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Lighting and You
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Lights have evolved from being a purely functional fixture
to a trendy accessory for all homeowners. One of the best ways
to give your room attitude is to use lighting creatively. The
latest fad is mood lighting; this type of lighting changes
the look and feel of the room and greatly influences moods.
Let’s find out more.
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Lighting and mood
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| When lighting is used correctly
it has a huge impact on moods. Take for example, fluorescent
lights; due to their brightness they tend to lend a clinical
feel to the room. They are typically used in rooms that require
concentration, like living rooms, libraries and
most often in operation theatres. Whereas a subtle light source
with an emphasis on accent lighting lends a cozy and romantic
atmosphere.
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| Types of lighting |
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achieve a particular lighting effect for your rooms, it’s
important to understand the three basic types of lighting: ambient,
task and accent.
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| Ambient
lights typically illuminate the entire room. Soft lit lighting,
wall washers, sconces, pendant light, and chandeliers
are a few examples.
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| Whereas
Task lighting is usually used to provide enough light to perform
tasks that require concentration, like reading, shaving,
cooking to name a few. Valance lighting, pendant lights, under-cabinet
lights and portable fixtures are a few examples.
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| Accent
lighting is thrice as bright as ambient lighting and is used
to give emphasis to objects, for example a painting, a sculpture
or any other architectural element. A few examples of accent
lighting are track lights, wall washers, and under-cabinet
lights.
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Let there be light!
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| Just
like the shapes and shadows formed by natural light give a room
depth and make it more interesting, artificial light can
also be used creatively to imitate this
effect. Here are a few ideas on how to use lighting effectively
to liven up your living space.
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| Note the ambient
light: Before you begin designing the lighting effects
for your home, it’s best to note the ambient light
in the room. You can do this by observing the room during
different times of the day: morning, afternoon, evening
and night. Ensure you don’t have any lights on when
you run this test.
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| Choose the right
fixtures: Decide on the type of fixtures that would
be appropriate for your room depending on the amount
of ambient light in your room. The choices
are endless from regular bulbs to chandeliers to pendants, ceiling
or wall mounted fixtures to portable lamps, recessed lighting
to lighting strips, to name a few.
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| Give your room
a chic touch: If you want to create a sophisticate
space, use down lights as they provide a warm and
clean feel.
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| Dine differently:
For dinning rooms, besides the regular chandelier over the dinning
table, you can try using a trio of pendant lights. A great
idea also would be to use strip lights in your cabinet to highlight
china and other collectibles.
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| Don’t
forget functionality: Even though light design may
be decided by what appeals aesthetically, it’s always
better that it’s backed by functionality as
well.
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