Lighting plays a very important part in the overall look and design of your interior. When it comes to creating a lighting plan there are many things to consider, as the light will affect everything, from the colour of your walls to the decor. It even has the ability to alter the size of a room. Below are five ways lighting can affect your interior.

1. Colour

Redecorating your home is not always a simple process. Selecting the perfect colour is top priority of course, but before you start it might be worth giving consideration to how the colour will look when the room is lit. Incandescent light has the ability to make reds and oranges visibly striking, whereas fluorescent light may strain some colours such as blue and green. Halogen light on the other hand is able to enhance most colours.

2. Natural light

Natural light can change the look and feel of a room very quickly. We don’t give it a second look, when the sun is glaring in through the windows our first thought it to shut it out. This way your home faces can have bearing on the amount of light your interior will receive. North and South facing rooms benefit from a cool look and feel, while East and West facing rooms can improve warm colours in both the morning and evening.

3. Bigger space

Maximizing the most amount of space in a room can be tricky, however,  by using subtle lighting choices you can create the illusion of a bigger space. Recessed and pendant lights are the ideal choices in this instance. You probably need to have a high ceiling, but if the lights are hung or installed high enough then with careful planning you’ll create the perception of a much larger room.

4. Productivity

We all know that trying to undertake tasks around the home in poor light could have a significant impact on our eye sight. Poor lighting in the home can put a strain on your eyes leaving you tired and in some cases with headaches. Similarly, too much light can affect your vision as well as your mood. The interior lighting plan should take into account the areas of the home where you spend a lot of time undertaking day-to-day tasks, such as the kitchen. Here you can install light fittings that direct a cone of light onto the workspace, which won’t leave any shadows.

5. Mood

Lastly, interior lighting can impact your mood. Natural light generally has a calming influence; it can be softer, depending of course, on the weather. Poor lighting will almost certainly have a negative impact and may cause you to become irritable and lethargic. One way to balance this out is by fitting a dimmer switch, by doing so you have total control of the lighting, mood and atmosphere in the room.