Prepare To Be Turned On

As the days get shorter and the nights darker we focus on lighting up your living, kitchen and sleeping spaces with expert advice and stylish designs.

Any experienced interior designer will tell you that lighting is an essential ingredient when you’re decorating a room and not the afterthought that many of us consider it. Remember that lighting can completely transform a space, not just by brightening dark corners, but the right lighting can lift your spirits and make you more relaxed and productive. Here we focus on three rooms and look at how to light them…

LIGHT UP YOUR LIVING ROOM

One of the most frequently used rooms in our homes, Andrew Nixon, Director at Arches Lighting Centre discusses how you can achieve the best lighting result within a hard working, multifunctional living space.

LAYERED ILLUMINATION

It’s important to layer the lighting you have in your living room. In fact, every room should have a mix of lighting, including overhead, accent and task lights. In the living room, you might begin by hanging a decorative ceiling lamp before looking at the outer walls for downlighting that can gently wash the walls, curtains and art with warm, functional brightness. Then table or floor lamps can be placed beside seating to add another layer of light. The goal is to create contrast between the light at the centre of the room and around the perimeter, and the darker spaces in between. Doing this results in an appealing interplay between the light and dark areas in your living room rather than one flat, boring light.

CONSIDER THE ROOM’S FUNCTION