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Task lighting, accent lighting, mood lighting, ambient lighting — with so many types of lighting to incorporate into a space, it may be tricky to determine how exactly to incorporate interior lighting into your home. In this article, we will offer some Dos and Donts of LED interior lighting, as well as provide you with some home lighting ideas.
Why Is Light Important to Us?
– Affects mood. Studies have shown that different lighting can affect your mood. It is believed that:
- Both positive and negative emotions are felt more powerfully under bright lighting.
- Workers and students feel happier, healthier and more productive when they are working in natural daylight.
- Too much light at night, including from screens, can make it difficult to sleep and make sleeping disorders worse.
– Atmosphere. Light creates an atmosphere in a room. It can determine what a space feels like to be in. For instance, warm white light can make a space more welcoming, while bright white light can make a space feel more clinical and sanitary.
– Human evolution. Perhaps most importantly, humankind has evolved to rely on light. We have difficulty seeing in the dark, but can perform tasks easily in adequate lighting.
Some benefits of daylight include:
Certain colour temperatures of light mimic daylight. In so doing, colour temperatures may be able to benefit the body.
Below are a few ways that they can:
– Vitamin D from natural lighting. Daylight is the main source of Vitamin D, making it quite important. Daylight works by helping the body produce vitamin D, which strengthens the body without ingesting too much of it like you might when eating foods that have it.
– Ability to improve productivity and focus. Studies have shown that students and workers who work under daylight lighting are happier and can better focus on the tasks at hand.
– Helps you keep your body clock in rhythm. Circadian rhythms are responsible for helping the body coordinate various functions. This includes everything from cell regeneration to digestion to sleep. They tend to run about 24 hours total, so natural light at predictable intervals in the day helps keep your body running smoothly.
Illuminate Art to Make It a Focal Point
If you already have artwork on the walls, you can use it as a focal point in the space through the use of wall lights. Interior design schemes that include gallery walls or simply a portrait here and there provide the perfect opportunity for accentuation.
Common fixtures used to light artwork include:
- Picture lights that sit directly above art that are wall mounted
- Accent lights on the ceiling that give you better control of the lighting angle
- Track lights with flexible heads for total control over where the light shines, especially if you intend to change art frequently
Artwork often requires special attention when it comes to lighting. For example, sculptures should be lit from many angles to ensure their details can be seen all the way around. Photographs and prints may cause glare if the light shines on them at the wrong angle.
Through picture lights or track lights, you can shine a focused beam onto the art piece to prevent glare or dulling of the image. A prime example of this is avoiding narrow beams while using wider, more indirect beams of light to showcase oil paintings. This is because they tend to be glossier than acrylic art and are more prone to causing glare.
Generally speaking, you can reduce shadows and glare often caused by track lights by shining the light at a 30 degree angle. This ensures that the light hits the centre of the artwork, which will help disperse it more naturally. You should also use only LED bulbs so that you can choose the brightness, colour temperature and intensity of the light. LED lights don’t emit heat so they won’t damage the medium as hot halogen bulbs can.
What is Layered Lighting, And How Do You Use it For Home Mood Lighting?
Layered lighting is a lighting technique that involves three different lighting layers combined together. Ambient lights, task lights and accent lights work in harmony to create a layered lighting scheme. Layered lighting ensures that the entire room is well-lit and that there are no accidental shadows.
Ambient lights are the main source of light in a room. They tend to come from pendant lighting or other ceiling lights, such as recessed fixtures. This main light source is then supplemented by the other layers.
Dining room mood lighting is usually accomplished with ambient lighting sources. Dimmable pendant lights are an especially popular choice for creating a comfortable and romantic dining experience.
The second layer of a layered lighting scheme is task lighting. The benefits of task lighting are many, as they allow you to easily see while performing various activities. Task lights look different in different rooms of the house, such as countertop lights in a kitchen or desk lighting in an office.
In their own way, task lights can also be used as mood lighting. Take bedroom mood lighting, for example. Using bedside reading lights as the only light source can create an intimate atmosphere.
Finally, there is accent lighting. Accent lighting, or mood lighting, is usually created using LED interior wall lighting. As mentioned, accent lighting draws attention to certain areas of the room that you want to stick out. Since this lighting style is indirect, it can also serve as mood lighting.
