Indoor Lighting – Things to Consider

Lighting the area, whether Interior or Exterior needs planning well before decoration, not the vice versa as many of us thought. Good or bad lighting can completely change a look and feel of the area. Lighting is an essential part of our lives, natural or artificial, depends upon the area, time of the day and work to be done. Exterior or Outdoor Lighting is more of quantitative when considering, while Interior or Indoor lighting is more of Quality. Both needs proper planning before installation.

Proper Lighting affects the mood, improves productivity and provokes alertness. Brighter lights create attentiveness and diligence, while softer or dimmer lights make the atmosphere relax and cozy.

When designing the home or workplace, choosing proper lighting is the basic thing to consider. In fact getting know how or what types of light to purchase, which type of bulb they come with, which area the light is going to be installed and from where to buy the lighting for indoor and outdoor is necessary before buying.

Types of Lights

Sconce or Wall Light

Sconce also called Wall lights is a light fitting which is fixed on the wall. Generally, the light direction is upwards or downwards or in some case both.

Ceiling light

As the Name suggest ceiling lights are directly mounted to a ceiling and thus saves up the space.

Chandeliers

Chandeliers add classically elegant design and sophistication with a touch of grace in the room. Usually Chandeliers are mounted to the ceiling in bigger space areas.

Pendant Lights

Pendant Lights are like Chandeliers but smaller in size. Pendant lights are ideal for bedroom, dining room, living room, kitchen and even in bathroom.

Floor Lamps

Floor lamps are tall standing lamps used for providing strong light can be placed in any room. They can also be used for reading.

Hanging Lamps

Hanging lamps add a beauty and style for decorating the room.

Table Lamps

Table lamps as the name suggest usually resides on the table. Table lamps are mostly known for studying or working but if placed well, can also add beauty to the room.

Types of Light Bulb

There are generally 3 types of light bulb with different characteristics:

Halogen

Halogen bulbs are newer form of incandescent bulbs we used in old days. They are internally heated by gas resulting in glowing. These bulbs use more electricity and have shorter lifespan as compared to CFL and LEDs.

CFL

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) are generally called Energy Saving Bulb, introduced as a replacement of old Florescent Bulbs. CFL are more durable and energy saving than incandescent and halogens.

LED

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) is a semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it. LED lights are the most energy efficient of all the current lighting technologies with very long lifespan. The initial cost is a bit higher than CFL and incandescent but it is worth in the long run.

Lighting Area:

One of the main things to be considered before purchasing the lighting is the size of room. As the lighting must be proportional to the size, so that it is fixed and distributed in the space properly and equally.

Purpose for Lighting:

The most important thing to consider before deciding the lighting fixtures is that, for what purpose the room/space would be used. As different kind of lighting is required according to the work and nature of the room. For kitchen, bathroom and work area, lighting needs to be bright. Whereas, for living room, bedroom lights should be dimmer and pleasant to the eyes.

Dimming controls are also a highly effective way to save cost and get flexible lighting option.

There are few other things, which should be considered before taking the decision like budget, time and expertise required for installation, etc. A little bit of research will help to get the better result.