Too often, people in Australia neglect to give lighting enough care while designing their homes’ interiors. This occurs when you see it predominantly as a functional element of the space instead of an aesthetic one. Light fixtures, whether pendant lighting or table lamps, may be the unsung hero of a room when installed right.
If you want to know how to illuminate every room in your house correctly, look no further than this detailed manual.
Lighting Choices
A typical error when designing a space’s lighting here in Australia is to rely on only one source of illumination, usually the dreaded overhead kind. A professional interior designer will inform you that your assumption is entirely wrong.
To get the most remarkable results, lighting should be placed in layers. There are three primary categories of indoor illumination, and ideally, all three will be present in any interior space. These items are:
- Ambient lighting is called ambient lighting that fills the room and makes it possible to see your way around securely. Familiar sources include downlights, tracks, and wall light fixtures.
- Accent lighting is lighting used to draw attention to a specific area of interest, such as a painting or photograph hung on the wall. Dimmers are often used on picture lights, wall-mounted fixtures, and track lighting to create a relaxing atmosphere.
- Task lighting, as the name implies, is designed to illuminate a specific area while you do a task there. Typical examples range from lamps used at workstations to those used as island pendant lights in the kitchen.
Design According to Space Limitations
Now that you know the different types of lighting available, you can determine where and how to put them in each space.
Although this is primarily a matter of taste, a few tried-and-true Australian formats need consideration. The following room-by-room guidelines are provided as a starting point for those who need direction:
- Foyer/Entrance: Hang an ample pendant light or a chandelier in the foyer. Then, add extra light, either on a table or on the floor.
- Living Room: The living room is ideal for installing recessed or track lighting for ambient lighting. It would be best to put the most prominent, eye-catching light fixture above the space’s primary sitting area.
- Dining Room: The dining room is the most forgiving space for lighting. A vast chandelier or pendant lamp hung directly above the table in the middle should provide the bulk of the illumination.
- Kitchen: Lighting in the kitchen is especially tricky. Recessed lighting is an excellent place to begin. You can use pendants or chandeliers above focal points, such as the kitchen counter and the dining table. Put lights under your cabinets to illuminate your workspace.
- Bedroom: A well-lit bedroom will have an overhead light and lamps on nightstands and dressers.
- Lavatory: To illuminate the bathroom, recessed lighting is the norm. Task lighting around a mirror or a dramatic overhead fixture above a bathtub are two more options.
Wrapping Up
In Australia, the lighting in a space may significantly impact the overall aesthetic. When done correctly, be it pendant lighting or wall-mounted lights, it offers the right environment to make your design shine. But when it needs to be done better, it may take away from your selected aesthetic. It creates a beautiful atmosphere to make your design shine when done effectively.