Lighting up Your Home Interior Decorating
by Melissa Pringlemelissa.pringle@interiordesignschoolreview.com
Interior Design School Review Columnist
Many people try to work out their entire home interior decorating scheme by focusing on the right wall color, the right furniture, and the right accessories. But the professional interior designer knows that the right lighting can often be the missing element that completes the look of a room. Below are some of the effects lighting can have on the feel of your home interior decorating.
The Light Itself: Enhancing Home Interior Decorating
There are three basic types of artificial light: incandescent lights, halogen lights, and fluorescent lights. All offer different qualities that can accent a home's colors and style. Incandescent lights, which emit most of their light in the yellow to red end of the color spectrum, have a warm look, and can be used in the bedroom to create an intimate feel, or in a living room that is designed to look comforting and cozy.Halogen lights are brighter, and offer a "cooler" light than incandescent lights. Halogen lights can clarify colors and define lines. Fluorescent lights are generally used more for industrial purposes, though recent developments are making them more appropriate for the home, especially in more utilitarian rooms such as kitchens or laundry rooms.
Light in the Right Setting
How the light is presented is perhaps just as important to interior design as the type of light you choose. Pay attention to the fabric texture and color of lampshades, and also to the design of lamp stands and hanging lights. If you're going for a romantic setting, be very careful with bright halogen track lights, and if you're creating a minimalist living room, get rid of that lamp stand designed to look like a Greek goddess.The lighting found in a room can offset or complement your home's interior design. Getting interior design training and educating yourself about home interior decorating can help you create your perfect look.
Sources
- Haven: Finding the Keys to Your Personal Decorating Style. (New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2004).
- Lighting: A Design Source Book. (New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1998).
About the Author
Melissa Pringle prefers winter interior decorating that encorages curling up with a good book and some hot cocoa.
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