Modern lighting trends are capable of doubling as mood lighting quite effectively. Consider kitchen mood lighting such as kick plate lights. When you leave only these plinth lights turned on in a kitchen, they create a soft, atmospheric glow.
How to Balance Natural Lighting and LED Lighting to Create Mood
Most mood lighting tips you will find focus almost entirely on artificial illumination. One commonly overlooked element of moody interior lighting design is the use of natural light.
A balance of both artificial and natural light makes for mood lighting throughout the day. Bring in more natural light by using sheer curtains to let some of the light in while still maintaining privacy. Strategically positioned mirrors will help to bounce that light around more efficiently.
As the night wears on and light begins to wane, you can begin incorporating your artificial lighting. Using dimmable LED lights to slowly blend the natural and artificial elements of your lighting design can make the transition a seamless one.
With more control of your lighting environment, you may be able to use your LED lighting for wellness and better sleep. Lighting plays a role in the circadian rhythm and in telling the body when to produce melatonin. More natural lighting may help provide the balance you need to enjoy better rest.
DON’T Install Too Many Interior Ceiling Lights
While you might assume you can get light everywhere if you just keep adding fixtures, that isn’t true. Unless you are choosing lights that are adjustable or wash the walls, you are not going to be illuminating all of the vertical spaces. This is detrimental, because this is where the eye perceives light.
How to Create Lighting Zones in an Open Plan Living Space
While open plan homes offer a spacious, airy feel, they can also bring with it the challenge of zoning out the different spaces. Fortunately, you can use intentional open plan lighting design to help out in this regard. Check out our quick guide on how to light open plan living areas to define zones with lighting.
Begin with a Plan
All great modern interior lighting starts with a solid foundation. Before you begin, you should map out the area and decide what zones you want to make. Some of the most common zones include:
- dining zones
- living area zones
- work and study zones
- kitchen zones
Choose Different Fixtures
One way to separate the different zones is to prioritise different fixtures in each space. Doing so, you can create distinct visual boundaries.
In any area of the open plan space, installing LED strip lights can visually denote the boundaries of different areas. That said, you can use specific fixtures in each of the rooms to accomplish the same goal.
For example, hanging pendant lights over the dining table can establish it as a focal point. Putting the dining table front and center separates that room from the rest of the house.
In kitchens, you can opt for recessed ceiling lights. They make great task lighting for open plan spaces and can set the kitchen apart from any nearby rooms.
When it comes to the living room, LED wall lights for open plan layouts are best. You can place wall sconces around the room to give a soft, ambient glow. It designates the living room as a place for relaxation, creating a distinct zone.
Finally, work spaces can benefit from desk and table lamps. Having focused lighting in work areas designates it as a place to complete tasks, making it stand out from the other zones.
Why Is Home Office Lighting Important?
Home office lighting can make or break the overall functionality and feel of your office. Prioritising home office lighting when designing the space can make it both more productive and aesthetically appealing.
Home office lights may also make the space more comfortable to be in, period. Quality office lights work well to reduce eye strain and fatigue. This is particularly important for home offices, since you’re already spending a lot of time staring at computer, phone and tablet screens. The blue light of screens and low lighting together can make it harder to see, and therefore harder to work.
An improvement in overall wellbeing may lead to an increase in the hours per day you are productive. Good lighting can keep you awake, alert and comfortable. At the same time, it gives you the option to do some extra work after hours when the natural light of day has disappeared.
Advice on How to Position Lighting in an Office Area
In order to create shadow free lighting, you need to know how and where to position your lights. This means ensuring plenty of ambient lighting for the foundation. With ample ambient light, you can avoid shadows almost entirely. Play it safe by supplementing with task lighting to ensure the work area itself is especially well-lit.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you will also need to avoid glare. Position your lights in an indirect way in order to prevent the illumination from glaring against computer screens. Directional track lighting is a good choice here. Using them, you can position the lights to shine just behind the desk, or in a similarly indirect manner.
Wall mounted sconces can be placed around the room in even intervals to ensure consistent, balanced lighting. Any darker areas where the other light sources do not overlap as easily can benefit from the addition of modern interior wall lights.
Important Do’s and Don’ts for Interior Lighting
DO Use Layered Lighting
Make sure there are different light sources, including accent, ambient and task lighting, to create a well-lit space. Layered lighting will also eliminate shadows and dark corners from the space.
