Good lighting is everything. It can make or break a room’s feel. Despite this, lighting is often treated as an afterthought when designing a room. But think about it: some establishments like cafes and hotel lounges generally feel better to be in. And why is that? The lighting of course. This is what makes the difference: a room with proper lighting will feel a thousand times better than one whose lighting came as an afterthought.
Why should you care?
Proper lighting highlights the best parts of your house. You’ll learn to appreciate the colors of your walls, the details of your furniture, and the layout of your room. Beyond the aesthetic benefits, however, proper lighting also improves your mood. You’ll generally have better mood and also feel empowered to move around. After all, who wants to be moving about in a dimly-lit room?
If you’re not too keen on overhauling the design of your house just to accommodate this new-found knowledge of lights, fret not. There are many ways to immediately improve the lighting condition of your house- some don’t even require you to spend too much. Let’s take a look at a few, shall we?
Use natural light
If you’re blessed to have a house with many windows or passageways for natural light to come through, then take advantage of it! If you have furniture covering your windows, place them elsewhere ASAP. You want to make use of that light as much as you can, so take note of when it’s the brightest. You can place your work desk nearby, angling it to hit the surface of your desk so you’ll be working using natural light. If you can’t place your work desk, you can opt to leave that space an open area. This will help spread the light more and not concentrate it in one area. And if you have pets, they’ll have an area to bask in too.
And use artificial light, too
Not having a space optimized for sunlight doesn’t mean you should give up in your quest for better lighting. There are many artificial light sources that can provide dramatic effects as well. Lamps come in all shapes and sizes, and varying degrees of luminosity. Utilize the different kinds of lamps for different purposes. You can use Torchière lamps to brighten a dark corner of your room (this makes it feel bigger too), or you can put a table lamp on the occasional table. Do you have long hallways? Why not put wall sconces on them? These small additions of light source can mean night and day to the general feeling of your home.
Easy and effective: mirrors
Mirrors catch any form of light coming in a room, so having a bigger mirror means potentially having a brighter space. They double up the brightness without having to use electricity to power up a light source, and they make the room feel bigger! Putting one beside a floor lamp increases both the light source and illusion of space. Don’t be too conventional with where you place your mirrors. They don’t always have to be against a wall, you can use smaller mirrors to line the back of a bookshelf, or put a table mirror on a desk to give that area a little bit more vibrancy. Or maybe even put one near the window, angling it in such a way that it spreads natural light. Mirrors are heaven-sent when it comes to improving your home decor, and if you can get a mirror that matches the theme of your house perfectly, then you’re all set.
Ambient lighting using LED
Although it might seem tacky to some, RGB can actually be beautiful, especially when done right. Lights on non-luminescent furniture such as tables, desks, and shelves can act as ambient lighting. It’s not so hard to achieve too, as LED strip drivers and other necessary components aren’t all too expensive. You can get LED modules that allow you to change the color easily, providing a wide range of ambiance. Try putting some on your computer desk, if your computer doesn’t already have it. A faint blue or green light can help relax your eyes, especially after hours of staring at the computer screen.
Bad lighting can bring about many negative things: worsening eyesight, lethargic feeling, and bad vibes all around. And since lighting is often overlooked when designing a house, your house might not have the optimum lighting for you. Don’t be afraid to keep trying, and experiment what kind of lighting setup works best for you. After all, we all react to it differently and different lights give a different feeling to everyone.
