Just as paint and brushwork can be used to create a visual effect and mood in a room, so can lighting be employed in the same way. Where we place lights, where we direct the beams of light and how we combine different strengths of light can make a huge difference to a room, transforming it at the flick of a switch from day into night. In this blog, I have brought together basic information about lighting with some design hints on how it works with it.
Use this checklist to analyse the light in your room:
- Light level: How light is the room?
- Light distribution: What is the distribution of the lights, where are the lights pled in your room
- Shadows: Is the amount of shadow just right? is there enough to prevent the light from feeling flat. shadows can emphasise shapes and structures Patches
- Patches of light: Are there small areas that differ in illumination from the overall light level in the room. light patches can be caused by lamps or daylight.
- Glare: Is the light in the room free of glare, or does it dazzle you.
- Colour of the light: What colour is the light in the room? that will depend on whether the sources of light are cold or hot.
- colour of the surface: the colour we perceive on the walls and furniture can be affected by the light, surfaces with weak colours are more effected by light.
After using this checklist see what needs to be changed or improved
Lighting tricks
- Standing a table lamp on a TV bench will make the room seem cosier, just having a mid level lamp close to the television also helps to soften the contrast between a very bright TV screen and a dark room.
- If you want to illuminate an artwork, bear in mind that the glass may cause reflection that spoils your appreciation of the image. Try to arrange neat lighting from the side instead of the front, and mount the light fitting at least a metre from the image. For the same reason, avoid hanging glazed pictures opposite a window or glittering chandelier.