How To Choose Lighting for A Room

Lighting is a crucial detail in the success of any room and should be considered a priority in its design. Good lighting not only illuminates the room by throwing targeted light onto work areas, but also enhances colour, highlights architecture and creates mood. When you are developing your room concept make sure that you consider lighting as one of your top priorities. Get it right and the results can be amazing, get it wrong and you could be very disappointed.

Two types of lighting need to be taken into consideration: “task” and “ambient.” Task lighting is the light which is required if daylight is insufficient or inappropriate in a space, making it easier to see what you are looking at. This category most commonly refers to ceiling mount, track or recessed fixtures, but may also include lamps, torches or sconce. Ambient or general lighting is the lighting that is added to a space to anchor gathering areas, focus the eye and enhance the feel of the room.

Ambient lighting is also where you can make the biggest statement in your personal style by selecting from traditional to contemporary inspirations. Personally, I look at lighting as the jewelry in a room as it often acts as the glimmering accent setting off all around it. Note: Conservative lines and material finishes lend themselves to a more traditional space. Organic or crisp lines coupled with polished, glossy or reflective finishes are the main stain of contemporary style.

Deciding upon the scale or size of a lamp can be a bit of a challenge. To help you define what will work, first consider the dimensions of the surface it is to be placed. For a narrow or delicate accent table, select a slender lamp. Not only will it be more attractive visually, but safer too, as a bulky lamp on a narrow or unsteady surface could topple over. A lamp being placed on a larger table can have bigger proportions, but ideally should not exceed a footprint of 2/3 the width or diameter of the surface. The height of the lamp should be determined by where the shade falls in relation to your eye. The shade should be at a level where you cannot see the bulb directly when sitting adjacent to it, but so that light still falls adequately enough for reading as example. Also keep in mind the height of the room. A space with high ceilings, like a Great Room, is best served with a taller lamp as it will fill the negative space. Oppositely a room having a lower ceiling can be over powered by a tall fixture.