Five principles of good lighting

A guide to principles of good lighting by David Amos

While some have the luxury of designing their lighting along with a new build or renovation, for many people, lighting their home is something that just happens – we don’t necessarily think what would make for ‘good lighting’.

We often inherit locations for lighting, particularly in terms of ceiling lights, usually placed in the middle of a room. Whatever you have to work with, what’s important is having more than one light source – giving you flexibility of lighting for different times of day, and different seasons.

Here, our very own lighting guru David Amos shares a few of his suggestions to use lighting to greater effect in the home.

1. Where possible, use a layering of light – this means lights placed at different heights in the room. In a sitting room you could try blending table lamps with wall lights and then possibly adding a ceiling pendant or recessed lights, all individually controlled or dimmed.
2. Avoid using too many recessed downlights in a room.  Downlights are fine, but not when used in excessive numbers as the light can be harsh and unflattering. In bathrooms, for example, place downlights around the edge of the room (over shower, basin and toilet) and avoid installing towards the middle of the room. Tis technique make the room feel bigger and more open.
3. Choose good quality LED light bulbs.  The colour rendering of higher quality lamps more closely mimics the appearance and type of light emitted from a regular tungsten bulb.
4. Consider adding hidden lighting that is more about creating dramatic effects than practical light. You could light a bookcase in a niche or place lights in the floor to show off wall tiles or textured finishes. Try experimenting with a torch first.
5. Try to avoid lighting a whole room from one single light source as this can make a room appear flat and uninteresting. If you enjoy reading, localised lamps are an important addition – you don’t need to light the entire room if you’re just reading the newspaper.

Have an experiment with the lights you already own, but if you need some inspiration and advice for ways to freshen the look, visit our showroom.