Lighting your home

Lighting is an under-used tool in interior design, yet its effects can make or break a room. Too stark, and lighting will kill the best décor. But subtle lighting effects will add depth and mood to the simplest of rooms.

Most decorators know that proper home lighting is fundamental to good home design. When lighting becomes an afterthought, which often happens, it limits options.

Quite likely each room in the home will require a different approach to lighting. Halogen spotlights may be great in the living room but you would soon tire of them in the study. Similarly, fluorescent light might kill the atmosphere in the dining room but provide sensible, even light in the kitchen or bathroom. (If you don't know a fluoro from a halogen see our separate details on light sources.)

To start with it is necessary to understand the different functions of light.

Light has three basic functions:

• It provides general of background lighting in room;
• As task lighting, which provides specific light for activities such as reading or cooking. This type of light should be concentrated in the area where it is needed;
• As accent lighting, which creates a mood within a room, such as highlighting a special architectural feature, a painting or a special piece of furniture.

All three types of lighting can be used in combination. Your living room, for instance, is likely to have all three – background lighting for everyday use; task lighting, such as a table lamp, for reading; and accent lighting, to create the right atmosphere for entertaining.

In his Lighting Book, British lighting designer Kevin McCloud identifies two further types of lighting.

Decorative lighting, which he calls “look at me” lighting, is the kind of showy chandelier you might hand in an entrance hall. It usually has a functional purpose as well.

Kinetic lighting, as the name suggests, is moving light. The flicker of candlelight or an open fire often provides the emotional hearth of our homes.

Good lighting is essential to create atmosphere in a room and it is an integral part of interior design.

Lighting is both practical – wall lights placed either side of a large make-up mirror in the bedroom, for example – and scene setting – such as a dramatic pendant over the dining table.

You don't need a million-dollar budget to make a room look like a million dollars, it is just a matter of lighting it properly.

For example. you can use lighting to highlight a single item in a room, such as a piece of furniture or a painting, to create a brilliant effect. And it needn't cost a fortune.

If you are planning your lighting from scratch, it pays to get professional advice. Reputable lighting dealers will be happy to help plan your needs. But before visiting a lighting specialist, think about each room and consider what it is used for to help determine the different types of lighting you will need.

INCANDESCENT LIGHT

Incandescent bulbs are light bulbs we are all familiar with. They produce a warm, yellow light that is pleasant but unremarkable. They are the cheapest bulbs to buy, but the most expensive to run, using a much higher wattage that most fluoros and halogens, and they last for only 1000 hours of use.

In a drive to improve the efficiency of incandescent lamps, may have been banned, and Energy Reduction (ER) lamps have been introduced to replace them. These lamps use a halogen capsule to provide higher levels of light relative to the energy they consume. Most ER lamps offer savings of 30% to a comparable traditional incandescent lamp. For more information on ER lamps refer to the Sustainable Housing and Energy Saving sections.

Incandescent bulbs can be used in pendant fittings, recessed downlights and spotlights, and lamps. They come in different shapes and sizes and their beam can be narrowed with a reflective coating. One advantage of incandescent bulbs is that they can be easily dimmed. They are best used for background lighting.

LIVING ROOM

Living rooms usually combine al three light functions: background lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. A central pendants or downlights can be used for general lighting.

Using dimmers on the background lighting so it can be adjusted to your needs. Supplement this with a shoulder-height floor lamp placed behind a favourite chair for reading.

Use accent lighting over paintings and uplighters (usually wall-mounted) to create atmosphere. Directional downlights can also be used to spotlight a sculpture, vase of flowers or other special feature.

As this is the room which will be used for relaxation and entertaining, the living room should be lit to provide the atmosphere required. This calls for a carefully thought out lighting plan.

General lighting should not be so bright as to cause discomfort. The use of dimmer control may alleviate any problems here.

If you have any particular location where reading or similar tasks are carried out, then additional local lighting should be provided.

DINING ROOM

You want to be able to see what you are eating in the dining room, but a soft, sometimes intimate mood can also be desirable. Again, dimmers are useful.

A central pendant over the table looks spectacular. Place it high enough to see under when you are dining, and low enough to give dramatic effect, and put a dimmer on it!

Dramatic effects can also be created with down lights providing background lighting.

Careful placement of furniture and lighting can create an atmosphere for formal and relaxed dining.

The table is the focal point of attention. A downlight or pendant, possibly adjustable, should be located above the table. It may be controlled by a dimmer.

Supplementary lighting in the form of wall brackets or table lamps may be provided.

