Creating ambience with lighting
For us in the northern hemisphere it is that time of the year when our days are getting shorter and we are spending more and more time indoors. Having a cozy home to retreat in is one of winter’s pleasures and it is so easy to create the perfect ambience with lighting. (Blog cover image: Winnoby)
Consider using a variety of lighting to add to your home – lighting generally has three tasks in our homes - to provide enough lighting to perform tasks, lighting to create ambience and lighting to highlight a feature. Today there are so many lighting options that can fulfil your lighting needs while looking very stylish.
Beautifully texture table lamp in creams and off-white (Image Winnoby)
Layering your lighting can be very effective – think candles on your coffee table, a table lamp on your console table and a reading lamp at your favourite chair. Here are a few great ideas on how to add great lighting to your home
CANDLE LIGHTING
Placing candles at different heights around your home, can create a warm and cozy glow. Consider varying the height of your open candles - on a coffee table they will provide a nice low level light while and on a mantel piece they will cast a glow on the ceiling and walls. Image below: Rainsford Company
You can even diffuse the candle lights by placing them in lanterns or hurricane lamps - this will create an even softer glow. Images below Edesigntribe
TABLE LAMPS
Designers love to use table lamps in living areas and bedroom as they come in such a great selection of colours and styles – they are functional and are great décor objects. Here are a few guidelines when choosing table lamps.
Size matters
As table lamps generally range between 24 and 34 inches tall (that is including the shade) it is important to get the size right. A good general rule to follow is that the bottom of the shade should be eye level when you are seated. The taller table lamps are great for console and sofa tables.
This table lamp is at the perfect height on this side table - the bottom of the shade is about eye level height
Control your brightness
A good way to control your brightness is by carefully selecting your shade – remember that a translucent or fabric shade will let through lots of lights while more opaque shade will keep the light soft. Also consider the warmth of your light bulb – bulbs with a Kelvin value of 2000-5000 will create a warmer effect.
Balance
Decorating with a pair of table lamps is a great way to create balance in a space. Once you have the correct sized lamps, place two in the seating area, one next to an occasional chair and the other next to your sofa. When placing table lamps on your console table, it is a good idea to keep your pair some distance apart to distribute the light evenly throughout the room. If you choose to have just one table lamp on your console table, then create balance with a vase or other tall decorative item.
This table lamp is perfectly balanced with the vases and tall purple flower
Colour
Lamp bases come in array of beautiful colours, textures and shapes, making them the ideal décor item – pick a lamp that has a similar colour to some of your art pieces, decorative pillows or decorative accents, this will unify your room. I also love the idea of having yet another décor item to introduce colour into a room.
Texture and Shapes
There is a huge array of lamp shapes and textures on the market today – consider the lines or textures of other design elements in your room and then repeat those lines, they could be straight, curved, smooth or textured.
Today there is a huge range of shapes and textured lamps on the market
The clocks will be changing soon, hopefully you have found some of these lighting tips useful in creating a cozy home for your family this winter. We’ll talk about floor lamps another day! Let us know if you have any questions about lighting for your home in the comments below, would love to hear from you! If you are having trouble finding the perfect lighting for your home, then consider our Accessories consultation.
Shop the Look here….
DISCLAIMER: my ‘Shop the look’ posts contain affiliate links! if you buy something through these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I will get a small commission. Thanks!
