Interior design involves various aspects including color selections, fabric choices, room size, layout, furniture selections, and interior lighting. “How important is lighting in interior design”, you may ask. 

All the categories mentioned are important in interior design. For a properly interior designed home, all those mentioned are expected to work in conjunction with the other. Although it’s hard to single out what the most important is, it is without a doubt that lighting plays one of the most significant roles in interior design. In this article, you will learn why lighting in interior design is important and how you can take advantage of it for a better space. 

Effect of Lighting on a Space

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In interior design, a space should be defined by the experience you want to create within it. Lighting plays a major role on this part. Indirect lighting and dim light setting will create an intimate space for relaxation, while white and direct lighting boosts your mood and stimulates the brain for productive purposes. 

We’re sure you know the essence and needs of a particular space in your property. With lighting alone, this can actually be achieved already. That is how lighting alone can affect a space. 

Lighting and other Aspects of Interior Design

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Now we know what lighting can do individually, it’s now time to discuss how lighting blends with others. 

Interior designing requires balance among the following – Color Palette, Room Size, Furniture, Natural Light, and Artificial Light. As mentioned previously, there is a need for all these to work with coordination for a well designed home. Although one aspect can stand alone without the others, or two aspects can already make a space, it’s just not the optimum way to set-up your interior. For example, a house with a white wall and yellowish lighting all throughout is livable. The question is, is it sustainable? Can you still do better? 

Now, let’s go into the particulars of how lighting affects the other aspects of interior design, why it is important, and why balance among all these aspects are necessary. 

Room Color

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The color of a room greatly affects the people living or staying within it. It can affect one’s mood and it can also create an illusion of a spacious or cramped room, depending on the purpose. Lighting should play a huge role in all these to compensate the darkness or lightness of the room color.

For instance, if a room is painted with darker colors, it can tend to make the space feel smaller. Light colored walls on the other hand create an illusion of a larger space. However, all these colors can provide different moods and aesthetic appeal to owners. So you can’t just go with lighter colors all the time just to have a bigger looking space. With proper lighting, a balance can be achieved. 

If the room is painted with darker colors, you can complement it with a much brighter interior lighting. You can provide larger ceiling lights and more accent lighting, perhaps track lights or spot lights to take away dim corners. If the room is painted with lighter colors, you have more flexibility to mix and match available lightings. You can still opt for large ceiling lights for overall glow, but you also have the luxury to opt for recessed lights or hanging lamps that cast light up and down for illumination of floorings and ceilings. 

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With proper use of lightings, you have the opportunity to go with any color you prefer while still ensuring that your space is well lit, sustainable and visually appealing. 

Room Size

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In Singapore where small apartment living is a common experience for most of us, the size of a room has been a problem for some homeowners. Through proper interior designing and use of right lighting, a small space can actually become bigger in the naked eye. 

Furniture plays a key role in small apartments, but so is lighting. Together with creative multipurpose and out of the box furniture, lighting can also make a space bigger. Same with how it affects dark room color, a room that is small can also seem spacious through proper lighting. The key is ensuring that light is present and it is evenly spread whether by natural light or artificial light. With the use of ceiling lights and corner lamps, light is assured to be spread further, while spotlights and track lights can brighten dark spaces making an illusion that there is more space. 

Believe it or not, having a large room can also be a problem for some. A large room with not much furniture like for minimalistic set ups can sometimes seem intimidating and can give an awkward vibe. It’s like living in a big hollow box if you can imagine. Picture lights, floor lamps, and wall lamps can help in making the space more cozier allowing a more relaxed atmosphere. 

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With lighting, the flaws of a room size, either big or small can be countered. 

Furniture

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Lighting should also complement your selected furniture. With the same principle as before, a choice of dark furniture can make a room feel cramped and enclosed. But a black leather sofa or a dark mahogany wood furniture can be tempting as it gives a classic and timeless look, right? With bright ceiling or pendant lights, use of dark furniture like those mentioned is possible. A chandelier or a hanging lamp can open up the space and give more light that will shine through the furniture. 

