Lighting

WHAT LIGHTING MEANS FOR INTERIOR

Lighting is one of the most important factors in creating a well furnished, functioning and pleasant interior. It is a key component of building the right atmosphere at home, in an office space or in public areas. Lights are about purpose and how well they serve you, but they are also about the feelings a place provokes. Do you want to be productive or do you want to relax, or do you need lamps and lamp shades for a multi-functional space? Let’s dive into the world of lighting designs and define some key principles to help you achieve the interior of your dreams. 

Type of lamps and their purpose

To combine artfully different types of lighting, it’s first to consider what is the main function of each light. Starting with downlights and uplights - these are usually built-ins that you would know the locations of with the architectural plan. They are mostly used for big open spaces, and with the help of a professional. They can brighten up the whole space or highlight a certain area. However, with or without them, you would still need to add decor lighting. This means - pendant lighting above central areas like a dining table, a master bedroom, a living room setting, or above the centre of other dedicated areas. It also means wall lights or table lamps for the smaller places where you need concentration of light - to work, to read, to play, to point stairs, in a dresser or make-up areas. Wall lights are a good solution when you lack surface areas. Table lamps are often used to provide ambience when positioned as floor lamps. A table lamp is sometimes defined as a desk lamp when the design is meant specifically to serve better on a desk. A floor lamp is much taller than a table lamp and serves well in front of a library, next to a sofa or armchair. 

Colour temperature of light

For all lamps, it is important to consider the colour temperature of the light. Most lamps are offered without a bulb, so you decide what colour of light would best fit your space and purpose. When you turn on a light in your home, it emits either a cool or warm glow. It is measured in degrees of Kelvin (K) on a scale from 1,000 to 10,000 where 1,000 is the warmest. Cool lighting is characterised by a white hue, while warm lighting has a softer yellow glow. 

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to colour temperature, but you can follow some general guidelines. Cool lighting tends to create a more clean look for different areas of your home, while warmer yellow lights provide a softer glow. For a loving interior with cosy vibes we recommend the latter. 

When it comes to the bedroom and your bedside lamps, warm lights are the ideal choice, especially if you use a night lamp. Picking a soft glow means the lower levels of blue light won't affect your sleep patterns as much. Warm lighting is also usually better for the dining room - it would make your family dinners feel more intimate, and dinner parties more inviting.

Working areas prefer cool light. For your home office or study spot, it's important to create a space that encourages focus and alertness. Same goes for the kitchen, as you would like to have full illumination for cutting and cooking. Many homeowners find that the white hue is best for kitchen lights because it gives the space a clean and modern feel. 

Layers of lighting

Lighting design is divided into three distinct layers: ambient, task, and accent. Ambient layer, also known as ‘general lighting’, is what designers call the full illumination of the space. It’s coming from main sources of light like integrated downlights & uplights, and ceiling lights. Once the ambient layer sufficiently brightens the space, you can use the task layer to help specific areas function better. Task lighting in an office might be the desk workspace, while task lighting in a kitchen may spotlight cooking surfaces. This is usually achieved with table lamps, wall lights, and floor lamps. Same are used for the third layer of lighting - accent lighting. The accent layer adds a decorative finish, it compliments the other two layers, and highlights artful and architectural features - wall art, columns, floral arrangements, etc. 

Layers of lighting can make a room feel comfortable but also dramatic and atmospheric. For example, if you would like to highlight an artwork on a wall, you can spotlight it with a wall lamp but in combination with a darker area around – this then draws eye to the painting.

Modern design styles and trends 

Good lighting transforms a space. To add vast interest and depth to each room, you would use various light fittings - ceiling lights like pendants, table lamps, wall lights, and the occasional floor lamp. Some of these would be your feature lights while others would only support the overall look and feel of the space. 

Pendant lighting is more often used as a centrepiece in the interior. We observe combinations of arresting silhouettes and unusual materials that create strikingly imaginative light fittings becoming focal points in the home. This is an approach taken also from the Mid-century modern design movement - one that has proven itself to be here to stay, and also one that favours statement lighting. Bold lighting with highly reflective finishes (brass, chrome) was popular then and is on-trend today, as well as colourful thin-metal versions in organic silhouettes. With a sleek, traditional or industrial finish, a pendant light fitting can redefine your space. We, at interiorr.com offer table lamps, floor lamps and wall lights with the same design, so you can easily furnish a living space combining them by function.

Natural materials like glass and wood, geometric-shaped sconces, arc floor lamps and table lamps with tripod legs are all features of the Mid-century modern genre that are still exploited today, and for a good reason. The lava lamp has also been designed during this era - all the colourful vibes of the 60s are today happily reinvented for the better.  

Biophiliа - our innate instinct to connect with nature - is another design trend that finds its place in light shades. You will see shapes of ceiling lights that resemble tree leaves, bedside lamps that look like mushrooms, and many more natural materials in their natural colours, as well as organic shapes - amorphous, curvy and blobby.        

Tactility - a design feature that responds to our growing need to feel textures - is another spot-on from on-trend lighting. In a digital world where society is already tired of flat surfaces, the way an object feels becomes more important than ever. A lamp shade with a rippled surface or a smoked hand-blown glass piece with uniquely crafted dents - it’s all in for the feeling of touch. All of these and more stylish trendy features you will find among our broad selection.  

Whether you are looking for a modern twist on a standard lamp or a futuristic look of a retro one, a floor lamp that invites touch or a bedside lamp that plays with light, we have it all.