The impact of lighting on your home's design and mood

25 June 2023

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We spoke to Roselle Blockley from La Belle Maison Interiors, who shares her top tips on how the perfect lighting can enhance your mood, create an invigorating or relaxing atmosphere and bring the showstopping drama!

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MOOD MATTERS

When choosing lighting for the interior design of your home, it's important to consider what the room will be used for and how it can impact the mood of a room. Cool, bright lighting can create strong emotions and bring a sense of energy to a room, which is why it is often found in many home offices and work environments.

Bright lighting is a great choice for high-usage areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and spaces that don't have lots of natural light. While you need your lighting to be functional in these areas, you can still add some interior design flair by combining your practical lighting with a striking pendant that uses filament bulbs or creating a feature by grouping hanging lights of different sizes and styles together.

In contrast, yellow lighting makes a home feel warm and inviting and creates a cosy and comforting environment, making it the perfect choice for bedrooms, lounge areas, and anywhere you want to feel calm and relaxed.

DON'T FORGET TO DIM

One of the most efficient ways to get the best of both worlds is to use dimmers. Dimmers allow you to change a room's ambience instantly. Whether you need to concentrate or relax, you can easily match your lighting to your mood.

AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE

The perfect ambience is a calm and cosy one. Another fantastic way to create this feeling in your home is to return to basics.

Candles and strategically placed tables and floor lamps can add to the overall mood of a room and become a feature in themselves. To further enhance a sense of calm, you can place lamps close to windows to make the room look just as inviting on the exterior as on the interior.

And for the cosiest ambience of all, you can't go past a statement fireplace. Fireplaces add warmth and soft light and can also double as a unique feature in your living space.

FORM OVER FUNCTION

While getting to grips with the functional lighting of your home is crucial, once those essential details are in place, you can be more playful in your home by adding different lighting styles and forms.

LED downlighting using suspended pendants can draw the eye to special art pieces, giving your wall a gallery feeling and can highlight unique architectural design elements.

LIGHT AS ART

Bright lighting can make stairs and walkways safer while also making them a feature, while dramatic hanging pendants. For example, the white fabric Fandango Light designed by Kenneth Cobonpue sits perfectly over a dining table and can add a unique texture and flair to a space.

And, of course, with so many lighting options out there to choose from, lighting can be art. LED and strip lighting in bathrooms and kitchens can offer functional lighting before transforming into a colourful work of art that adds depth to a room.

A chandelier or two can offer a sense of luxury, or you can be more playful and opt for something showstopping like the Queeboo-designed giraffe designed by Marcantonio, that stands 2.4 meters tall and has a stunning chandelier bursting from its mouth.

GET SCULPTURAL

Sculptural statement lighting pieces and bespoke fittings are becoming more popular. An excellent example of this type of lighting is this beautifully handcrafted Kenneth Cobonpue Limbo Chandelier. This stunning piece of art doubles as a light fixture and adds a touch of dramatic wonder.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Lighting is a finishing touch that can affect the overall look and feel of your room or space. While you want your lighting to be functional and ascetically pleasing, it is great to remember that lighting is also an excellent tool to influence your mood, enhance your behaviour and create a warm and wonderful home.