There are plenty of ways you can transform a room. Most people assume that changing paint, furniture, and even flooring is the best way to go about it, but these solutions tend to be on the costly side and can be time-consuming and just a little too drastic.
These days, we’re all looking for something a bit more on the ‘hack’ side and less harsh on the finances. Well, it’s time to consider the possible impact of simply making changes to a room’s lighting, whether that’s decorative or functional. That’s right, by purchasing new light fixtures or practicing better positioning of what you already have, you can change the look and feel of the whole room.
Lighting is a bit like oxygen. It’s one of those things we all know is needed in a room, but we often don’t give too much thought to it. Take it away though, and vibes are well and truly dispensed with. With that said, you might not be aware of the tricks and tips you can use to maximise its impact.
From well-known Astro lights to more esoteric, integrated LEDs, there are so many ways to deploy different types of lighting. With that in mind, here are some IDEAL lighting tips to transform your room’s appearance.
Understand Different Types of Lighting
In order to take advantage of lighting and get the full impact from it, it’s important to understand that there are myriad different types of lighting. Keep in mind a room can have just one type or a combination. What dictates which to choose is the room itself; its function, style, furniture, natural capacity for light, shape; everything, basically. Different rooms are used for different purposes in the house, so the lighting needs to address those needs.
Some of the different types of lighting are as follows:
- Mood lighting helps to set the mood in a room. This type of lighting tends to be low-light and warm, often creating shadows and pockets of intrigue.
- Task lighting helps you to perform a specific task, such as a desk lamp illuminating a surface from which you write, illustrate, cook or compose your masterpieces. It gives light to your workspace and provides a very specific job. It isn’t meant to light a whole room and instead creates focal point in one specific, designated space.
- Ambient lighting is meant to be used throughout the home so that you can move from room to room without a transition too stark. It can replace sunlight during the evening hours, which means it should be bright enough to stand its ground in darker periods. Ambient lights tend to be wall or ceiling mounted.
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- Decorative lighting is great as it is adept at multi-tasking. It acts as a decoration in the room as well as providing light. An excellent example of decorative lighting is floor lamps. They add to the décor in the room, yet they also provide plenty of light for tasks such as reading.
- Lighting as art or a statement, such as neon lighting. Falling on the fun rather than functional side, as the guys at Neon Filter point out, neon lights are ”Bright enough to fill your room with a neon glow” but shouldn’t necessarily be used to replace overhead or functional lighting. Instead, they provide visual intrigue to a room.
- Accent lighting is used to highlight a piece in the room which you’re proud of. It could be a mirror, artwork, or even the kitchen island; whatever it is, if you want something to stand out and catch the eye upon entering, accenting it is the way to go.
Use Lighting to Chance the Appearance of the Paint Colour
An interesting way you can use lighting in your room, and one often not given much thought, is to also play around with different types of lights, shades, and even the bulb itself, in an attempt to transform the look of your paint colour. Without having to re-paint your walls, you can make the room look more neutral, brighter, warmer, or softer. You can pull undertones out of the paint that were not noticeable before and really change the feel of the room. It’s amazing what you can do without actually picking up a paintbrush, hey?
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Draw Attention to Details in the Room
Does your room have architectural features that most people don’t notice (and you’d like them to, of course)? All you need could be the right lighting to make it really pop and stand out in the room. Accent lighting could make those unique elements become the star of the room with not much investment; think of it as a really brilliant picture frame.
Lighting Allows for Creativity
When it comes to lighting there really are no set rules. Instead, it’s better to play around with different types of lighting and see how they transform the feel of the room, the illusion of space, and even the colour of the walls and furniture.
And if you’re looking for more ideas on how to brighten up your home, then why not next consider these ingenious ways to add fun and funky lighting to your interior design?