If you are looking at building a house or renovating your current one, you will have some big decisions to make and choosing the right lighting is one of them.
Carefully considered lighting design can elevate a room’s theme, size, maximise practical uses and determine the overall feel of your space.
There are three basic layers of lighting:
Ambient Lighting
Task Lighting
Accent Lighting
There are some important points to factor into your decision making when creating your lighting plan so we have outlined some of them for you:
Determine the function of each space for your lighting decisions
Build your lighting plan around the purpose of the room. Do you require more concentrated lighting for your study? Make-up application in the bathroom? Adjustable dimmers for lighting in the home theatre?
What works and doesn't work for you now?
Look around, do you have rooms that are too dark? Overshadowed? Take note of these to improve on your selections.
Maximise your natural lighting exposure
Maximise your natural lighting intake with window selection, furnishings, furniture placement and add complimentary lighting to enhance this aspect.
Lighting Functions
Ambience lighting is ‘general’ lighting, commonly achieved by using selections such as chandeliers, recessed ceiling lights or track lighting. This type of lighting substitutes for the unavailable natural light, sets the first layer or foundation of a room and supports the space with a softer touch – creating ambience.
Task lighting is to address the practical aspect of your room. As the name suggests – this is the lighting type that enables you to carry out your desired tasks. LED (light-emitting diodes) placement should form part of your ergonomic design in any home office to address eyestrain and computer placement. Illuminating your workspace with sustainable energy-efficient LED solutions assists with your wellbeing and productivity (especially since so many people are working from home these days). It is better to place higher colour temperature (4000-6000k) choices in your task-based spaces such as ‘cool white’ to achieve daylight-like settings, especially when you find yourself spending a considerable amount of time in this area. Similarly with an area such as the kitchen workbench, a nice pendant will not be sufficient to provide adequate lighting for your tasks. LED downlights are a cost-effective option in this space though keep in mind the kitchen is the hub of a house, especially an open plan design which caters for various uses, so think about layered lighting choices by using various lighting solutions – downlights or track lights, pendants for accents and dimmers for the open dining space that may encroach on your lounge area.
Accent lighting allows you to bring out your creativity with. If you want to draw attention to a particular feature in your home or illuminate an object, bring style with the many choices – hanging pendants, recessed and strip lighting or focal pointed downlights. If you prefer to use floor lamps, then make sure you are factoring in power point placement in your home design. You don’t want to undo your sleek design choices with unsightly extension leads or cables in eye-view!
If you are renovating or building a new home, the lighting possibilities are endless. We recommend that you have a well thought out electrical plan that includes your desired lighting type, light fittings, sustainable thought, placement of lights and power sources.
Modern Electrical Group would be more than happy to provide a free quote and friendly recommendations for your next lighting project so be sure to chat to us today. We service all over Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula!
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