How to Transform Your Home with Lighting

Zofias Notes #001

Lighting has always been more than just a functional aspect of interior design for me. I often find myself pondering how the placement of a lamp or the direction of a beam can transform a space, highlighting its best features and creating the desired mood. Using lamps to create lighting and shade in interior design allows us to accentuate and emphasise different parts of the room by simply layering different lights, beams, shades, and positioning. It’s important to plan ahead and not leave it to the last minute, as lighting should never feel like an afterthought.

Planning Your Lighting Design Ahead of Time

Before I start designing my lighting plan, I need to know what message the space wants to tell and what emotions we want to bring out. Lighting can help us do that, and when combined with colours, it’s the perfect match for creating the desired atmosphere. I like combining various types—ambient, task, and accent lighting—to create a harmonious environment. This approach allows different parts of a room to shine, both literally and figuratively, offering functionality and aesthetic appeal.

The Human Connection of Lighting and Well-being

It’s fascinating how our bodies respond to light. Proper lighting can enhance productivity, focus, and relaxation. Before selecting fixtures and bulbs, I always consider how the space will be used and how lighting can support those activities. We respond to light as organisms, and it impacts our routine. Lighting can help us be more functional and productive, energised, and focused, or it can help us feel more relaxed, calm, and intimate. Before choosing the lights, bulbs, and positioning, I need to get this first step right. Once we know what the room will be used for, how much time will be spent there, and at what time of day, we can start planning.

Strategic Lighting Design Placement

A well-thought-out lighting plan incorporates multiple points of light in each room. While ceiling lights like spotlights or pendants provide general illumination, I often lean towards ambient, softer lights to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Task lighting, such as a reading lamp by a chair or sofa, adds focus and balance. Relying solely on ceiling lights can sometimes detract from the room’s finishes and result in a lack of mood.

The general rule for creating a lighting plan for each room is to bring in several lighting points. Some kind of ceiling lamp—this could be a spotlight or a pendant light—but I personally use them very little in my own home, as I prefer more ambient, soft lights that create a relaxed atmosphere. However, these general lights are great for spreading light across the whole room when needed for certain tasks  or light over the whole room.

3 Types of Lighting

1. Task Lighting

Task lighting is all about functionality—it’s the lighting that helps you see clearly for specific activities like reading, working, cooking, or applying makeup. This includes desk lamps, bedside reading lights, or well-placed wall sconces. Task lighting needs to be bright enough to be effective but also positioned correctly to avoid glare or harsh shadows.

2. Accent Lighting

Another way to bring light into a room is spot lighting—this is a type of accent lighting directed at the wall, above or under artwork, creating a shadow play. You can choose specific points you want to highlight and create a dramatic effect with light. You can also use lighting within shelving to create interest, backlighting to introduce a statement, or hidden strip lights to enhance depth.

3. Atmospheric Lighting

The last category of lighting is atmospheric or decorative lighting:

• Mood lighting
• LED lights
• Small dimmable lights
• Candles

These create an intimate level of lighting, the kind you don’t even notice at first, but which completely changes the room’s feel. These subtle sources often go unnoticed but significantly contribute to the room’s intimacy and warmth.  This type of lighting is my favourite way to light a home. It’s personal, it might not cast shadows, and it’s not a direct point of light, but it creates soft lines and smooths the atmosphere, making the space feel truly inviting.

Understanding Light Distribution

When choosing a light source, it’s also important to consider the shape of the light and how it’s distributed in the space. This can be direct, diffused, or indirect, casting from the ceiling, standing, wall, or table lamps. Each lamp casts shadows differently, so it’s good to have a mix to control the mood in the room.

Lighting Colour Temperatures: Room by Room

Choosing the right temperature of light is also a key to harmonious design. Light temperature is measured in Kelvins, and it makes a big difference in how a space feels.

• Warm 1800K–2500K
  Gives a cosy, orangey glow that helps create a relaxing atmosphere. This is perfect for accent lighting and setting the mood.
  
  
• Mid-Range – 2500K–3500K
  It’s still warm but more functional—good for bathrooms, hallways, or even living rooms when mixed with softer lighting.
  
  
• Cooler lighting – 3500K–4500K
  This temperature works well in kitchens or home offices, though I personally prefer to keep it on the warmer side.

Anything above 4500K starts feeling clinical, more suited for hospitals or labs than a home.

Conclusion

Getting the balance right between different lighting sources, placements, and temperatures is what makes a space feel comfortable, functional, and full of character and creates a home that feels just right. This comes with careful, and well-considered planning right from the outset. We think about lighting as a core element even at the concept floor plan stage to ensure you get that “wow” moment.

Notes Written by Zofia Willment | ZAHRADA
BIID Associate, MArch II