Light it up
INCORPORATE ILLUMINATING ART INTO YOUR LIVING SPACE
While furniture, paint and artwork anchor a room, small accents help tie everything together. Lighting a room holds special importance because you can use it to set the mood. Lighting is not merely functional – it’s a vital part of creating atmosphere and making a space feel welcoming. But just how does one go about achieving the perfect lighting design? Today, we would like to share our take on how to incorporate illuminating art into your living space and watch the room come to life!
All Photography by Jean Allsopp.
Designed by Davies Collaborative.
What are the different types of lighting?
The single most important concept in creating a good lighting design for the home is to use several different types of lighting. Our best advice is to create three layers of lighting—ambient, task and accent. Too many people make the mistake of expecting one type of lighting to do it all. Each type meets a particular need and should be controlled independently to change the mood of each room.
Ambient lighting
Also called general lighting, ambient lighting provides overall illumination for a room, and is intended to create a uniform light level throughout a space, independent of any special lighting that may be needed in targeted areas of a room. In most home settings, when a person steps into a room and flips on a switch, ambient lighting illuminates the space. It can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights.
Task lighting
Targeted to a particular area of a room, task lighting is intended to illuminate a specific function. Areas of a home that require task lighting include kitchen counters where food will be prepared; living room seating areas where reading will take place; home office desk surfaces where paperwork will be done; and in a bathroom where grooming will take place. The below master suite bathroom displays our Covington Pendants by E.F. Chapman with ribbed glass shades inspired by vintage telegraph insulators.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting adds drama to a room by creating visual interest. As part of an interior design scheme, it is used to draw the eye to an object, such as artwork, sculptures, plants or bookcases. We love how the wall behind the bar area displays accent lighting with our Fulton Small Sconces by Ralph Lauren and is painted in a beachy blue chalkboard paint, perfect for writing daily itineraries, shopping lists and beyond.
When should you start a lighting design?
It really is one of those items that need to be identified right at the beginning of a project. A lot of people just think lighting should be done once you know what you need to light up. It’s actually the opposite; you should design the room with lighting in mind. Having your architect or interior designer draw the lighting in is a great method. If you think of lighting last, you’ve already damaged your possibility to be right. It should be part and parcel of the room because the lighting is an integral part of the room’s look.
Light it up! Our interior designers at The Quiet Moose can help you incorporate illuminating art into your living space and watch your room come to life! Browse our complete selection of table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, pendants, and chandeliers at our showroom. We would love to help you with your new home or renovation lighting design. For more expert lighting tips read: How to Create Layers of Beautiful Light.