An effective lighting scheme will emphasise the good aspects of a room and disguise the bad. It will give detailed consideration to the design and layout of the room and the activities to take place in it.
Lighting is one of the most flexible decorating tools, which can change a room for different uses. The Designers imagination and knowledge combined with the client's budget will provide the parameters for innovation, quality and flexibility of a lighting scheme.
There are three main types of lighting, ambient, task, and accent. The type of lighting required in a room is largely dictated by the activities and uses the room needs to be suitable for. Laundry and Utility Rooms and Cupboards may require a simple lighting solution that may use only one of these types, whereas a Sitting Room may require lighting for watching the T.V., playing the Piano, reading or entertaining guests at a party.
This type of lighting is sometimes called general lighting and is the bedrock of a rooms lighting scheme. It is the lighting, which is used most of the time and provides the overall level of light to a room.
Lamps, Ceiling Lights, Wall Lights, Track Lights and Recessed Lights are all types of ambient light
This is lighting which enables you to complete various tasks safely and comfortably. Kitchens and Bathrooms have clear requirements for task lighting. Also a study or home office where you may want to read or write would require this type of lighting.
Lamps (e.g. angled lamps), track lights and spotlights are types of task light
This type of lighting is aimed to create drama and points of visual interest by lighting features or objects in a room.
Spotlights, downlighters, track lights and lens type display lights are all types of accent light
Table Lamps and Standard Lamps (otherwise known as Floor Lamps) are used for both General Lighting and Task Lighting. Table Lamps are not only a light source, they are also a decorative accessory to a room. They can provide real decorative impact to any scheme. Together with Standard Lamps they are portable, which gives them a degree of flexibility that other fittings don't have.
The size, shape and finish (internal and external) of the shade are critical to the decorative impact of the table or standard lamp. These factors together with the height of the bulb in the shade will all affect the illumination the lamp will give.
Wall Lights can provide a good General Light for the background illumination of a room. As with Lamps and Ceiling Lights they can be sculptural, bold and innovative and add to the overall decorative impact of a room. Lampshades may suit certain fittings and reduce glare.
These provide a good General Light. Dimmers and lower-wattage bulbs can be used to reduce glare and therefore enhance the decorative impact of the fitting. The height the fitting is will affect the level of illumination and the level of glare. Lamp Shades may suit certain fittings and reduce glare.