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How you light your house is an important part of
redecorating. A change in the lighting can change how the
room is viewed. Lighting interior design contributes
greatly to the look and feel of a room. There are many types
of lighting which can be used in various rooms. We are no
longer restricted to a few lamps around the room. Ambient
lighting is a hidden light source that washes the room with
a glow. This creates very few shadows and tends to flatten a
room. Japanese paper lanterns and wall sconces both produce
ambient lighting. For temporary ambient effects, use a
dimmer with your ordinary lighting.
Accent lighting provides interest to a room. This method
of lighting interior design highlights and object or
architectural feature. To use accent lighting, you only need
a bulb and a shield to direct the light to the desired
focus. Halogen spotlights and opaquely shaded table lamps
both provide accent lighting.
Another kind of lighting used in interior design is task
lighting. This is a more practical lighting strategy,
highlighting an area for daily activities such as reading,
cooking, and sewing. Effective task lighting prevents eyes
strain and helps with the performance of vital activities.
The kitchen is a particularly good place to incorporate task
lighting in your interior design. Task lighting sources
should be unobtrusive and shielded to prevent glare. Task
lighting can be effectively combined with accent lighting to
produce lovely effects.
Some lighting can be a work of art in and of itself.
Aesthetic lighting is purely decorative, such as a neon
sculpture or a spotlight illuminating a statue or painting.
This type of lighting must not be used alone, but
accompanied by other lighting strategies in your interior
design.
Of course, no survey of lighting interior design would be
complete without a mention of natural light. Rooms can be
arranged to take advantage of the position of the sun at
different times of day. This type of lighting is also called
kinetic lighting because the light from outside moves. It is
one of the less reliable types, as it is affected by the
seasons and the weather, but natural lighting can produce an
effect unequaled by any artificial light source when used
properly.
Lighting is an important tool in your design collection. The
way you do your lighting interior design affects the
perception of any room. Lighting is also versatile. Using
several strategies at once in a room allows you to turn any
of them off, changing the look and feel with the flick of a
switch. This can be effective for creating different moods
in different rooms at night.
By Lee Dobbins |
