thought to the effect of light falling on computer screens.
Decorative Lighting
Sometimes lighting serves no other purpose than to draw attention to itself. For example, lighting that creates a sculptural effect or a lamp that is a design object in itself. If you want to create a design effect with light, bear in mind the effect that ambient and task lighting will have on it.
Kinetic Lighting
Although not generally thought of as a source of light, the light generated by open fires, or modern gas fires and by candles can be used to wonderful effect. If you enjoy open fires and candlelight, it may pay to consider how that will work with the other light sources in your house.
