The latest lighting ideas for your home

Julia Kendell Interior Design Expert

Interior lighting; without doubt the most useful tool at your disposal if used correctly and a vital ingredient for a vibrant design scheme. You know if you’ve got the lighting right if you don’t notice it, ie. your fabrics and furnishings are shown off to their best but you couldn’t put your finger on why. So how do you achieve it?

Light is everything to us, without it we wouldn’t exist, and it's therefore imperative to our well-being and mood. Think about how different you feel when in a bright fluorescent-lit waiting room versus a candlelit dining room, and how energizing sunny skies are and depressing grey days can be. Harnessing natural daylight and creating the right mood within a room are all possible with an understanding of how best to create depth and texture with light.

Light delineates what we see and it is the contrast of light and shadow that creates a 3D image of the world before us. If you are a skier you will understand too well how difficult it is to judge the slopes when the light is flat. Similarly photographers know that the most exciting pictures are taken at the beginning and end of the day when the sun is low in the sky and interesting shadows and form are revealed.

It is a shame that lighting is often an also-ran to colour and pattern. A solitary pendant light will provide nothing but flat light and shadowy corners. Without careful planning your subtle colour choices will be skewed and the stunning fabrics you’ve chosen will look dull and lifeless.

In your initial planning stages look at how the sun moves around your home and the colours of light revealed during the day. You will probably notice that the natural daylight is more ‘blue’ in the morning and warmer at the end of the afternoon. Are your windows best positioned to make the most of the natural light? High-level windows, rarely considered, create a soft light as the sun only enters directly when it is low in the sky. Could you make more use of an attic space or dark hallway by adding in a window or skylight? Of course your choice of colour scheme and surfaces will affect the overall light level too. A light colour will help to illuminate a room, as will shiny reflective surfaces, whereas dark colours and matt textures will absorb light and create less prominent shadows. However, there are some rooms that are naturally dark and moody and no amount of light colours and artificial lighting can alter the fact. In this instance, don’t fight it! Maybe reconsider its use and create instead a dark, dramatic and moody evening sitting or dining room.

ABOVE: Recessed Polestar miniature directional downlights are used for directional effect, as are the Lucca uplights in the hearth. Image: John Cullen Lighting

With natural light considered, the creativity can begin. There are three types of light which, when combined, create the most practical and interesting effects.

1. Ambient light; This refers to the overall illumination of the room.
2. Task lighting; Specific to fulfill the practical requirements of the room, eg over prep surfaces in a kitchen or lighting a desk/ work area.
3. Accent lighting; Highlighting architectural features and pictures etc, adding drama and creating depth and interest.

As part of your room evaluation you will have assessed its uses, your practical needs and the best and worst features of the room. Against each of the three types of lighting, address the requirements for the room, both in term of position and level of light. Remember, it is easier to include more than you believe to be required to allow flexibility for future furniture changes etc. If you use several circuits (at least one per type of light) it will be possible to change the mood to suit and always use dimmers (or better still scene-setters if you have the budget) to achieve the very best effects. When assessing accent lighting, be selective; It is better to highlight a few features than many, otherwise there will be too much for the eye to take in. Think too about ‘layering’ the light positions utilizing ceiling, wall and low- level, remembering too that lights at oblique angles cast the most interesting shadows.

Five great lighting tricks

• Try back-lighting unusually shaped objects to show them at their best and throw them into silhouette.
• A xenon light-strip fitted behind a mirror can produce a beautiful halo of light surrounding it, very flattering to the face.
• A narrow beam downlight positioned over the centre of a dining table can add sparkle to glasses and create an intimate environment.
• Use a Moroccan lantern to throw patterns of light onto surrounding surfaces.
• Use clear bulbs in chandeliers and lanterns to give extra sparkle, and frosted bulbs. in lamps to give a softer look.