DON’T Position Lights Too Low
Dining room and kitchen pendant lights should be able to easily clear the tallest family member while also not getting in the way of views. Generally speaking, it is safe to hang lights around 36 to 48 inches from the table or surface of the counters.
DO Choose Flattering Light
Overhead lighting on its own can be a little unflattering. To avoid this, add some variation to your interior lighting ideas. Consider adding an overhead light with a sconce on either side of the bathroom mirror, for instance, to avoid shadows and increase the overall illumination.
DON’T Skip the Dimmers
When possible, choosing LED ceiling lights and indoor wall lights with dimmer capability is a good idea. Dimmers can change the look and feel of your space depending on the activity or your mood.
DO Control the Lighting Individually
By having separate controls for each light, you can maximize the flexibility and efficiency of your space. With individual controls, you will be able to turn on only as few or as many lights as you see fit at any given time.
DON’T Use Cool Lighting As the Main Lighting
Unless you are going for a specific look, avoid using cool lighting as the primary lighting in a room. Cool lighting is defined as light toward the top of the colour spectrum. Instead, you should choose warmer white light when choosing Interior lights for home settings. This will be gentler on the eyes but still crisp and clear enough to easily see.
DO Consider a Feature Pendant Light
Indoor ceiling lights are a great opportunity to create a focal point in your space. By using feature interior ceiling lights, you can spice up your room while providing ample lighting. Choose to hang the light in the centre of the room for smaller spaces or install multiples around high windows to frame them.
DON’T Make Snap Decisions on Internal LED Lighting
In order to ensure you aren’t underestimating your space and what it needs, take some time to really feel it out. It is a good idea to live in the space for a couple of weeks to figure out exactly how you use the space and what functionality you need from it. This will help you narrow down the various options for lighting that you might have glossed over when originally seeing the room.
DO Keep a Theme
To ensure that your space looks its best, your interior light fixtures should all complement one another. This can mean pairing metallic LED ceiling lights with internal wall lights in the same material. You could also add lights that have similar or complementary finishes to achieve a consistent look.
DON’T Choose Lights Based Only on Looks
While it’s a good idea to choose lights that complement one another, it is not a great idea to only buy a light because you like its look. Instead, you should keep things in mind such as lumen count, colour temperature, IP rating and even the light’s CRI.
DON’T Leave Any Wires Exposed
Be sure that excess chains and wires are hidden from view by taking time to do so during the installation process. This is simple to do by hiding them in the ceiling or in a decorative mount on the ceiling itself. Keeping wires out of the way will benefit you both in an aesthetic and a practical manner, as it will make the lights safer.
DO Customise Lights for Each Room
Where rows of interior ceiling spotlights may look great in a kitchen, it might not have the same effect in a bedroom. Choose your indoor light fixtures based on the appearance and the needs of each room in the house to ensure that it looks its best.
DON’T Limit Your Lights
It is recommended that you have more than one source of light in each room of the house. Doing so will ensure that you have ample illumination coming from various fixtures to suit your needs each night.
DO Add Task Lighting Where Appropriate
Think about where it is that you most often complete tasks — cooking in the kitchen, working in the office or reading in the bedroom. From there, add indoor wall lights or LED downlights in these areas. This will give you plenty of light by which to get your work done and make your rooms feel more practical and efficient.
DON’T Be Afraid of Colour
While many people are inclined to stick only to neutral colours and metal finishes, adding some splashes of colour by way of your light fixtures can bring in some much needed personality. If you have an open, airy modern space, you can especially benefit from hits of bright red or yellow, for example.
DO Think About Details
Indoor LED lights are a great opportunity to dress up your space, not just light it up. With the right indoor wall sconces or ceiling lights, you can bring artistic flair to the area with ease. Take the opportunity to choose lighting fixtures that speak to the personality of the room and consider how they can improve upon the aesthetics. By treating your lights as decor just as much as they are practical, you can elevate your room instantly.
DON’T Neglect Natural Light
Natural light is an easy way to ensure that your living space is well lit during the day. When planning your interior lighting scheme, take care to take into account any windows or skylights in the room. Notice the way that natural light comes into a space during the day and plot your light placement accordingly. Sometimes, this means installing lights on the same wall as the windows. Sometimes, it means the opposite.
You will also want to consider natural light in relation to any pendant lights that you install. If the light comes in at the wrong angle, it could cause the pendant light to cast a large shadow during the day.
