We’re sensitive to our surroundings in many ways that don’t necessarily enter directly into our conscious minds. We have a finite amount of attention to direct towards whatever the most important thing is at any time, leaving the peripheries of our attention vague. That doesn’t mean vagaries don’t leave an impression or can’t be utilized for great effect.

Lighting is an interesting example of a ubiquitous presence that often goes overlooked. We use light to see by, so we don’t pay much attention to the light itself. An innate understanding of connotation is part of being a human and something to exploit when using light to make an impression.

If you’re branching out into the world of lighting and its various effects, we’ve got some interior design lighting tips to help you make the most of our intimate relationship with lighting. Read on to find out more!

Lighting Trends

Trends come and go, what’s fashionable one week might be seen as gauche and uninspired the next. If you’re the type of person to have their finger on the pulse of what’s currently popular, you may well have noticed a few trends of your own. We all fondly remember the lava lamp trends of yesteryear, for example.

Trends are by their very nature somewhat uninspired. What is a trend, really, other than an adherence to whatever everyone else is doing? It’s okay to admire a form or ingenuity in a design you’ve never seen before, and desire it for yourself, but it’s important to double-check you’re not being marketed to.

Sources of light are inspiring to us, there’s something primally fascinating about lights that must be in our DNA somewhere. Our ancestors spent thousands of years staring into the embers of campfires and wondering at the twinkling of the stars and the rising of the sun. It’s no wonder light holds so much sway over our emotions and frame of mind.

Interior Design Lighting Tips

The most important part of lighting any space is an understanding of color, tone, and brightness. That might sound familiar to anyone who has tried tinkering with the settings on their TV, but those settings are available to be changed for a reason. True-to-life settings are important to have, but where’s the mystery, the artistry?

This is where manipulation of connotation comes in. Understanding the use of connotation is the cornerstone of any lighting setup. It’s easy to learn and understand, and once you’ve got the knack for noticing how various types of light affect your mood, you’ll never lose it.

The ability to look at a light and its placement and feel something related directly to its impression on you is the first step. Using your imagination to conjure alternatives to each and your feelings concerning each possibility is the most powerful tool in your design repertoire. Hone this skill with a little trial and error and you’ll soon have a discerning eye for everything interior design, not just lighting.

Dark Spaces

Interior design for dark spaces doesn’t mean minimalism to compliment the lack of light and detail. It means working with the unique feeling of a dimly lit room and manipulating that feeling into an experience to be enjoyed by all who enter it. Playing with light and shadow isn’t just for painters, it can be for your office or reading nook, too.

We commonly spend all day either outside illuminated by the sun or in a room lit without any care for the effect other than that people don’t bump into each other or knock anything over. Lighting for lighting’s sake is, of course, necessary, but it leaves a certain something to be desired. The thought process of an office cubicle was, ‘Will people be able to see what they’re doing?’ not ‘How will the lighting in here make people feel?’

To anyone reading this who has ever spent any time sitting under fluorescent strip lights, you’re sure to understand just how draining and uninspiring an experience that can be. Coming home to a darkly lit cozy room you’ve crafted to feel inviting and secure could undo some of that kind of psychological damage. Light is important to our mental health, so finessing the lights in your home to better mesh with your personal needs can go a long way.

House Lighting Options

Lighting is a big industry, with a great many options to choose from. Not all options are created equally, however. Always scrutinize and take note of the details. Build quality when it comes to lights isn’t just about performance, safety is also a concern.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that if it seems like too good of a deal to be true, it probably is. Some things can be relied upon to last years even if they’re mass-produced plastic, but that doesn’t mean that a twenty-dollar chandelier isn’t going to be a complete waste of money.

In addition to the sense of feeling we derive from colors and the intensity of light, it’s important to foster an appreciation for the solid and genuine. You can read all the lighting tips for small spaces you like, but filling it with cheap lighting will have a predictable effect. Buying well-made lighting fixtures and fittings will go a long way to improve the feel of your space, even when the lights aren’t on.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Reading about interior design lighting tips is useless if you don’t ask yourself if you agree. Take the time to notice how you feel in your rooms as they’re lit now, and imagine the feeling you want to nurture each time you settle down in one of them.

You’ll start to get a better understanding of what you’re looking for sooner than you think, and you might even be surprised at the depth of your new convictions. If you found this article helpful, have a look over the rest of our blog! There’s more where this one came from!