Style: August 03, 2018

66 STYLE | home
Kina Shade by
David Trubridge
THINGS TO CONSIDER
WHEN BUILDING A HOME
Don’t over-light your interiors. This creates
a “cool” feeling in a room, rather than one of
warmth. Spend time working out what natural
light will fall into that room then ask yourself
what will you do in the room and how will
the furniture be configured. From here you
can plan your lighting options.
Put a dimmer on every interior light. This
is crucial to adjust lighting depending on the
time of day and what you may be doing in
that room at the time. Is it time for your
child’s homework (bright light) or are you
hosting an evening cocktail party (ambient
light). Dimmers provide a practical and easy
solution.
Mix lighting solutions. Use as few ceiling
lights as possible. Wall washers, low hallway
wall lights, floor lamps and table lamps are all
good options to layer into a home to create
interest and warmth. Take time to research
lighting options before meeting with your
electrician to create a plan that works for
your home.
Go automated in some areas. In places like
the pantry, walk-in robe and the garage, you
will never regret instant light. No one likes
fumbling around in the dark.
Tread wary with trends. If you fill your home
with lighting that is all the rage, at the time,
it may date quickly. Choose a mix of both
modern and traditional lighting options that
caters to your tastes and needs for the home.
This makes your home unique to you.
Spend time on switch placement. Walk in
and out of each doorway, going through
your daily routines visualising your common
household activities before you decide
on switch placement. Consider furniture
arrangement. Sometimes it will make sense
to place a light switch outside the door rather
than inside. All light switches should go on the
latch side of the door not the hinge side.
Don’t forget about lamps. Use floor lamps
for bigger areas like a reading corner and table
lamps for smaller areas. Place them carefully.
Look at shade size according to where the
lamp is and what size the area is you want to
be lighting.
MiniSophie Lamp by frauMaier;
Switches by Dowsing and Reynolds
THE LIGHTING ON THE CAKE
Think of your room as a cake and the lighting as the layers within
that cake. If you layer the lighting, you create ambience.
1. ‘General lighting’ is the main layer of the cake and should
produce around 75% of the room’s light.
2. The next layer is ‘task lighting’. Task lighting helps you
accomplish everyday chores within a room. So whether it’s reading
a book or chopping vegetables, write down the list of tasks that
happen in a room and plan the lighting around them.
3. ‘Accent lighting’ is the final layer. This is the decorative element
and enhances the bits of the room you want to showcase, such as
tray ceilings or perhaps a particular shelf or artwork.