The most effective placement of local lighting is from above and slightly behind a person's shoulder. The choice of free standing lamps, wall mounted lamps, or spots should depend entirely on the room style and placement of the furniture.

Another important point to consider is visual comfort for viewing television. Ideally, the screen requires a light background. Also make sure that from normal viewing positions, no reflection of light is visible on the screen.

KITCHEN

Good lighting is crucial in the kitchen, where work surfaces need proper illuminated. A single, central light source will only create shadows when you stand in the light.

Directional downlights and track lighting are useful because light can be focused directly on to the work surfaces. It is also worth having an overall light. Fluorescent lighting works well in the kitchen, either as general lighting or in strip lighting over benches.

Being a work area, the kitchen should have lighting which is functional, with lights located to suit the different work areas – bench tops, sink and cooking range. Additional general lighting may or may not be necessary.

In a kitchen with a 2.4 to 3 metre ceiling height, a fluorescent light directly above the working edge of a bench or sink will provide satisfactory task lighting. In most cases this will also provide adequate general lighting.

Local lighting under overhead cupboards can be provided by means of small fluorescent lights, either standard of compact for illuminating cooking surfaces or bench tops. Most rangehoods incorporate lighting.

A walk-in pantry should be lit by a wall light above the inside of the doorway.

A good idea is to have separate switching for lighting in the kitchen as this will act as a power saver when only certain areas need to be lit.

BATHROOM

This is another room where good lighting is essential. General lighting, such as fluorescent, is needed for everyday use and this can be supplemented with extra lights for applying make-up or shaving.

Remember that the light source should be in front to throw light on to the face. Light either side of or above a mirror works well.

Philips advises against using spotlights in the bathroom because of the temptation to adjust them when hands are wet, creating the danger of electric shock.

In both the main bedroom and the ensuite, the prime requirement is to provide adequate mirror lighting. This is the best done by positioning lights on either side of the mirror. If perhaps this is not possible a light on the wall above will generally be acceptable.

Incandescent enough general lighting is provided by lights at the mirror. In large bathrooms however, or where the shower alcove is enclosed by solid walls, additional general lighting may be required.

HOME LIGHTING – MADE SIMPLE

Lighting plays a significant role in the planning of your home, enhancing a room's appeal at the flick of a switch.

When it comes to decorating, one needs to combine visual pleasure, comfort and practical necessities.

Too often overlooked in the planning of our home is where an how to place lighting.

Lighting affects us physically, mentally and emotionally.

We need sufficient light to perform tasks efficiently and safely.

Inadequate lighting and glare may cause fatigue and discomfort.

BEDROOM

Because this is the most intimate room of the house, décor can be totally indulgent. Decide on a focal point so that you can position lights to suit the layout and personality of your bedroom. Place lights to give illumination where it is most needed, such as the interiors of your wardrobe. A walk-in robe should be independently lit.

Dressing tables and wall mirror call for local lighting to provide adequate illumination. This is best supplied by means of selected wall lights positioned either side of or above the mirror. These lights may also provide satisfactory general illumination for the whole room.

Local lighting is also necessary at your bedhead, desk or other task area. Wall lights should be 750mm above the mattress.

Bedtime reading requires a good bedside light or wall mounted lights above the bedhead. The light should be chosen not only for its practical attributes but to blend with the overall decorating scheme of the room.

FAMILY/RUMPUS ROOM

The family/rumpus room is the centre of family leisure activities. The amount of light required for various tasks will be determined by the size of the room and the activities involved. For instance, a table tennis table or billiard table longer than 2.4 metres requires at least two overhead lights.

Fluorescent lights are preferable for overall illumination, but lighting tracks or adjustable spotlights can be used effectively, especially with raked ceilings or exposed beams.

GARAGE WORKSHOP

In the garage, one light only above the car is usually ineffective. Instead, provide lights above each end of the vehicle.

If your garage is also utilised as a workshop, additional fluorescent lights should be located to suit work benches and machinery.

PASSAGE/STAIRS

Lighting of passages and stairways can be very effective in highlighting personal touches or paintings, but some consideration must be given to practical requirements also. Lights should be located at corners, near cupboards or where there is a change in floor level.

For convenience, provide multi-way switching at each regularly used doorway and at stairs.

Leisure

Adequate glare-free lighting should be provided for entertainment and barbecue areas. Specialist advice can be obtained for lighting of swimming pools, two levels of lighting -  safety and recreational – may be desirable, particularly with children in mind.

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