3 Tips for Optimizing the Lighting in Your Interior Design

An example of excellent interior lighting

One of the secrets to creating a beautiful interior is having the perfect lighting. Because lighting is essential to creating the mood of a living space and showing colors, furnishings and fabrics to their best advantage, getting it right is crucial.

Here are some of the basics you can use to plan out your perfect room lighting:

1. Natural or Artificial?

It’s wise to consider both natural and artificial lighting sources when creating an interior design plan. Natural light, especially from south-facing windows, warms and brightens a space and invigorates it. North-facing windows admit indirect light that softens an interior and adds a feeling of calm and relaxation.

2. Choose your bulb wisely!

Depending on the type of bulb used, artificial lighting can affect an interior in more dramatic ways.

• Incandescent bulbs, for example, give off warm, yellow-amber light. This makes reds, oranges and yellows more vivid while muting blues and greens.
• Fluorescent lights make interiors that use color schemes involving blue and green most attractive. This is because fluorescent bulbs – which emit cool, flat light – enrich cooler colors.
• A space that uses a mix of warm and cool colors tends to do best with halogen lighting. These white lights resemble natural light and make all colors look more alive. They also have the added benefit of making the shift from daylight less jarring.
• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are another option for those individuals looking for green alternatives. These bulbs come in both warm and cool varieties and even have a “smart” version that allows individuals to control the color emitted wirelessly.

3. Which one(s) do I use?

The type(s) of light fixture(s) used is another key factor that determines the room’s ambience.

• For example, recessed lighting can span to provide generalized, functional lighting or subtle enhancement to architectural and/or design elements of a space. These are best installed with dimmer switches that allow varying degrees of light to enter the room so that the desired result is achieved.
• Indirect, tabletop or floor lamps are also important. These must be chosen carefully to complement the style and scale of a particular space.
• Art lighting can spotlight focal points of the room and should be carefully selected to protect that feature piece.

At Nicole Arnold Interiors, we design luxury interiors for the most discriminating clients. Our award-winning design team can help you beautify your world in ways you never thought possible.

Let us enlighten you about the aesthetic possibilities for your home.

Photo credit: Freshome