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People make entire careers out of lighting design, and for good reason. Different lighting schemes create different moods and service different aspects of the home or office. When you’re planning renovations, revamping an existing space, or building a room from scratch, there are many aspects to consider. Not only are your budget and deadlines important, but ensuring that all the effort you put into designing an amazing space isn’t undercut by poor lighting design.
Getting the lighting right for any room is quite a technical process. But once you arrive at that sweet spot, the perfect combination of artificial and natural lighting, it will all be worth the effort.
Lighting Techniques
Spotlighting
Not to be confused with spotlighting for hunting possums or spotlighting on a theater stage, this interior lighting technique is more about feature lighting. Spotlighting is great for when you want to emphasize a certain feature in a room like a piece of art. Spotlighting can also be constructed for the outdoors, like sensor lighting on a driveway or awkward pathway, and strong lights to highlight garden landscaping features. The effect of this type of light is brightness and clarity. It certainly isn’t easy on the eyes so shouldn’t be used as the main light source for a room.
Downlighting
This is a popular lighting technique and has taken over interior design. You can use downlighting to add a moderate amount of light to a room. Downlights are particularly effective in rooms that have a lot of natural light during the day. If you were to combine internal downlighting with a natural daylighting system it would be easy to strike a good balance between soft natural daylight and the less forgiving artificial light.
Task lighting
Task lighting is exactly that, lighting designed for a specific task – think reading lamps and make up mirror lights. Task lights are usually much brighter than the light used in the rest of the space, some say they should be at least three times as bright as the rest of the lights in the room to have the desired impact.
Mixing light sources
Don’t be scared of incorporating several light sources in one space. If you use your lounge for watching TV, entertaining, eating, family board games, reading, and arts and crafts then you’re going to need different lighting options for the different tasks.
Whilst some of us are happy to dine by candlelight or read by the light of the fire, some of us respond better to stronger, brighter lighting when attempting to devour a novel. By incorporating the lighting choices above with a natural light source you can create a warmer interior.
Daylighting Systems – The New Approach to Skylights
New Zealanders love to incorporate natural light in their homes, and have been doing so for years by installing the traditional skylight or dome skylights. But building and lighting technologies have come a long way since their inception and there are now a range of alternative daylighting systems that can accent the interior design of your home.
Tubular skylights
Daylighting systems come in two sizes to suit your design and lighting needs. The rooftop dome will harvest the sunlight and then redirect the light through reflective tubing, and deliver light to internal rooms. You choose the fixtures from a range of contemporary designs.
Using dimmers
One way to transform the lighting in a room instantaneously is with dimmer switches. Dimmer switches are infamous for their ability to blow fuses, but when they work they’re great. These dimmers allow you to block out as much or as little light as you wish, all with the flick of a switch.
Choosing the right bulbs for your lighting scheme
Choosing the right type of light bulb for your lighting scheme is vital to getting the feel and look you’re after. LED lights provide strong, bright light, and are relatively power efficient. Energy saver bulbs are often dimmer when first turned out, but slowly brighten up to a decent light field.
You can choose effects lenses to change the ambience of a room. They offer natural, warm, softening and the combination warm/softening effect lenses to create a range of natural lighting effects.
Choosing a daylight system for your home
Choosing a daylight system for your home isn’t just about installing the latest and greatest skylight. It’s about designing a blend of natural light sources and artificial lighting to get you the best balance for your lifestyle. The smart LED system in cooperation with tubular skylights can give your home the interior lighting scheme of your dreams. Contact one of your lighting experts today to see how a daylight system can help you light up your home better than ever before.
