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Lighting Advice

lighting advice 3

How do I get the most out of my Lighting?

Lighting, like most things in interior design needs to have some fore-thought before you can get it right. We know this can be tricky so we have came up with a few ideas to get you thinking before you go to buy your lights!


Style - What type of style are you going for? What matches our rooms? Think of the look you want to achieve with your lights and help narrow down your search for what you're after. Here at John Moncrieff we cater in many different styles, if you cant decide on what you're after just contact us


Seating Areas - Where does everyone sit? Think of your dining room and lounge, these areas tend to be the heart of the home will need extra lighting 


Mood - What type of Atmosphere to you desire? Think of your home decor and what it reflects. Softer lighting creates a more relaxed feel which is good for bedrooms and brighter lighting is good for areas such as in the kitchen


Architectural Features - What areas do you want to highlight in your home? Do you have anything you want to make a feature of? Think of these areas and note them up.


Function - Think of where everything happens in your home and what the space is used for. Areas where you read or prepare food are likely to be in more need of light than others. Jot these places down so you know where everything happens.



Basic Types of Lighting

After you have decided where you want your lights to go it's time to start thinking about the types of lighting you want. Here are a few examples of different types of lighting


Ambient Lighting: Ambient lighting provides an area with a general illumination and this is what provides the over all look of the room. Ambience is usually created with wall or ceiling lights and depending on the style of bulb you use it can determine if you want the room to be comfortable with a soft lighting scheme or brighter for doing more practical tasks. 


Task Lighting: Task lighting helps you perform specific activities such as reading or cooking. Task likes are generally positioned to help you with whatever you are doing. Well placed task lighting avoids shadows and helps to reduce eye strain. Table lights and specially placed pendant kitchen lights can fall into this category


Accent Lighting: Accent lighting is used to highlight specific areas within your room. These tend to be areas where you want to create a focal point such as lighting cabinets or where a picture is hanging. Accent lighting tends to be brighter than other lights in your room. Other areas where you might want to consider accent lighting are fireplaces and alcoves.