Home lighting design is an often overlooked aspect of interior design, perhaps because when lighting is well designed, people don’t notice it. A dimly lit room registers with people, as does a room with too much light. On the other hand, while people find a properly lit room attractive, they don’t usually notice it on a conscious level.

Types of Modern Lighting

Home lighting design is almost a discipline unto itself. Modern lighting design is so complex, that some interior designers are actually full-time lighting designers. Understanding which interior lighting ideas work, how light affects human behavior and which lighting is appropriate for different rooms requires more training than the average homeowner possesses.

Home lighting design focuses on four different types of light. Here’s a brief explanation of how each type of lighting applies to home interior design.

• Accent Lighting: Used to highlight artwork, plants or walls
• Ambient Lighting: Used to illuminate the room
• Natural Lighting: Lighting provided by windows and skylights. Due to its changeable nature, natural lighting is the most unreliable light for home interior design, but has the potential to be the most dramatic. In addition to sun and moonlight, fireplaces and candles also provide natural lighting
• Task Lighting: Used for reading, cooking or other activities.

Modern Lighting Fixtures

Lighting designers have never had as many types of lighting at their disposal as they do today. Modern lighting fixtures offer something for every taste and style. Even modern light bulbs provide a variety of options:

• Compact fluorescent bulbs
• Energy saving LEDs
• Incandescent light bulbs
• Traditional fluorescent lights.

There many modern lighting fixtures available, including:

• Chandeliers
• Floor lamps
• Pendant lights
• Recessed ceiling lights
• Table lights
• Torchieres
• Track lighting
• Wall mounted cove lights
• Wall mounted sconce lights.

Interior Lighting Ideas

Home lighting design can turn an ordinary room into something extraordinary. However, the wrong type of light can also ruin an otherwise perfect home interior design.

A family room, for instance, needs soft ambient light for television viewing, with task lights for reading, playing games or working on a computer. If the ambient lighting is too low, the room’s too dark. If the task lighting is too bright, it interferes with television viewing. Balance is very important in home lighting design.

Lighting can be used for many different effects and functions. The following are just a few possibilities:

• Install dimmer switches to change the level of light in a room.
• Install task lighting under kitchen cabinets to light food preparation areas.
• Place a mirror across from a window to capture and reflect natural light.
• Shine accent lighting on wallpaper to highlight colors and textures.
• Use light as artwork with unusual fixtures or neon sculptures.
• Use lighting that reduces shadows around bathroom mirrors.

Modern lighting affects a room’s mood. Soft ambient and accent lighting can make a room mysterious and romantic. Bright lights work best in rooms with high activity levels. Home interior lighting designers can offer lighting solutions for every situation.