Getting the lighting right in your home creates the perfect experience and ambiance and without any doubt transforms the space.
Using various layers of light in your interiors gives you a more flexible lighting scheme, which brings out the richness of the finishes and creates interest and depth within the space.
How to layer lighting?
When you design a lighting scheme, view light as a series of layers and build up a scheme combining different effects: ambient lighting with well positioned task light where specific activities are happening, then add the accent and decorative lights.
Each of these effects can be achieved in different ways by using downlights, uplighting, LED striplights, wall lights and other decorative lighting. They can also be viewed as high, mid and low level of light.
In this large open plan for example, where there are different activities happening at the same time it was vital to create pockets of layered lights which allowed you to adapt the lighting to suit those different activities within the space.
The general lighting comes mainly in the form of recessed and adjustable downlights which highlight the vertical surfaces and some uplighting above the kitchen units to bounce the light back into the room.
The task lighting is from well-positioned downlights and wall lights at the desk area. The wall lights help to bring a warm glow at eye level and adds softness to the room when the main lights are dimmed and one is watching TV.
As the space was large, accent lighting could be introduced in various form and helped to craft the various zones within the open plan: 20º beam of light highlight the art on the wall and LED strip lights was inserted into the joinery which created focus at mid and low level and which picked out beautiful design details in the key pieces of furniture. Miniature LED lights were also positioned with precision in the corners of the skylight where the ceiling was lower. That little glow of light adds an element of fun and surprise when watching TV at night.
Finally, to make the dining table feel intimate for the family gathering around it for a meal, large wooden pendants add to the overall style of the space. Decorative lighting is where the light fixture is beautiful in itself and brings on a decorative element to the interior scheme, here the personality of the clients can shine and express itself wonderfully.
Each layer of light is a lighting effect and should have it’s own individual circuit. It is when all these effects are combined at different light intensities that the magic happens and that the space takes on it’s own individual look and atmosphere.
If you want further help with your layered lighting scheme,
do not hesitate to contact Virginie at Splash of Light.
