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How to plan the lighting in your home – our top tips
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHTING
The interior experts keep urging us to decorate with more lighting and they probably have a point. Do you find that you have a lot of lamps but still seem to lack good lighting when doing a certain activity? It's probably because you've used mostly mood lighting and less of the other two types of lighting: functional and general lighting. While mood lighting gives your home that extra touch, functional and general lighting provides us with good lighting for activities such as reading and cooking. It is therefore important to strike a balance between all three types of lighting in your home.
A great rule of thumb is to have 5-10 light sources in one room.
LIGHTING YOUR HOMETHE RIGHT WAY - DIRECTIONAL LIGHT & DIFFUSED LIGHT
DIRECTED LIGHT
Before we go deeper into the different types of lighting, it is important to realise that lighting also offers differences in the way light is spread. You have probably heard the terms directional light and diffused light before? A lamp with directional light has a shade that directs the light in a particular direction instead of letting the light through on the sides. This means you get a concentrated light source where you need it, such as a reading lamp, and is therefore the standard for functional lighting.
Directed light gives you a concentrated light source and is perfect for a cosy reading corner.
Lamps in paper and frosted glass give off a diffused glow - perfect for a lovely cosy atmosphere in the room.
DIFFUSED LIGHT
Diffused light does the opposite of directed light. It spreads the light more widely throughout the room and often has a softer glow, we see this mainly see this in mood lighting, but general lighting can also give off a more diffused glow. If you start by combining the three types of lighting, you will naturally achieve a variation of directional and diffused light in your home, which gives the home the right conditions for decorating with lighting in the best possible way.
A CLOSER LOOK AT FUNCTIONAL LIGHTING
Functional lighting is lighting that is designed to make it easier for your eyes to perform a certain task. Now that many of us have created home offices, functional lighting is essential for small workplace. Invest in table lamps or floor lamps that have a downward-angled shade to give you the perfect directional light. which is perfect for a study corner, but you can also opt for a lower hanging ceiling light that gives you the perfect directional light for a more ergonomic workspace.
GENERAL LIGHTING
Unlike targeted functional lighting, general lighting illuminates an entire room with a broader, diffused light. Hallway and bathroom lighting in the form of ceiling and pendant lights are classic examples of general lighting that illuminates the whole room. It is also a good idea to have general lighting in other rooms in the home, like the living room or kitchen for those moments when you need a little extra illumination!
MOOD LIGHTING
Mood lighting is exactly what you would expect, lighting we use to create a softer and more inviting atmosphere in the home. Mood lighting is a beautiful complement to the other forms of lighting and can take the form of anything from a beautiful table lamp to candles that give off a warm glow.
Our top tip is to use a dimmer to turn functional lighting into mood lighting. If you don't have access to a dimmer, there are bulbs with a dimmer function that you can control through the regular switch, such as the E27 LED Normal from Globen Lighting. When you switch on the light source for the first time, it will be at 100% brightness, if you switch off the lamp and switch it on immediately, the light source will dim down one step. If you complete the same procedure again, you dim the light source a third time.
MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES IN EACH ROOM
When it comes to planning your lighting, it is generally said that each room should have between 5 - 10 light sources. This sounds like a lot, but in larger rooms such as the living room, you can easily reach, for example, ten light points if you start by decorating both high and low with your lighting. Therefore, consider having at least five light sources in each room, but consider how you can introduce more lighting in larger rooms.
5 – 10 light sources are the recommendation for each room, but perhaps mainly for the living room. How many do you currently have?
THE LIVING ROOM
The living room needs all three types of lighting. On the one hand, you want directional light in the form of a floor lamp in your reading nook and a ceiling lamp with diffused light above the coffee table. But, you'll also want to add mood lighting in the form of window lights, a table lamp on a shelf or table, and candlelight for best results.
THE BEDROOM
The bedroom can be decorated with mood and functional lighting in the form of table lamps, window lights and perhaps even a string of lights. If you like to read in bed, you should have a wall lamp or table lamp that gives you a directional light and preferably with a swivelling fixture so you can adjust the light depending on whether you are sitting up or lying down.
THE KITCHEN
In the kitchen, you want to focus on functional and mood lighting. As we mentioned earlier, you should mainly have a functional, directional light for the work surface in the kitchen but when it comes to the dining area, you can include more mood lighting. The most important thing is that the light over the dining table is directed downwards with an open shade and that the lamp doesn't hang too high so that it dazzles you when you sit at the table.
THE HALLWAY
The hallway is best decorated with good general lighting in the form of ceilings or pendant lights, but you can also complement it with mood lighting in the form of wall or table lamps.
THE BATHROOM
The bathroom is also best served by general lighting together with directional functional lighting that highlights your face in the mirror. This gives your face less shadows, which makes it easier to look your best in the mornings...
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLOUR TEMPERATURE & LUMENS
If you've ever bought a light bulb that didn't live up to your expectations, perhaps it was too warm or too cold, we suggest you read our guide on choosing the right light bulb to learn more about colour temperature and which are best suited to the different types of lighting!
Styling: Ellinor Johansson, Anna Magnusson, Sara Zetterström Photography: Angeliqa Daldorph, Elof Martinsson, @arkihem, @haus_tannenkamp, CO Bankeryd