DO Consider Motion Lights
Stairways are a great opportunity to add low level lighting, especially motion sensitive lights. By adding motion lights to the stairs, light will only shine when people are actively in the area. Then, they will turn back off. Not only is this modern and aesthetically pleasing, but it can save energy and therefore money on your bills by only turning on when they are immediately needed.
DON’T Rely Solely on Floor Lamps
To prevent shadows from forming in a room, many people are inclined to just keep sticking floor lamps all around the room. Doing so may just lead to a clunky and cluttered look. Instead, add some wall sconces in the areas that you may be considering installing additional floor lamps. This will afford you similarity and functionality while freeing up floor space.
Interior Lighting Ideas
Interior LED wall lights are a quick and easy way to bring some personality to your living space. With the LWA223 6 Watt Round Decorative Interior LED Wall Light, you can add ample illumination and modern style all at once. This light features a ring design with an acrylic diffuser lining the inner ring. The diffuser shines 600 lumens of 3000k warm white light back onto the wall behind it, washing it with colour.
The fixture is crafted out of hardwearing aluminium that comes in your choice of a black or white finish to make it easy to incorporate into any room. The light measures 139 millimeters in diameter with a 78-millimeter projection from the wall.
Perfect for accent lighting, the LWA228 4 Watt LED Round Interior Wall Light can really set a mood in any given space. This wall light is round in shape and shines light from behind it back onto the wall. The ring of light produced comes out to be 400 lumens of 3200k warm white light.
You can get this surface mounted light in either black or white colour finishes. The neutral hues available allow you to bring the light into existing design styles of any kind without issues of clashing. The product measures 162 millimeters in diameter by 55 millimeters in depth.
Bring ample task or ambient lighting into a space with the LSP705 5 Watt Adjustable Surface Mounted LED Downlight. The downlight features small heads that pack a big punch with 430 lumens of light output from each one shining at a 24-degree beam angle.
The 3000k warm white LED light is gentle on the eyes while being crisp and bright enough to easily see. With its movable head, you can tilt the light up to 90 degrees and twist it up to 250 degrees. Choose from either a white or black finish to best suit the existing design style in your space. Regardless of the finish you choose, each light is built to last out of premium aluminium.
Recessed lights are a favourite among lovers of modern interior design. With the LDC734 5 Watt Anti Glare Recessed LED Downlighter, you can enjoy all of the beauty and minimalism of an interior light without the glare many of them are capable of causing. Since the bulb is recessed deeply into the fixture, it won’t cause glare when you look up at it.
The bulbs output 430 lumens of light that shines at a 24-degree beam angle, pooling light on the surface beneath it. It is built to outlast the years from high quality aluminium that comes in your choice of either black or white for the reflector ring. The fixture measures 63 millimeters in diameter with a minimum recessed depth of 43 millimeters.
Take your modern interior lighting to new heights with the LBL252 10 Watt Hexagonal Surface Mounted LED Downlight. This two-bulb downlight stands out with its contemporary hexagonal shape on each of the connecting fixtures. The honeycomb look can instantly bring artistic style and appeal.
The light fixture is fabricated using high quality aluminium that is available with a black, white or silver finish. The neutral colour choices ensure that it can easily be worked into rooms of any design style without fear of clashing. It outputs a total of 800 lumens of 3000k warm white light, making it a bright ambient light option.
Spruce up your kitchen and dining room lighting with the LPL364 5 Watt Hanging LED Pendant Light hanging over tables and countertops. The pendant light features a sleek, minimalistic design and comes in three finishes to suit any taste: black, white or black and gold. The light features a 2000-millimeter drop cable that allows you to hang it at the height that best suits you and your family.
The body of the fixture measures 148 millimeters in diameter by 200 millimeters in height and outputs 400 lumens of 3000k warm white light at a 30-degree beam angle.
Add retro modern charm to your living area or kitchen with the LPL354 6 Watt Globe LED Pendant Light. The globe-shaped light features either a black or chrome top with an opal acrylic dome on the bottom that softens the light. A total of 400 lumens of 3000k warm white light is emitted from the fixture, meaning it will work best when used as a part of a set.
The upper components of the light are crafted out of premium aluminium and measure a total of 115 millimeters in diameter. The light comes complete with a 2000-millimeter drop cable, so you can customise the height at which it hangs.
