7 ways lighting can influence the appearance and feel of your home

7 ways lighting can influence the appearance and feel of your home

Lighting is an extremely important feature of a home that’s often overlooked. The lamps and fixtures can provide style to the interior of your property and create a welcoming and cosy atmosphere. It can make your home more functional and it can even affect your emotions, from your productivity to your mood. Whether you’re working with natural or artificial light, understanding how lighting can make your home happier and look better is key. Today, we’ll be taking a more in-depth look into the ways in which lighting can influence the appearance and feel of your home, plus methods to help your home become a happier place to live and spend time in.

Bright desk lighting

Bright light boosts focus

Many people don’t enjoy working under bright, fluorescent ceiling lights, but this is actually essential when it comes to boosting focus and alertness. Bright light will stimulate your brain and increase the levels of serotonin, which can improve your concentration. If you’re working from home or need to pay your bills, then you should have bright lights on to help you remain focused. Bright lighting can also make you feel warmer, which can heighten whatever emotion you are feeling at the time.

Wall mounted light dimmer switches

Dimmer switches improve sleep

The lighting of your home can influence your sleep. When it gets dark, melatonin will be secreted from your brain. Melatonin controls your body’s sleep-wake cycle and encourages sleep. Spending time in bright light during the evening has the ability to hinder your natural cycle, which can affect your overall health and sleep quality. To help your body unwind at night and improve your sleep, you should use dimmer switches to dim the lights, as well as energy efficient bulbs. You should also avoid staring at a screen for long stretches.

Anglepoise type desk lamp

Task lighting avoids eye strain

Task lighting is there to help you see what you’re doing. This could be in the form of cooking, reading, working or applying make-up. Having focused additional lighting will improve the contrast between the objects you’re focusing on and the surrounding areas, which will help you avoid eye strain. For stylish task lighting that will keep your eyes healthy, you should check out the range at Moleta Munro. Their designer and contemporary lighting will help you add that special finishing touch to your home.

Natural light across a table

Natural light reduces depression

There is a strong link between sunlight, our mood and our circadian rhythm. Due to the lack of sunlight during autumn and winter, people who have SAD (season affective disorder) will often experience depression. This is due to their serotonin levels dropping. Even those who don’t have SAD can be affected by lack of sunlight. Maximising natural light in your home can boost your serotonin levels. You can do so by keeping your windows clean and positioning mirrors across from or next to them.

Highlight lighting

Accent lighting shows off possessions

We all have possessions in our home that we’re proud of and want to show off. You may have noticed that art galleries and museums use lighting to highlight sculptures and paintings, so why not do this yourself in your own home? This is called accent lighting, and will help to draw people’s attention to the items you want to show off, such as ornaments, prizes, artwork, a vase, a plant, a fireplace or even a collection of objects. Accent lighting is a great way to highlight your favourite and prized possessions to your family and friends.

Fairy lights above a dining table

Candles make things cosier

Candles and twinkling lights are a great way to express your personality, style and taste while getting creative with the lighting in your home. Choosing lamps and fixtures in designs and colours that work for your home is the first step, but candles and fairy lights are beautiful and cosy additional sources. You should consider adding them to the areas you like to unwind in, as they help you feel warm and mellow. You can get more creative by making your own lanterns, jars, etc. to place around the home.

Outdoor lighting

Outdoor lighting will increase safety

When it comes to lighting up your home, many people will focus on the indoor areas. However, even though the outdoor areas will receive natural light throughout the day, lighting it up at night can increase the safety and security of your property. Outdoor lights can deter trespassers, as it can alert the home-owner and make it easier for neighbours and pedestrians to see any suspicious activity on your property. Knowing this will help you to rest easier at night, as it will reduce stress and anxiety.

Incorporating new and unique methods to light up your home doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to be creative and allow your own preferences to influence your decisions. By doing so, you’ll make your home look and feel better, which will make you feel happier in return.

