The 5-Step Lighting Design Guide
Lighting plays a significant role in our well-being. It can set the mood from early morning to late evening. Lighting is also a great way to define a space and how the space will be used, in fact, it’s possible to entirely recreate a space just by changing the lighting fixtures.
We know very well how important is to choose the right lights for your home and how confusing it can be choosing between the myriad of options available. Below we’ve outlined some of the key things to keep in mind when choosing the right lighting for your home.
Step 1 - Choose LED Lighting
When it comes to quality, LED lighting is the best option available on the market. From autumn 2021, it will be almost impossible in the UK to buy high-energy halogen light bulbs and so swapping to Eco-friendly LED lighting makes sense.
LED lighting has several benefits, including lasting longer than normal bulbs. This is because these small bulbs don’t emit heat, meaning they can also be used just about anywhere in the home. They last for much longer too, in excess of 50,000 hours.
Secondly, LED lights are energy efficient as they use up to 90% less energy than any other lighting type, of the same brightness.
In long term, this can save you around 75–80% on your electricity bill. LED lighting can not only help you save money but also contribute to nurturing our environment with less waste going to landfill, as well as lower energy consumption.
Step 2 - Planning Your Home’s Lighting
Whenever you are building a dream home or renovating, it is very important to plan lighting at the beginning of the building process. This not only produces the best lighting results; it also means that the electrical wiring is in the right place before the final finish.
We also suggest taking into consideration dimmers for living and dining rooms or any space or room where you would want to adjust the lighting levels. Bathroom night lights are also a great idea, as are stair lights.
Before you decide on your light fitting and its position it is important to consider:
1) Number of lights per room — not enough lighting will leave shadows but too much will mean the room looks stark. Consider how many lights are necessary per room. Include the ceiling light as well as additional wall and spotlight lights.
2) Adjustable lighting — being able to adjust and dim lights can transform the space. Consider if adding a dimmer switch to some or all lighting in a room is beneficial.
3) Sensor lighting — great for turning on and off ‘automatically’, sensor lighting can help save money in the long run.
4) Down lighting and spotlighting — lighting can attract attention to key areas and features of a room. Consider a mix of down lighting and spotlighting to give the room layers of light.
5) Accent and task lighting — task lighting, common in kitchens, illuminates an area when you are working, whereas accent lighting is less ‘bright’, acting as a ‘back light’ to a room or area. Make sure you have the layers of lighting you need. Read on to find out more about accent, feature and pendant lights.
6) Save energy — what energy savings can be made? is it possible to install lower wattage bulbs or restricting time when light is on?
7) Tone of lighting — lighting in a room doesn’t always have to be bright white! Consider soft white or even coloured lighting with warm tones.
Step 3 - Consider Accent, Feature and Pendant Lights
This type of lighting is especially important as it creates a particular ambience and a relaxing mood, soft glow allow us to perform a task in a specific area. It is very important to aim for a perfect balance of finish, style, size, and colour temperature.
Accent and feature lighting guides the eye and creates points of interest around the room. It also adds to the overall light level when combined with the main lighting.
Pendant lights are a great example of how to combine the wow-factor when people walk into a room with the daily function of the space. Pendant lighting is a fabulous statement above the dining table, for example, and styles range from industrial shapes, shiny chandeliers, modern trendy copper metal to striking glass multi bulbs.
They can also look fantastic overhanging your bathroom mirror or over the bathtub. Slightly smaller pendant light over the side table in the living room can create an additional soft and relaxing atmosphere or highlight your designer piece.
- Kitchen lighting
A lot of kitchen manufacturers add under cabinet lights, cabinet top lights or even interior cabinet lighting which turns nice dishes, fine chinaware, glassware and stemware into a focal point.
Another accent lighting solution might consist of lighting on shelving, in cupboards or in niches in your bespoke made furniture, including wardrobes. Lights built into the plinth of a central island gives a gentle wash of light across the floor to make the island look like it’s floating, while a run of LED lights under the rim of an island worktop makes this is an inviting space to be drawn to, especially if there are bar stools here.
