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Learn the lighting secrets of the experts

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Learn the lighting secrets of the experts

One of the biggest compliments you can ever receive from a visitor to your home is how beautiful the space it. Of course, this doesn’t happen by accident. To pull it off, you need to let the space dictate the
lighting you use and create a space where light is as much a furnishing as a sofa or chair.

Here are the secrets of the experts to make your lighting and important part of the décor instead of an afterthought.
1. Set the scene. What do you want the space to say? Romance? Sensuality? Vibrancy? Excitement? Lighting creates a mood or conjures an emotion so you need to decide what the room is supposed to say to the visitor before you actually think about lighting options.
2. Add flexibility. No matter what lighting scheme you eventually decide on, make sure it can be adjusted subtly. That means dimmers on all your switches and lights that allow you to turn different bulbs on individually.
3. Use color. The mood of the room can be determined as much by the color of the lighting as its intensity or location. Just be careful not to use more than two vibrant colors at the same time. This can create a clash between the lighting, destroying the effect entirely. For example, choose an off white bulb along with a vibrant color to create contrast.
4. Use color to direct focus. Colored lighting should be used to create a focal point in the room or draw attention to a specific dramatic point. Don’t over do it. Every color you add diminishes the others until there is virtually no impact at all.

5. Pay attention to surfaces. By its very nature light is reflective. Its greatest reflectivity occurs with white surfaces and diminishes accordingly. Black is the least reflective surface and decreases the impact of lighting. That said, lighting can be used with impact on surfaces that have a texture, such as brickwork. It helps bring definition to the surface and increases its visual qualities.
6. Color can the therapeutic too. When considering the lighting for a particular area of the room or for a piece of furniture, remember that color can have therapeutic benefits as well. Certain colors can increase your circulation or calm the body. By being aware of this fact, you can create spaces in your room that are either relaxing and tranquil or energetic and vibrant.

7. Break the rules. Chandeliers are no longer just for the entryway or dining room. Today’s chandeliers come in all styles for all rooms. They can have a tremendous influence on a room’s dramatic impact, depending on the style, the material, the design and size you select.
8. Design in layers. Like fabric, lighting should be layered as well. Use wall lighting, floor and table lighting and ceiling lighting to create layers of color and light in the room. The goal is to bring focus to the parts of the room you want to emphasize, while minimizing the lighting in parts of the room that are more utilitarian in nature. By layering the light, you can decide the mood of any room in your home while adding depth and richness.

And there you go, the secrets of the experts exposed. Now you can save money by foregoing an interior designer and spend it on dramatic lighting for your home instead. Let there be light… And lots of it!