Style And Function With Lighting

IT is not enough to focus just on furniture and paint colours in creating a harmonious and inviting space in every section of the home when planning décor. Lighting is another way to infuse charm and livability in a space.

Apart from helping to perform tasks and making one feel safer, lighting can add beauty and drama when it is used effectively. You use the light to do cleaning, prepare dinner, and turn them down to relax or entertain. The right lighting is also a cost-effective way to make a small space look bigger or a large space more intimate. Achieving this look simply involves knowing the fundamentals and then deciding on what suits your purpose.

Home lighting falls into three categories: ambient, task and accent light. A combination of all these can be used in the main living areas.

Ambient lighting is used to provide overall illumination and helps in easy movement through a room. These include ceiling or wall lights, chandeliers and track lights.

Chandeliers are highly cherished for their decorative value. They are commonly used in dining rooms and they become the focal point and take the centre stage in enhancing the beauty of fine furnishings. Chandeliers can also be added to a formal living room to lend grandeur and beauty to the room.

Task lighting is lighting focused on a particular area to make it to make it easier to do a visual task such as cooking, reading, sewing and playing games. It includes portable lamps and recessed lighting.

Ambient lighting is used for overall illumination and helps you move easily through a room. Example of ambient light include chandeliers, ceiling or wall mounted fixtures, recessed or track lighting.

For accent lighting, the eyes are drawn to areas of visual interest such as artworks and plants. This type of lighting is usually brighter than the general light in place.