Choose the Right Light Fittings and Complete Your Home

Choosing the right pieces of furniture is crucial in creating a breathtaking room, but all that would hardly serve its purpose if perhaps the most important element didn’t match: the lighting. Good lighting is essential if you want to truly emphasise the beauty of your overall interior design. It’s a widely known fact that everything looks better under good lighting, which is why interior designers are often asked to give an input on that matter in residential environments. And although choosing the right light fittings is important, the actual light source should not be neglected.

In short, here’s how the science of good lighting works: it’s all about the colour temperature a light source emits. Indoor light can range from “cool warm” to “warm white”, and that temperature is measured in Kelvins. Now, we’re not talking about actual temperature, but about colour temperature, which is something completely different. For instance, the “cool white” nuance is reached at 3500K and leans towards the neutral colours with a slight blue cast. The more Kelvins, the warmer the colour of the light. This can especially be seen when you make a switch from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent ones; the impact the transition has on the room’s appearance is truly dramatic.

And whilst this science applies to every home, the choice of light fittings ranges and a lot of people make huge mistakes in choosing light fittings that simply don’t fit the room’s style and don’t accentuate the room’s beauty.  The palette of light fittings truly is large, and not all rooms benefit from all of them.

image:milandirect.com.au

Entryways

The entryways in your home are the places where the first impression of your interior design is made. It needs to be well illuminated, but not as if the sun was shining in there. Suitable light fittings for these spaces would be large floor lamps and pendant lights but keep in mind: if your entry way is large and spacious, with marble flooring and metal fence on the staircase (if there is one), a classy chandelier would fit better with the overall decor. Just make sure it’s not a large luxurious one. These are meant for other spaces.

Living rooms

Living rooms are generally large spaces which require more than one type of lighting. However, you need to follow the room’s style and design directive. If your living room has a lot of wooden elements, some vintage pieces, and follows an overall relaxed style, then you can opt for ceiling fans. If your living room follows a classy, traditional style with a lot of glass decorations, marble floors, small rugs and generally luxurious furniture, then a shiny chandelier would be more suitable. Also, the living room is the room where you’d have art pieces on exhibit. Above them you could install accent lights to emphasise its beauty. Overall, follow this rule of thumb: light the corners to create a layered ambiance.

Dining rooms

This is another room that allows the use of a few different types of light fittings. The dining room table is the focal piece of this room, and should therefore be spotlighted. Try a hanging overhead light for this. If you like a classy, sophisticated vibe, go with a sparkly chandelier. If your style is more modern, go for an industrial pendant light.

Kitchens

If you have an island in the centre of your kitchen, use a pendant light above it. You’ll thank me when you’re chopping your veggies. If you don’t have an island, it’s important to light the key areas that you use the most – the stove, underneath your cabinets, above your chopping board, etc.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms crave soft, calm lighting. They’re meant to be havens of relaxation after all. Consider two bedside lamps on each side of your bed, or even pendant lights with nice light fittings. Bedrooms need a lot of task lighting for all your various activities. A dimmer switch is also essential to creating a romantic atmosphere.

Regardless of which room of your home you’re shopping for, you’ll surely find the right light fittings online.