[disclosure*]

Using lighting to set the right mood

Using lighting to set the right mood | H is for Home

Lighting has an integral part to play in creating a mood, whether it be indoors or outside. Whether it be creative or focussed, constructive or playful, stimulated or relaxed the lighting you choose can make or break the atmosphere.

Task lighting for working on a laptop

Work

When thinking about creating the right mood for tasks related to employment, hobbies or jobs around the house, suitable lighting is an important factor. The main practical considerations are the type of light, the positioning of lamps and the direction and angle of the beam of light emitted.

In terms of office type work, you’ll need to consider what is suitable for reading, sorting or filing paperwork etc. or when you’re working at a computer. If your job entails long periods of staring at a screen, you want to avoid eye strain and headaches at all costs. Avoid direct glare on your screen or in your eyes by using desk lamps that are on an angled arm or have a goose neck that can be adjusted with ease. Situate lamps so that they don’t cast shadows across your screen and don’t reflect on the screen. You want to use bulbs that emit light similar to sunlight – LED and fluorescent (beware of flickering, though) are good choices. Incandescent bulbs, especially low-wattage examples, are not generally suitable. Anglepoise, LED spotlights and down-lighters are all useful types of task lighting available from Lights.

If you’re one of those people who suffer from SAD syndrome, designated office spaces are good places to install daylight desk lamps such as Needlite. They provide a healthy working environment and also provide you with the equivalent levels of sunlight for ongoing mental well-being, particularly during the winter months.

If you’re doing jobs around the house, particularly in areas such as the kitchen, you’ll need good task lighting. Bright, overhead lights such as LED down-lighters are perfect. You could also consider clamp or clip-on lights for those difficult, dark corners. They can easily attach to wall mounted utensil racks or kitchen shelving – and really transform a space, both in terms of practicality and impact. Quite often, kitchens and dining spaces are combined these days, so this is the kind of flexible lighting that will give options for a romantic meal versus chopping veg!

Orb-shaped garden lights

Leisure

You might require bright lights for day to day activities, however, relaxation can sometimes be the priority. In this case, lighting needs to be more subtle and atmospheric. Consider up-lighting that will cast light up towards the ceiling rather than into your eyes. It’s more relaxing to sit in and can create its own sense of drama when thinking of a room scheme.

You might choose to have real candles dotted about, but not everyone is comfortable with the idea of a naked flame. In these circumstances, there are lamps that mimic candlelight – yellow-hued, ambient, flickering even! They provide an alternative to the atmosphere provided by real candles or can complement the ones you already have.

For creating a feeling of opulence and luxury, nothing beats a classic chandelier. Incorporate dimmer switches that allow the flexibility to alter lighting depending upon mood required.

Vintage-style Edison light bulbs produce an attractive, subdued type of light and are perfect for the very on trend vintage industrial type metal cage lights and factory pendant shades.

We love fairy lights dotted about the house – they add such a wonderful atmosphere to rooms, particularly in the darker autumn and winter months when warmth and cosiness are sought – they’re a staple of Scandinavian feel-good HYGGE after all!

Watching television, similar to working on a computer, requires a certain kind of lighting. Have nothing that will produce glare or reflections and place it angled away from the screen.

In addition, there’s outdoor/al fresco living which continues to gain in popularity. There are many attractive solar powered options for lighting on the market. These are usually very easy to install as they don’t require outdoor wiring – and of course, they have eco-friendly credentials too.

And we have to give another mention to fairy lights or festoon lights. They can give a garden a magical quality at night – like fireflies flitting about. Whether you’re enjoying a relaxing glass of wine after work or eating with friends they’ll add another layer to the outdoor experience.

From the magical to the practical, outdoor security lights come in useful to discourage burglars and help you find the keyhole in the door when arriving home in the dark.

Wall-mounted bedside lighting

Sleep

Many people have a little read (or catch up with social media) before finally laying their head on the pillow. Suitable bedside lights are essential to ensure light falls directly onto the area required such as the page of a book. This will avoid neck or eye strain and make for a relaxing period of winding down – as opposed to a frustrating, stressful or potentially health-damaging final few minutes.

