Interior Lighting Design

"Get inspired ideas on how to manipulate interior lighting to achieve a successful balance of different sources of light!"

A successful interior lighting design can bring a house to life enhancing architectural features, highlighting furniture or artworks and creating pools of focus on floors or walls.

Most of the times, lighting is at the bottom of the list when re-modeling a house or for a new one. It becomes obvious when almost everything is finished and we realize the light we do have are not in the right place.

For this reason, some planning should be given consideration at an early stage, when thinking about the final layout of your furniture and paintings or prints.

Best lighting solutions differ from room to room and its purpose; when planning your interior lighting design take into consideration:

Create interest by using various light effects - you can control the direction, intensity and distribution of light, creating an inviting and warm atmosphere.

Enhance your space with lighting

Lighting can determine how we view a room: it can increase the sense of volume or space, or create a feeling of warmth.

Tip: In a small or low space, light the four corners using recessed uplights or small narrow light sources hidden to avoid direct view.

Tip: To increase the sense of space light something beyond the room in question: lit your balcony or a window box. When the balcony or garden are not lit, the windows acts as mirrors, reflecting the interior.
If they are lit, the eye will go beyond the room making the interior seem larger.

Help defining open spaces and link them together by creating pools of light and create points of focus.

Tip: If you have kitchen and family area together as an open space, avoid lighting them in an uniform way. Consider different light levels to separate the areas and create distinct zones.

Tip: Connecting areas such hallways should get the same level fo control as the rooms they link. All the drama created by proper lighting in a living room can be spoiled if the hall is brightly and uniformely lit. Plus, it will provide a harsh contrast.
Create the same connection using proper foyer lighting!

Define features with interior lighting design

Lighting can be used to accentuate architectural features of the house

Tip: Emphasize a textured wall by using uplighting close to it. The closer you bring the light to the rough surface the more rugged it will appear.

Tip: Place an uplight to the both sides of a fireplace. This will draw attention to ir, even when the fire is not lit.

Tip: The space underneath a staicase will be brought to life by illuminating it underneath, making the space appear bigger than it is.

Highlight the displays in your house.

Tip: Use a recessed directional light to highlight a metal sculpture on the wall. This type of light will create unusual shadows on the wall, making the sculpture appear more interesting.

Tip: With proper interior lighting design, individual shelves can be lit with semi-recessed undercabinet lights. They can be built into the joinery and used on each shelf to highlight objects.

Tip: For paintings or drawings use framing projectors, as you want a soft light that lits the picture entirely.

Create ambiance and set the mood with interior home lighting

Light is very powerful when setting the mood

Tip: Have a flexible scheme for interior lighting design, as it allows you to change the mood. If you lit the room only with low voltage halogen lights, the light is crisper and whiter. In the evening, you might wanna make use of lamps and shelf lighting to make the room warmer and more inviting.

Tip: The key to setting the mood is do not use all lights effects at the same time or with the same intensity. Instead create "layers"of light.

Tip: The space underneath a staircase will be brought to life by illuminating it underneath, making the space appear bigger than it is.

Use interior home lighting to create drama

Tip: One of the easiest way to change the mood is to change the direction of the light. For example having downlight - recessed lighting in a hallway willcreate a totally different mood than having low-level lights mounted above the baseboards. The latter ones create drama increasing a dramatic effect.

Tip: To be able to create the interior lighting design you want, and be able to change the ambiance is to use dimmers to create a variety of lighting effects.

A house doesn't have to be dark and dull, if you take the time to explore and learn how to utilize accent lighting.

...Read how to highlight the displays in your house using track lighting and track lighting fixtures.

Learn about these great kitchen lighting ideas and bathroom lighting ideas that could be incorporated in your overall lighting decor.

...And after all this is done and acomplished, why not start learning about some final touches and accents decor?