Is it possible to evoke a feeling with home lighting design?

Whether it’s stunning or bland, home lighting designs influence the ambiance, stage the setting and inspire the mood. Have you ever noticed how a dark, dreary room makes you feel tired or how bright and airy spaces have a way of lifting the mood? This week, we’ll review three lighting techniques to engage the senses, and polarize visual appeal.

Introduce an element of drama

The living room, library and even the bedroom are spaces to introduce an element of dramatic lighting. With accent lighting, the contrast of surrounding light conjures a visual illumination, accentuating the room’s depth and texture. Accent lighting is effective for highlighting a specific piece of furniture. Due to its high contrast, it has a tendency dictate a space’s ambiance.

Home lighting design tip: Select accent lighting a minimum of three times the brightness of the contiguous space with a contrast ratio of 5:1.

Inspire comfort and warmth
Not all light fixtures evoke the same moods. Shadows, focal points and aesthetic iridescences present warming effects. For instance, the decorative pendant light serves multiple purposes. Both aesthetic and functional, the pendant light casts shadows of intimacy above the sofa as well as over the bistro fashioned table.

Home lighting design tip: For the best placement, the pendant light should be adjusted 30” – 35” above it’s focal point or the feature presentation (furniture, art work, etc).

Illuminate a masterpiece
Home lighting designs for expansive paintings and other wall art can be a little tricky. Exacting wall placement is the technique for preventing unwanted shadows. The goal is to eliminate glaring reflections.

Home lighting design tip: To illuminate a masterpiece or a flat piece of artwork, set the light source at a 30-degree angle.

For more tips about home lighting design, be sure to review House Floor Plans and More’s article, discussing feng shui lighting.