Lighting Effects ........ Room By Room

Lighting tricks Your lighting scheme should be flexible enough to take you through from dawn to dusk, creating different atmospheres along the way. Changing the lighting can alter the way a room looks, particularly the dimensions, just as much changing the colour of the walls. To make your room appear larger Use wall washers on a large expanse of light coloured ceiling. Use uplighters to bounce light onto the ceiling and walls. Create panels of light at one end of the room - your eye will be pulled along towards it, making the space appear longer. Light all four corners of the room. To make your room appear taller Use vertical light beams. Hang pendant lights low. To make your room appear cosier Use several table lamps, singularly or in clusters, to create lots of little low pools of light in a large, high room. Don't allow light onto the ceiling. For more on creating the illusion of space, using pattern and colour, try our interactive room.

Kitchen The kitchen is a very task focused area with cleaning and food preparation at the fore. This requires a high level of clean bright light, which will allow tasks to be performed easily. Fluorescent lighting is an obvious choice, however Track lighting or recessed lighting systems can be just as effective. Fluorescent fixtures are usually installed singularly due to their size and space restrictions but do provide good levels of ambient lighting suitable for the kitchen. Low Voltage systems are more flexible and compact, using Halogen bulbs they provide a high level of white light and come in mains voltage and low voltage versions. Low voltage lighting is available in a number of forms depending on your taste and budget, track lighting and recessed fixtures are very popular. Hall/Stairs First impressions count and this is the first room that a visitor, member of the family or friend usually enters and will see first. Lighting needs to be welcoming and attractive to invite and place at ease. Ambient lighting should be the main source providing a soft warm and cosy feel with an even balance throughout the hall. A central fixture with a glass diffuser will be ideal for this. Pictures and coat hooks may be highlighted with spotlights on track or individual picture lights (Accent Lighting) to give focus and to direct people down the hall. Living Room The Living room is the focal point for most homes and requires flexible lighting to accommodate for all members of the family and uses. Reading, watching TV, socialising and relaxing are all tasks which require different levels of light. Whatever the activity the room should be comfortable, and lighting should be flexible enough to provide for the range of tasks, situations, and desired aesthetic effects. Creating lighting layers in this room will enable you to provide for most activities whilst having flexibility. General, accent and task lighting will all be required in generating layers of light. The Living room is not as task focused as the bathroom or the kitchen so a more diffused and decorative light can be used through a central fixture either a chandelier or a glass uplighter will provide this. This fixture should be energy efficient as it is usually left on for long periods of time. Bedroom The bedroom more than any other room in the house can be your sanctuary away from the stresses and strains of the world. Lighting requirements in bedrooms are very different than in other parts of your home. A central fixture with a dimmer will provide good lighting levels that will help you to choose clothes, dress , and groom during the morning when time is of the essence. This can be supported with track lighting that can direct light into wardrobes and controlled by a separate switch to give you control and flexibility. Bathroom The bathroom is a functional room, and the lighting priority should be given to grooming at the mirror. Lighting at the mirror serves for cleaning, make-up, shaving and dressing. It should be plentiful, evenly distributed without shadows, and free from glare. Lighting in the centre of the ceiling, places the face in shadow and while useful for general lighting, will not serve well for tasks based here. Lighting at both sides of the mirror works best providing even light across the face and avoids shadows under the chin Fluorescent lighting is ideal for tasks and provides high levels of illumination with less heat and lower operating cost than normal GLS fittings. GLS or halogen, offer greater decorative possibilities and if well spaced and diffused, can be used very effectively.