52 March 2015 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | home In a Good Light You might adorn your house with the most exquisite things, but what truly brings the space to life is its illumination. This month, Ankita Mamgain throws light on how to brighten a room and get creative with it. One of the most essential aspects of interior design is lighting as it has a direct affect on the mood and design of your living space. Whether you like bright and cheery or soft and romantic, you can help your home reach its full aesthetic potential with the correct fixtures. Before moving further, it would help to understand the three fundamental types of lighting. Overall light provides illumination for a whole room or space. Task lighting is used for a specific purpose, such as to light a path, reading or work area and Accents draw attention and are usually accomplished with spotlights. THE MARKETPLACE There is a plethora of different light fixtures in the market that can really feed your creativity. However, a clear idea of what kind of mood you want to achieve can come in handy when making your choice. Ceiling mount lighting is one of the most popular styles and is ideal for foyers, hallways, bedrooms, task areas, stairways and many other locations. Chandeliers add style and glamour to your dining or living room while giving a general feel to the space. Wall-mounted fixtures typically match the chandelier or ceiling fixture and can deliver general, task or accent lighting and transform a functional room or hallway into a cosy retreat or dramatic passageway. Another popular choice is pendant lighting, which provides both task and general illumination. These can be used as shades or globes to avoid glare and are often suspended over dining room tables, game tables, countertops or other work areas. Recessed fixtures are great as they are both subtle and unobtrusive. Track lighting allows customisation and is perfect for highlighting artwork or architectural details and can provide general or task illumination as well. Do remember to add a dimmer control to your overall lighting plan or at least to the chandelier so that you can alter the intensity of light to suit the mood and activity. AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH Keep the theme, mood and size of the room in mind while designing the lighting plan.
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