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If you opted for brighter furniture like a gray couch, or a white, beige or gold furniture to achieve a minimalistic or contemporary style theme, you can also use lighting to still be able to highlight statement pieces of furniture and decoration you want to be given attention to. Wall lights, picture lights, and spotlights can help in accomplishing this.

For renovation works, in choosing the right furniture, we also recommend considering lighting available or the other way around whichever is variable. This goes to show how lighting greatly affects furniture selection. 

Natural Light

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Natural lighting is considered the best source of light. But obviously, it just isn’t available 24/7. This is where artificial lighting comes into play. With natural lighting either lacking, or unavailable, ceiling lights or hanging lights can give a central glow for general illumination. Add it up with proper layering of task and accent lighting, a previously murky room can turn into a well lit space even where natural light is absent. 

General illumination is the main role of lighting for interior design. But based on what has been discussed, it proves that there’s more it can provide. 

Decoration

Get this Look: Cabaasi Sleek Tube Spotlight

Home decoration may reflect how you feel and live your life. It can also enhance your mood on a daily basis. If you have a well decorated home, chances are, you’re at ease and less anxious. Decoration can vary from artworks to collectibles, and many more. With decorations, you’re able to provide a touch of refreshment to your home.

Lighting can be utilized to highlight your decorations. If you have sets of collectibles, place them in a glass shelf, install lighting, and you’ll be able to showcase your investments like bags, shoes, toys, and many more. 

Image Credit: Qanvast, Aestherior 

If you love nature and you incorporate it at your home, you can install uplights and spotlights at the back of your plants! With this, you’re able to highlight it without damaging and affecting its growth. 

Plus, whatever your decoration may be, if its placed on top of a shelf, under cabinet lights can already help display and sensationalize it. 

Image Credit: Home Reno Guru, Sky Creation

This is why lighting is very important in interior design. Regardless of what aspect of interior design it is, it plays a key role in making things better!

Lighting Different Spaces

In interior design of particular spaces, lighting also proves its importance. For now, let’s discuss how lighting affects the interior design of houses, restaurants, and workspaces. 

Lighting the Home

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Lighting your home requires knowledge of interior design and lighting in general. Most ideas on lighting a house were already covered previously. But as an additional pointer, remember that light comes in various color temperatures. A while ago it was discussed that the brighter the lighter, the more spacious an area can be. But you also have to consider the color temperature of the light in your home. 

Not because daylight lighting is bright means that it is best for all parts of your home. You also have to consider the functionality of the room to decide whether to use a white light or a yellow light. 

And of course, you can also use light as a statement piece to improve your home’s design. Chandeliers, ceiling lamps, and hanging lamps are common options. 

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Lighting in interior design of a home is very essential. 

Lighting Restaurants and Commercial Spaces

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For restaurant owners, the food they serve is of course the most important aspect of their business. But the feel of the place also affects the decision making of customers. This is why many restaurant owners really spend a lot on architects and interior designer as they believe that this is an investment on their end, which is true most of the time. In interior design of restaurants, lighting also plays a huge role. 

The light you provide your restaurant will not only illuminate the place but can also make your food more appetizing. It can also give a sense of comfort and relaxation, especially if your into the café business. And now that social media is a hit and “instagrammable”continues to be a term for restaurants with good facilities, you have to acknowledge that its mostly lighting that enhances photos and snaps of diners. 

Lighting Workspaces

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Lighting also plays a major role in interior design of workspaces. As an employer, you want to provide a haven for your workers where they can feel good so they can be productive. As an employee, you will want to work in a place where you feel inspired and energized. With lighting, productivity of workers can be enhanced. 

Remember that the brighter the light is, the more it can help in boosting mood and later on postulating productivity. However, you also have to ensure the safety and health of your workers so you also have to gain the right knowledge in lighting your workspace. 

Conclusion

Lighting is an important aspect of interior design. It gives any area a special look, transforming the place into the right mix of functionality and aesthetics. It enhances all the aspects of interior design and it plays a big part in making your home, your workspace, and your commercial business a better place to stay in for you, your people and your guests. Proper lighting is an important element of interior design so never take it for granted.