Table of Contents
Home architectural lighting is a key element of residential lighting design. From mood to functionality, this light style is diverse in the ways it can affect your home’s atmosphere and mood.
This architectural lighting guide will tell you everything you need to know, from how to use interior architectural lighting in home design to the importance of having it in the first place.
What Is Home Architectural Lighting?
In modern home lighting design, architectural lighting is the act of blending light into the structure and design of the building itself. By playing off of the existing architecture, it enhances the home itself while also providing ample illumination.
By intentionally installing lights with the architecture in mind, you can highlight the features of the home while providing a beautiful ambiance at the same time.
Why Architectural Lighting Is Important When Designing a Home Lighting Scheme
Lighting is about far more than just illumination. It can also decorate your home and bring mood lighting into the space. One of the most interesting and dynamic residential lighting solutions you can incorporate into your home is architectural lighting.
Architectural lighting works especially well as accent and mood lighting for interiors. Through it, you can create beautiful, moody spaces you’ll love to spend time in. Whether you want it to be lively and modern or warm and cosy, you can choose cool or warm architectural lighting to achieve your goals.
It can also improve the general functionality of the room by incorporating architectural task lighting for homes. Under cabinet strips, downlights and wall lights can be used to provide dedicated illumination for certain activities.
The sheer versatility of architectural lighting makes it invaluable in any home. No matter what you intend to use it for, you can use it to improve upon your home in several ways.
Basic Principles of Indoor Architectural Lighting
When it comes to LED architectural lighting, there are a few design techniques and best practices to keep in mind.
Layer the Lights
Much like in any lighting environment, layering your illumination will only improve the space. Layered lights provide even, balanced lighting throughout a room. A layered design scheme consists of three things: ambient, task and accent lighting.
Ambient lights provide the main level of illumination and often come in the form of recessed LED lights. Task lights, on the other hand, are designed to provide focused illumination. They are commonly installed as modern pendant lighting. Finally, accent lights are there to highlight and evoke a mood, usually installed as interior wall lighting.
By working your architectural lighting into such a design scheme, you can create a beautiful, well-balanced space.
Placement is Key
Where you place and position the lights is a critical facet of lighting design. It is recommended that you place your lights in a symmetrical fashion by installing them in odd numbers. You should also take advantage of directional spotlights to draw attention to certain areas you want to highlight. Wherever you end up placing them, take care that they are not casting unwanted shadows on the surrounding areas.
Energy Efficient Lighting
Energy saving lighting solutions are becoming increasingly popular as the years wear on. It’s no surprise that LEDs are the common choice for home and garden architectural lighting.
LED bulbs use 80 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts. This reduction in energy usage is not only good for the environment, but better for your budget as well.
LEDs come in a number of different colour temperatures and brightness levels for you to choose from. This gives you plenty of variation to work with, letting you customise your illumination down to the detail.
Incorporate Smart Lights
Smart lighting for homes makes it easier than ever to maintain control over your home’s illumination. By connecting your architectural lights to a smart hub, you can control them with your voice or an app.
Such control will allow you to do things like dim your recessed ceiling lights to let the architectural lights shine through.
How to Select the Right Lighting for Architectural Lighting Design
When you’re ready to install your own architectural lighting, keep the following guidelines in mind.
- UNDERSTAND THE ROOMS. Think about the purpose of the room that you wish to light. For example, in a bedroom or living room, you might want to include warm, diffused and subtle architectural lighting to create a relaxing space. In offices and kitchens, on the other hand, you may want brighter, more invigorating illumination to help you perform tasks.
- MATCH THE EXISTING STYLE. Choose architectural lighting that works well with decor in your home. You should opt for fixtures that complement the style, whether that be modern, traditional, industrial or anything in between.
- GET THE RIGHT FIXTURE. Figure out how you want to include architectural lighting and select the best fixture for the job. Recessed lights, wall lights, strip lights and pendant lights are the most popular types of architectural lighting for you to consider.
How to Highlight Architectural Features in the Home With Lighting
Using accent lighting is a great way to show off certain architectural features in the home. When possible, recessed lights are your best bet. They provide a cleaner look that won’t distract from the architecture itself.
Check out the accent lighting tips below to get started.
Spotlights and track lights are among the most popular styles of architectural lighting. By choosing adjustable spotlights, you can highlight various elements as your desires change. They can be used to highlight:
- artwork
- textured walls
- sculptures
- intricate moulding
Wall washers are especially well suited for architectural lighting. They are designed to show off texture with shadow. This makes them an especially great choice for textured feature walls.
Similarly, you can use uplights to highlight taller elements. This could include ceilings, crown moulding or exposed beams. By placing the light at the base of a wall or on the floor, you can create eye-catching, dramatic lighting.
LED strip lights are another popular option. Thy can be used as:
- under cabinet lighting
- under shelf lighting
- staircase lighting
- cove lighting and more
Getting LED Colour Temperature Correct for Architectural Lighting in the Home
Colour temperature, sometimes known as colour correlated temperature, or CCT, is a metric to discuss the appearance of a light. It indicates the warmth or coolness of a given light as it exists on a scale of Kelvin units. The higher the number, the cooler the light. The lower the number, the warmer the light.