Some people really don’t like the pitch black at bedtime. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, if you feel more comfortable with a degree of light, there are lots of subtle solutions that can be tailored to your needs. Night lights come in all styles. They can be child-friendly taking the form of animals or cartoon characters. Or perhaps a bit more grown up to compliment your existing décor. They can be touch sensitive or put on timers that dim and/or switch off the light after a certain period.

Also, consider guide lights. Install subtle, movement-sensitive track lighting along corridors and hallways to illuminate your path during night-time bathroom visits. This is particularly helpful for guests who aren’t familiar with your house layout and location of light switches in the dark.

[disclosure*]

Do you need a light like Needlite?

Needlite ™ daylight desk lamp | H is for Home

The clocks go back at midnight on Sunday, heralding the start of daylight saving time and winter. Justin doesn’t mind it, but it’s not a time of year that I look forward to – the long nights get me down-in-the-dumps. I find it hard to wake up and get going in the morning. It used to be much more of a struggle back when I commuted every day – waking up in the dark, coming home in the dark and spending those few precious daylight hours cooped up indoors. Does your mood change when the clocks go back in the autumn?

Boxed Needlite ™ daylight desk lamps | H is for Home

Needlite ™ has recently sent us a pair of their daylight desk lamps to try out and review. They’re LED lights which emit a similar spectrum of light that you get from sunshine. They help alleviate negative mood changes and depression from the lack of natural light; and in so doing, can help improve work performance, productivity and creativity.

Needlite ™ daylight desk lamp | H is for Home

They’ve been set up, at the advised 45º angle, either side of a large table which we use for both office and craft activities – a simple, two-minute job. They’re sleek and minimalist – and look really great.

Needlite ™ iPhone app screenshots | H is for Home

You can operate the lights manually by finger touch control – or alternatively, you have the option of downloading an app for your smartphone (another 2-minute job) and controlling them that way. You can alter the brightness/dimness and even give yourself a little daylight boost if necessary.  You can also use the app to programme them to switch off at a particular time – a great way of letting you know that your working day is over!

Needlite ™ daylight desk lamps | H is for Home

I could feel the positive effects immediately – my mood lifting on the dark, drizzly day that we took these photos. Our work room faces almost east, therefore loses direct sunlight pretty early on in the day. With our new Needlite lamps, it will make it feel like it’s south facing!

I think they’re going to be a godsend this winter and they come highly recommended for fellow Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers.

[disclosure*]

Home Etc badge

Retro industrial duty hand lamp

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

We often write about industrial lighting of the vintage variety; task lamps that have been rescued from the mills, factories and workshops of the North of England. Not everyone likes vintage – some people are happier with new versions that have the look, and are in mint condition and spotless. We were contacted by PIB to review one such item – their industrial duty hand lamp.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

Sometimes you can view items online and they look great, but then when they arrive you’re disappointed by the quality. Definitely not the case with this item. It’s got weight and solidity to it, with nice detailing and an excellent finish. It’s a good large size too, measuring 45cm in length.

Detail from a retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

The bulb cage is made of silver-plated brass with a stained wooden handle.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

We’re big fans of this type of lamp as they’re both functional and attractive, adding a touch of vintage industrial style to any space.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

They’re also very flexible when it comes to use.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

There’s the practical task lamp facility to start with – a lamp that can easily be moved around the house, garage or workshop for bright, directional light.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

And when it comes to decorative use their are a host of options. They can be hung from the long flex and attached to the ceiling, they can hang from wall mounts and hooks – or they can simply lie flat on shelves and tables. There’s no risk of fire or damage as the cage protects surfaces from the direct heat of the bulb.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

We’ve been trying it out in various sites this week and have become very fond of it already.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

We’ve got lots of dark corners in our house, so it’s going to come in useful. It also works well with other industrial look pieces that we have.

Retro industrial task lamp | H is for Home

It’s most definitely a keeper!!