The appropriate lighting in a room has the ability to change the temperament of a room, With the correct luminaire placement and type we can achieve numerous effects and also emphasise on areas of importance like seating, sculptures, artefact’s and photographs, it can also be used to create a necessary division in an open plan house.
The lighting further in concurrence with colour selections, room size, availability of natural light and furniture selection can be worked together to transform a room into seamless combination of functionality and style. The following post will focus on how the lighting fixtures alongside natural light help in transformation of interiors of a house in simple ways to get a desirable setup.
1. Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting is done in areas where an equally distributed light is required, it has major benefit of no glare and can use used in areas of family gathering like drawing room and family lounge.
This type of lighting can be achieved with the help pf pendant lights, chandeliers and lights hung from the celling at adjustable heights.
They emphasis zone in ambient lighting is on the furniture and walls look relatively low lit in such settings.
Figure 2 Drawing room with ambient lighting fixtures
2. Task Lighting
Task lights are used to highlight features of the interiors and lights which can cater to varied tasks being carried out, they have a focussed range of lighting, usual placement of task lights can be seen in study rooms and kitchen, in addition to that task lights can also be placed over dining table to give additional focus in case of drawing cum dining room to give the required division in space as per requirement.
This type of lighting can be achieved with the help of adjustable track lighting, wall and desk lamps.
The light source targets majorly on furniture.
3. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is best suited for creating dramatic effects with lighting and are most useful luminaires in creating a transformation in the house.
It is used to draw attention to sculptors, artefact’s, paintings and can also help in highlighting textured walls, the accent lighting has high intensity and brightness so that it can create the desired effects, it is majorly used as an aesthetic luminaire fixture.
Accent lighting can be achieved with the help of scones, clove and surface mounted fixtures.
4. Recessed Lighitng
Recessed lighting which are also known as shadow lighting, it is mostly placed in the opening created in ceilings of the rooms and hence acts as a down lighting luminaire.
The main purpose of recessed lighting is to make the rooms look larger, another advantage of these lights are they are appearing like a hidden source of light.
Preferred locations are bedrooms and family lounge areas for a dim comfortable colour temperature.
5. Floor Lighting
It is commonly known as floor lamps, with the advancements in lighting Technology it is now possible to play around the light even in flooring, it is one of the most innovative ways to bring about a visible difference and can be changed according to mood and occasion.
The commonly used methods are floor mounted Led’s, onyx back lit stone panels, this form of lighting is equally functional for outdoor lighting.
Used in corridors, bar/lounge areas, drawing rooms, lawns and gardens.
Popular choice for floor lighting can be seen in staircases.
6. Natural Lighting
Lastly, incorporation of natural lights visual play is one of a kind, several ways of incorporating it in your house and create fascinating effects include skylights, clerestory windows, louvers and various sun shading devices.
Place of application include, passage ways, double heighted dining cum drawing rooms, bedrooms and stairwells.
Though it creates natural patterns, it can lead to heat gain if not orientated properly and is also ineffective after sunsets.
– Anushree Bhattacharjee
