Lighting is key when creating a great ambience for your living areas and should not be an afterthought when designing your home. It is important to give good consideration to balance ambient, task and feature lights in the various rooms of the house. Lighting should reflect the mood of the room at each given time of the day. Living areas such as sitting rooms and dining areas should have layers of light which can be adjusted depending on the mood one is trying to achieve. Dimmers are a good option as the light intensity can change to suit the mood of the room.

Task lighting as the name suggests is for functional use around the house. Bedside lighting for reading is a good example of task lighting. Task lights do not have to be boring; they can serve the purpose but can be visually stunning. Task lights are usually required around the house particularly in the kitchen for cooking and dining areas for eating amongst other areas. Lighting over the dining table is a great way to illuminate the dining area. These lights can also serve as feature light as they also provide a focal point to the room.

Feature lighting will usually light up an area of focus or draw one to a particular point in the room which can also create drama in the room. Feature lights can be used to light up artworks, ornaments and personal objects of interest. Let’s not forget about candles, nothing like a live fire to create that ultimate cosy mood. Perfect for bedroom romancing or that intimate dinner party.

The key to lighting design in your home is to decide on the functions of each space and appropriately determine the lighting requirements for each given area.