Let there be light!

Lighting creates ambiance and makes a space welcoming. Good lighting can also encourage activity, enhance colour and most importantly give life to any room! Light fixtures are dual purpose - providing functionality and fashion. One key idea to creating an inviting space is to layer the lighting. By using a mix of ambient, task and accent lighting.

Ambient lighting is your room's overall light wash, it could be sunlight beaming through your windows or overhead light(s) casting a warm glow throughout the room. Ambient light is the basic lighting layer, illuminating walls, open areas and main pieces of furniture. A dimmer switch can allow you to control the level of ambient light you wish to have in a room and suit different moods and occasions.

Task lighting is designed to help you perform specific activities in close range. It is more location specific layer of lighting. Wall sconces behind a couch allow for a reading area or a pendant lamp over a table or kitchen island can create a focus for a game table or a cooking space. When selecting task lighting think about brightness, beam direction and the proximity of the light fixture to the task area.

Accent lighting provides drama where you want it. This is the lighting layer which allows you to change a room's mood and style most easily. Accent light allow you to direct the eye to those objects and areas of a space that you find most attractive. A spotlight on a favourite piece of art or candles on a dining table create a warm, natural atmosphere.

A gathering of friends and family in your home will only be complimented by the welcoming radiance of warm light. Lighting is the best way to create a mood in your home. Don't forget about lamp shades, they are also an important factor to creating your setting - they are any easy way to update a lamp's and a room's look and they can also change the colour of light reflected in the room and this adds another layer of light to your room's lighting scheme.

Let there be light!