Lighting plays an important role in our life: it has a strong influence on mood, with its lack or excess, a person will feel uncomfortable. But its significance is not limited to this. Light in the interior is one of the main design tools. With it, you can zone rooms, set accents, create a special atmosphere, enliven the space, change the familiar room beyond recognition.
Varieties of lighting
Lighting can be natural or artificial. And if we can influence the intensity of natural light only indirectly, by varying the size and design of windows, then artificial lighting is completely in our power.
Artificial lighting can be divided into general and local. Their harmonious combination will help ensure a comfortable stay in the apartment, achieve an artistic effect, visually change the space, etc.
- In the first case, the light penetrates into all corners of the room. This type of lighting is present in every apartment - it is given by large chandeliers and lamps hanging from the ceiling.
- In the second case, directional lighting takes place. These are small sconces near armchairs, lamps above a desk and near paintings or mirrors, diode tapes built into kitchen cabinets. Spot lighting is able to focus on certain objects, it is often used to highlight functional areas.
Lamp types
Much depends on the type of lamp chosen. In stores you can find:
- Incandescent lamps are the most familiar and for many the most comfortable type of lamps, which are gradually losing their popularity due to fragility and low efficiency. Such lamps give diffused yellow light, which is enough to illuminate large rooms.
- Fluorescent lamps - consume less energy and do not heat up, lighting color can be different: warm yellow, neutral or cold white with blue.
- LED lamps are one of the most durable and economical, they give not too bright light, which will be appropriate for use in decorative lamps, sconces, small floor lamps that are used in bathrooms near the mirror, in hallways and corridors.
- Duralight tapes - with their help, designer lighting is created, drawings are laid out of them, they are used to frame paintings and mirrors.
- Halogen light sources - do not give a scattered, but a directional beam. This point light is ideal for highlighting individual objects: paintings, sculptures, mosaics, mirrors.
living room lighting
The living room is the most multifunctional room in the apartment, so it gives a lot of room for the designer's imagination. As a rule, this room has impressive dimensions, it has several zones. In addition, the owners place various decorative objects in it, hang pictures. Therefore, it is desirable to use three types of lighting here: general, local and decorative.
- Due to the large size of the room in the living room, general lighting is indispensable. This can be a large chandelier placed in the center of the ceiling, or several lamps arranged in a row at the same distance from each other and allowing high-quality illumination of an elongated room.
- Next comes the division into zones. Each should have its own lamp. For example, in the recreation area, it is recommended to hang sconces on the walls, put floor lamps or table lamps with soft, but bright enough light that will be comfortable for sight and suitable for reading.
- Decorative lighting will allow you to highlight spectacular interior items: paintings on the walls, collections of figurines or plants, shelves with books, etc.
- If there is a dining room in the living room, much attention is paid to table lighting. It should be cozy here, so lamps with a shade or low-hanging pendant chandeliers are very popular.
Kitchen lighting
kitchen space is divided into two zones: working and dining, each of which should be well lit. If the room is small, then one light source may be enough, for example, a powerful ceiling chandelier with several shades.
Another option is to install a separate lamp above the center of the table, and several smaller halogen or fluorescent lamps above the work surface, which will provide bright but soft lighting. They can be built into the bottom panels of hanging cabinets or disguised in an apron.
Light in the bedroom
To organize lighting in the bedroom, you can use the following tips:
- The light should be warm, creating a cozy and calm atmosphere.
- General lighting should be soft, fabric lampshades and frosted glass shades are welcome.
- Do not forget about the classic night lamps on the bedside tables or the wall sconces on the headboard.
In the bedroom, decorative lighting of the walls using LED lamps or ribbons would be appropriate.
Nursery lighting
Children's room combines several zones: sleeping, working and playing. Lighting should meet all the needs of children.
- The overhead light is necessarily bright, but not striking in the eyes. A chandelier with a matte or fabric shade is suitable.
- The desk should be illuminated by a table or wall "school" lamp.
- In the play area, you can use lamps located on the walls at a small height from the floor.
- It is also desirable to provide lighting near the bed. For small children - a dim night light, for older adults - a decorative lamp.
In the nursery, safe lighting fixtures and chandeliers made of durable, unbreakable materials should be used.
Bathroom lighting
In a small bathroom, you can use diode lamps. Their brightness is sufficient for oversized rooms. It is necessary to provide additional light near the mirror, because in the bathroom men shave, and women take care of their faces. A good solution would be to use lamps symmetrically located on the sides of the mirror.
In a large bathroom, it is better to use spotlights, in which additional lamps are located in the most necessary places: above the bathtub, washbasin, near the cabinet, mirror.
light in the hallway
In a small hallway there will be enough general lighting using one lamp. In spacious hallways and corridors, you can additionally use sconces or spotlights located around the perimeter of the ceiling. Recently, the central chandelier in the corridor is increasingly being abandoned in favor of built-in lights located along the center line of the ceiling.
If the hallway is decorated with paintings, panels, stucco and other decor items, you will need local light to help draw attention to them.
When organizing lighting in the hallway, you need to consider the layout. If the entrance hall is not separated from the main part of the apartment, and you need to pass through it on the way from the room to the kitchen, the light will be used more often here. In order not to grope for a switch in the dark or not to leave the light on for a long time, it makes sense to use lamps with motion sensors in the corridor and hallway.
An interesting option for the corridor is floor lighting, which will become a stylish and convenient addition to the main lighting. For it, both spotlights and LED strips and neon lamps can be used.
Play of light
Things to keep in mind when planning lighting:
- When choosing a ceiling lamp, there are no special restrictions, the main thing is that it is combined with the design of the room and its light is sufficient.
- If the walls of the room are decorated in dark colors, brighter lamps should be used.
- Objects with reflective inserts and mirrors make the room visually more spacious.
- Subdued light creates a relaxing and trusting environment.
- If the room or hallway is narrow, then you can visually expand it by hanging a ceiling lamp not in the center, but by shifting it to one of the longitudinal walls.
- So that the room or hallway does not seem too elongated, you can illuminate its far wall, then it will become visually shorter.
- For low ceilings, chandeliers that direct the light upwards are suitable. A well-lit ceiling appears higher.
- With high ceilings, you need to do the opposite: use lamps that direct light to the floor, then the ceiling will be shaded.
- The subdued light near the floor will make the atmosphere in the room mysterious.
