One of the biggest mistakes amateurs make when designing a home is not paying enough attention to the lighting. This is what pulls everything else together and enhances the overall look of the design. It has a major effect on your mood and sets the tone for different activities. Proper lighting can make you feel energized and happy while poor lighting can make you feel sluggish, tired and even grumpy.

All good interior design plans will include proper lighting that creates the right environment for each individual room. For example, you’ll want plenty of light in kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms. Installing track lighting in the kitchen to illuminate under the counters and other dark spots or hanging a chandelier over the dining room table are two good examples of lighting that gives a room personality, style and proper illumination.

Natural and Artificial Lighting

Natural and artificial lighting are used together to create the most comfortable and efficient environments. Any good interior design will take advantage of natural lighting by placing windows where they’ll be the most effective and many designs will include skylights strategically placed throughout the home. Natural lighting adds to the beauty of the home and creates a welcoming and comfortable environment.

Artificial lighting ensures the home has sufficient light at night, on cloudy days and in those dark areas of the home where the sun can’t reach. Every room in the home should have a combination of different lighting options that allows you to control how much light you have, based on the time of day and activity performed. Designers use a combination of ceiling fixtures, lamps and dimmer switches to achieve different lighting options.

When choosing light fixtures and lamps, you want a style you like but you have to consider functionality, too. Just because a style looks good in the store doesn’t mean it will go with the rest of your design or that it’ll provide the proper amount of lighting for your home. Light fixtures must be the right size for their purpose and placed strategically throughout the room where they’ll provide optimal lighting. If you’re not sure what you need, ask your interior designer for his opinion.

Consult Your Interior Designer Early In the Plan

It’s much more to choosing and installing lighting than it first appears, which is why experts recommend hiring an interior design team for the job. Bringing the professionals into the plan early will give you more options because they can even help determine the proper placement of the windows when brought into the project during the beginning stages.

A good designer will have the experience and training needed to help you choose the best size and style lighting options to complement your theme, provide adequate lighting and to create harmony within your home. They have the knowledge to find the best location for the light fixtures and lamps to achivie optional lighting.

Lighting plays a very important role in interior design and it will make a difference in how happy you are with the results. When you combine natural and artificial lighting correctly, you’ll have a functional, comfortable and inviting home environment.