During these dark winter months feeling cosy and warm is always nice. Part of that cosy and warm feeling for me comes from the lighting of the room I’m in. I like my lighting to be warm and welcoming, to be adequate for the task at hand, but atmospheric and homely too. It can be a difficult balance to achieve that blend of practicality and style, functionality and good looks. I do think it’s worth seeking out the right lighting though as it really does make such a difference. When the lighting is right, you feel a lot more comfortable in your home, for me it’s a key feature and one worth investing time and money in.
There are any number of things to consider when you are looking to buy light fixtures. Do you want ceiling lights, wall lights or lamps? Then you can break your lighting choices further and consider other questions. Do you favour pendant lights or chandeliers? Standard lamps or table lamps? You need to consider the room you are looking to light: Are there any natural light sources in the room? Where do you need the light? What colour combinations do you have in the room (consider both walls and furniture)? And it’s not just about how they look and how much light they provide either, you need to consider things like energy rating to make sure you pick out the right lighting choices for you. I’ve been taking a look round lights.co.uk to get some ideas.
In fact, I think if you can the best way to light a room is to layer that lighting it, especially if it’s a room you use a lot. So I favour picking out some functional lighting when I need to see clearly. This would probably be ceiling lights. The type of light will depend on the room. I like pendants and chandeliers for living spaces, but that isn’t always what you want for a more functional space like a kitchen. If there are areas that you need to see particularly clearly in, then using task lighting like spot lights or desk lamps is a good move, but a table lamp or a standard lamp could achieve a similar effect and would contribute in a rather different way towards the mood and the atmosphere of the room in question. Wall lights provide a good gentle light without being harsh, but they won’t always be enough on their own particularly if you have high light needs in the room you are styling. A mixture of floor lights and table lamps can create a similar effect and they have the added advantage of being much more portable. You can change your lighting to suit the mood or the occasion and it’s great to have that sort of flexibility.
Your lighting decisions don’t end at the light fixtures either. Light bulbs can make a real difference to a room and can make an atmosphere or help you achieve the mood you are looking for. They also have a big impact in environmental terms as the right bulb can save you energy (and hence money too). There are any number of choices too, from LED to halogen, clear to matt, dimmable to remote control, warm to cool, white to coloured. Some bulbs are even design statements in their own right and contribute to the look of your lighting fixture too – a vintage style bulb can look very in keeping in a period property for instance.
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