The Importance of Lighting for Home Interior Design

Hello September! I always see September as a fresh start month, almost like New Year’s Day. I think it’s been inbuilt from my school days, fresh school year, new bag and new stationery (my favourite thing to shop for growing up!). Now it’s the same but for my children.  

What welcomed my children this morning

This morning I set up a decorated school themed the table to get them excited for the new school year. It’s my youngest child’s first ever day of school and I just thought, why not make it special for all of them? It made the first day of school a bit more exciting and they were very excited about their new keyrings on their bags! 

On the ‘subject’ (excuse the pun!) of school I decided not long after I had my 3rd baby to pursue a career in Interior Design and I chose to study with the Interior Designers Hub. My absolute favourite module was lighting! I’m still in touch with so many of my fellow students and within my group, the lighting module is known as ‘Sophie’s Module’ because I enjoyed it so much! I’ve always enjoyed having quirky lights in my home and in my portfolio tasks for my assignments I chose unusual lighting as well. I like to make a functional necessity aesthetically pleasing but also it doesn’t hurt to have a talking point does it? For my 30th birthday my husband made me this lamp and I love it! He is often saying it should go but, why? It provides light to the room and is so special because he made it for me. Plus, no one else has one the same one!

My ‘Lady Lamp’ which my husband made for me

Why is Good Lighting Important in a Room?

Lighting is one of the most fundamental criteria in interior design projects. Not only is light needed in order to see, but within interior design it can affect a room and how it is used. When making decisions on lighting it is important to consider the purpose and function of the room and what lighting it will require. What is the purpose of the room? Who will use the room most? Where will the furniture be placed and where are the plugs!

I enjoy the way lighting can affect the mood and function of a room. At one point a light provides task lighting in order to complete homework but then it can be dimmed down to provide an ambient mood to eat dinner and socialise.  Lighting is one of the most fundamental criteria in interior design projects. Not only is light needed in order to see, but within interior design it can affect a room and how it is used. When making decisions on lighting it is important to consider the purpose and function of the room and what lighting it will require. 

Categories of Lighting in Interior Design

There are different types of lighting. Ambient lighting is general light, natural or artificial, which creates a comfortable feeling within a space. It does not need to be particularly bright but allows us to use the space for general purposes. Ambient lighting can be created using different light fixtures such as ceiling lights, floor or table lamps. There are fewer, softer shadows with ambient lighting as there is no clear direction. 

Task lighting is used for specific tasks purposes, for example, knitting, cooking or reading. Or in the case in my family home, homework. It has a clear purpose and direction. Task lighting can create a glare and dark shadows. The light needs to be a stronger light source in order to complete the task.  

Decorative or accent lighting (my favourite type!) i(my favourite type!) is used to highlight an item or a feature within a space . It could be that the light fixture itself is a feature (as with my lady lamp) or it could be used to highlight something within the room for visual interest, like artwork on the wall or an interesting architectural aspect within the room, the light will then be focused directly on that to draw people’s attention. 

To create a good lighting scheme within a space you should use several lighting points which ought to include all 3 types of lighting at different heights to create successful lighting layers. 

Lighting layers

 Lamps, Bulbs and the Impact of Colour Temperature in an Interior Design Plan

Did you know that within the context of lighting, the term ‘lamp’ actually refers to bulbs? There are many different lamps available in different shapes, sizes and strengths.

The most common lamps are Halogen, CFL and LED. There are 3 distinct ranges of colour temperature; warm, neutral and cool and when designing a space it is very important to consider the lamps used within the finished room and the impact this will have on the colour and its temperature and also the effect it will have on walls, objects and furniture.

For example, in the image below the table lamps are shown with different bulbs; cool, neutral and warm. The different ranges show the wall, bedside table and bedding to be different colours. The one on the left in the cooler light shows the bedding to be grey with a blue bedside table and the wall colour an off white. The middle image in the neutral light shows the bedding to be slightly yellow, the bedside table green and the wall colour creamy yellow. The right hand image in the warmer light shows the bedding to be pink, the bedside table to be white and the wall colour pink. The bedside table, bedding and wall are exactly the same but change colour to our eye due to the different temperature of the lamps. 

How colour temperature can impact a space

There is soooo much more to lighting, I could go on as like I say this is one of my favourite aspects of interior design, I’ll save the rest for another day!  

If you need guidance on how to implement a successful lighting or colour scheme within your home, then get in contact!

I focus on both impactful, inclusive residential interior design services and calming, sensory aware design services for neurodiverse individuals, families and children. I offer a uniquely pragmatic interior design perspective as a professional, a parent and a designer for ADHD and Autism friendly spaces.

Ready to make your space a happy place? Send me some details on your design query or dream via the form below to schedule a chat.

www.sophielawsinteriors.co.uk