The colour temperature you choose will have a major impact on the feel of the finished product. There is a broad range of colour temperatures from 1,000K to 10,000K, leaving you with many options.
Warm white light between 2700K and 3000K is best for cosier spaces such as:
- living rooms
- bedrooms
- dens
- entertainment spaces
Neutral white light tends to work better in rooms where a balance of softness and brightness is needed, such as:
- bathrooms
- kitchens
Finally, cool white light between 5000K and 6500K is best for task-heavy rooms, including:
- home offices
- workshops
Whatever colour temperature you end up going with, just be sure that you are choosing one and sticking with it. Having warm and cool lights in the same place can cause abrasive clashing which can be unsightly and uncomfortable.
Architectural Lighting Trends for the Home
There are a number of ways for you to use architectural lighting for your home and garden. Read on for some ideas to help get you started.
- Garden Lighting
Indoor lighting isn’t the only choice for architectural lights. Many people also include outdoor LED wall lights to show off the home’s exterior. Wall washing exterior lights can highlight the structure of the building, as well as any textures on the wall.
- Minimalist Designs
By embracing sleeker, slimmer fixtures for your architectural lighting, you can be sure the focus stays on the architecture itself. Opt for modern minimalism when selecting your fixtures, choosing clean lines, sharp angles and recessed bulbs when possible.
- LED Strip Lights
One of the trendiest ways to light the home is through LED strip lights. These consist of strings of small LED bulbs that you can bend and move in any direction. The versatile lighting allows you to highlight shelves, wall perimeters, stairs and more.
- Statement Pendants
If you have a large, vaulted ceiling, you can benefit from adding in a statement pendant light. This will draw attention to the architecture by taking up that extra vertical space and drawing attention to the height.
How to Balance Task, Ambient and Accent Lighting
As mentioned, layered lighting is crucial to the overall design scheme of any room. Incorporating all three into your space is as simple as knowing what your options are.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient light creates the foundational lighting in the room. To balance the ambient light with the others, be sure it is soft and even. For the main ambient layer, consider fixtures like:
CEILING LIGHTS, such as chandeliers, recessed lights or flush-mounted lights
TRACK LIGHTING that attaches to a mount on the ceiling
NATURAL LIGHT to provide naturally diffused lighting throughout the day
Task Lighting
Task lighting helps you perform certain tasks with greater visibility. Work it into rooms by positioning it in the most activity-heavy areas to ensure it doesn’t overpower the room. You can include task lighting through:
DESK LAMPS on tables, work desks and similar such surfaces
UNDER CABINET LIGHTING in kitchens, under book shelves and in bathrooms
PENDANT LIGHTS hanging above kitchen islands, dining tables and writing desks
Accent Light
Finally, accent lighting can be used to create a mood and highlight important areas. Work them in by using them sparingly and only where you want to draw attention. Popular task lights include:
TRACK AND SPOTLIGHTS along ceilings to highlight sculptures, artwork and exposed beams
WALL WASHER LIGHTS to show off the texture of a wall and provide indirect, diffused mood lighting
LED STRIPS along shelf edges, furniture or the ceiling
Conclusion
Architectural lighting can bring the design of your home to new heights. In this article, we’ve offered a look at the benefit of architectural lighting, as well as how to incorporate them into your space. Keep it nearby as you begin working this style of lighting into your own home.
Architectural Lighting Ideas
Enhance your outdoor living space with the LWA409 6 Watt Black Decorative Wall Washer Outdoor Wall Light. This architectural wall light shines 600 lumens of 3000K warm white light above and below the fixture at a 60 degree beam angle. Thanks to its durable aluminium build and its IP65 rating, it is safe for safe outdoor use. This wall light features a sleek black finish and measures 150 millimeters in diameter.
Show off the beauty of your space with the DPL287 5 Watt Dimmable LED Pendant Light. This light generates 430 lumens of 3000K warm white light that shines at a 10 degree beam angle. It comes with a CRI rating of >80, ensuring accurate representation of the colours it shines upon. This aluminium fixture comes in your choice of black or white finishes. The lamp head measures 65 millimeters in diameter and comes with a 2 meter adjustable drop cable.
Show off the texture of the wall and other architectural details with the LWA427 3 Watt Wall Washer Interior Wall Light. This elegant light shines 300 lumens of 3000K warm white light up onto the wall above it. You can tilt and turn the aluminium fixture in any way you please to have total control of the light. The light measures 182 millimeters in size and comes in your choice of black or white finishes.
Enjoy ample architectural lighting with none of the glare when you choose the LDC725 10 Watt Dimmable Recessed Anti Glare LED Downlight. This downlight features a bulb that sits deeply inside the fixture, ensuring there is no glare when you look at it. It generates a total of 1000 lumens of 3000K warm white light at a 24 degree beam angle. This aluminium fixture comes finished in white with a black internal reflector. It measures 148 millimeters with a recess depth of 55 millimeters.
