I visited a new clients home recently, it was relatively new and very recently updated, but it was dark. Not just because the previous owners had chosen many dark features, all dark tiles in the bathroom fully cladded for example, or because it was a rainy dark day, but even when the lights were on, it was dark. There just was not enough artificial light to support this home and its finished choices.
On the flip side, I often visit homes where there is so much light that it is bright as anything all through the house because the only lighting there is, is LED down lights, in every room.
So, too little light, or too much of the same thing, both options are missing balance.
My design work is based of philosophies that resonate with me, I am not a Feng Shui expert but I pull wisdom from Feng Shui, nor am I a colour therapist but I pull knowledge from colour therapy in certain situations when it comes to health.
One philosophy I work closely with is Biophilic Design - the introduction of nature in interiors through literal or indirect reference to nature.
Particularly our relationship with light.
Taking our experience of light in the natural world and applying it to our lives gives us a sense of spatial variation, excitement, mood enhancement and general embracement of being alive as a human being.
Sitting around a fire, exploring glow worm caves, the stars, just some examples of experiencing light that comes after dark.
Your home is your environment still, so why not choose magic.
Obviously the home has practical needs that must be met to be able to serve its purpose, this comes first but it shouldn't be where it ends.
If you have ever worked in an office with fluorescent lights, you may find that at work, you feel energized enough to crack on, yet sleepy enough to be happy to stay in your chair, alert enough that you are productive, subdued enough that social time is kept minimum.
This works for the office and is by no means a mistake, but when you fill your home with LED downlights only and have maybe one or two lamps in the house. This is essentially recreating a similar environment (especially if all your walls are the same colour - that is a blog for another day).
So push past the necessities, consider lighting fixtures that you love! If there is a corner with not much purpose other than being a corner, perhaps this is a great spot for a wall sconce or floor lamp - to consider in your electrical plans.
How can you bring variation to your space when it comes to light whilst also ticking practical boxes?
Also, don't expect your electrician to provide these answers for you, this is like asking a builder how the house should be designed, they may provide an answer based on past installations, which may or may not be relevant to your space, or will simply shrug their shoulders and tell you they will come back when you know what they should be doing. Either response is fair.
This all comes back to planning.
Have a ponder about how you want your life to look when you are already living here. Then consider the activities that need to be thought out in regards to how your home can support them. A lighting plan will give you a visual opportunity to refine these spaces and understand how the space will be used and will ensure a better outcome for you, your trades team and your lifestyle thereafter.
Have a fabulous day, designing your life x
Lauren Shiels - 'The Healing Spaces Project'
Image from Pinterest
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