One of the most important yet quite often overlooked fittings in a furnished space is lighting writes Eileen NJERI stressing the need for advance styling in advance.
Lighting can make or break the interior scheme of a house. Good lighting creates atmosphere and sets the tone of a room. The most luxurious and sumptuous furnishing and flooring will be lost without proper lighting to match.
We have different types of lights for different functions in a room, for a living room, a central ceiling pendant will provide general ambient light, while table and floor lamps, compliment your furniture and accessories making them an excellent form of task lighting for reading, or spot lighting individual features . Wall lights are a great way to showcase your favourite pictures and ornaments, correctly recessed spot will highlight art or a mirror over a fireplace in a living room.
I can imagine your thoughts, I spend most of the time in the bedroom with my eyes shut, admittedly this is so, yet you need to create a mood that will be conducive to sleeping. Reading without disturbing your partner calls for bedside lamps, scatter floor lamps to create warmth and cosiness that are not occasioned by ceiling lights.
There are different forms of lighting in a home for different purposes. Today we shall discuss the basic forms:
Ambient lighting: general or available illumination.
Task lighting: lights up a specific area for a specific need e.g reading lights.
Accent lighting: highlights an object or area in a room, like art or sculpture. Its adds style and drama.
Decor lighting: This is not to give light, but to act as a decorative or design element.
Well talk more on how to incorporate lighting into your house.
You get what you pay for with light fittings. Get the best you can afford. It really does make a difference to the space that you live in. Your lighting is as important as the structure of your house. If it’s not good, the interior just won’t work however much money you spend on your interior design.
Eileen is the managing director of Divine Concepts, a creative interiors firm in Nairobi, Kenya,