Shelf lights can add an indirect softness and at the same time create a feature in the room. Here are my top shelf lighting tips and ideas to help you create a “window” effect in your room.
Recessed with small miniature down lights to create more interesting lighting effects and highlight a favourite object, they can be used not only in furniture but also in bathrooms.
- Bathroom lighting
Good bathroom lighting can completely change the look and atmosphere of a bathroom. LED strip lights in niches or back-light an opaque bath panel can create a feeling of intimacy. These can be also colour changing for added interest. Modern shower heads that can be fitted directly into the ceiling can be installed with multi — colour LED lights.
With all bathroom lighting, make sure that the fitting and bulbs are rated for bathroom and shower use. For example, lights fitted inside a shower will require a higher IP rating than general overhead lighting.
Think about feature lighting to create dramatic atmosphere: around bathtub, alternatively use an LED strip under a basin. Around the mirror is the obvious area for task lighting. It is most flattering when the face is lit evenly from either side.
Another great idea is to add sensor night lights to your bathroom on a different circuit, it will allow you to use the bathroom in the night without the need of switching main lights on. For a luxury experience in your bathroom, you can create more impact with your favourite lighting scenes at the touch of a button with automatic control system.
- Hallway and staircase lighting
Another area where you should consider lighting is the hallway and staircase. They can be narrow and dark but installing the correct lighting solution creates a fantastic first impression and can enhance the whole house.
There are several ways to light up your staircase or hall and lighting can make a huge difference to overall space.
Layering light in the hallway is great for creating a snug, cosy feel to the first area of your home that you and your guests walk into. As well as functional lighting, consider softer, ambient lighting so it casts a beautiful soft, gentle glow.
The underside of a staircase is often a dark forgotten space so add lighting under the stairs to illuminate this space! For a more contemporary open raiser staircase you can install light under each step, this will illuminate with a wonderful soft floating effect of light.
- Bedroom lighting
Bedrooms, dressing rooms and walk-in wardrobes are the most personalised areas in the home. The challenge is to get the lighting right and key to its success is to introduce a few layers of lights.
When lighting the bedroom, the most import after the central light are bedside lamps. They not only provide a soft intermediate light but also are very practical in use. However, they might not be sufficient to read, therefore we suggest investing in additional reading light.
There are a few other ways to add accent lights into your bedroom including
- discreet lights highlighting your wardrobe doors
- lights incorporated under your floating bedside table
- LED back lights fitted into your headboard producing a soft glow on a beautiful design wall covering.
And there is nothing more luxurious or glamorous that a beautiful pendant light installed in the centre of the dressing room or walk-in wardrobe. This creates a focus and an alternative source of light to balance the directional down-lights.
Step 4 — Optimise Natural Lighting
Natural light is good for our well-being. It promotes a better mood and can help us enjoy better sleep too.
To bring more natural light into the home, think about position and size of the windows. Beside traditional windows and doors, there are now so many options available on the market, such as:
- roof windows
- windows for flat roofs skylights
- sun tunnels
- French or patio doors
- garden sliding doors
- wall to ceiling windows
Step 5 — Fitting External Lights
External lights are just as important as internal lighting. But there are a few additional factors to take into account:
- external wiring — always refer to a qualified electrician to fit external lighting (as well as handle interior lighting)
- nuisance factors — your neighbours won’t thank you if there is a set of bright lights annoying them as they try to sleep! Consider how external lighting may affect others around you.
- Sensor security lights — great for putting off would-be burglars but again, your neighbours may not be a fan! Direct the light in such a way that it illuminates your property only.
Garden lighting means you can enjoy your garden for longer. As soon as dusk falls, your lighting can turn on, allowing you to carry on eating, playing and socialising in your garden. Good external lighting combines fixed lighting elements with flexible lighting elements that can be rearranged to illuminate seasonal plants.
Lighting inside and outside of the home should mean you can use the space as you want to. Consider layers of functional or task lighting, followed by softer, gentler layers that allow you to relax and unwind as the sun drops below the horizon.
