Feel comfortable in your own four walls. In the stress of building or moving, it is often overlooked that this also includes planning the lighting in the future apartment or new house. Good lighting is so important. Light determines whether or not we feel comfortable in a room. And especially on dark autumn and winter days with little daylight, the right lighting creates a cozy atmosphere. Below we give you tips for designing the lighting in your new home:
TIP 1: THE PURPOSE OF LIGHTING IN LIGHTING DESIGN
When designing lighting, a distinction is essentially made between four types of lighting, each for different purposes. Background or general lighting simply serves to replace or supplement, if necessary, the missing sunlight with artificially generated light. General lighting should illuminate a room as completely and evenly as possible. This function is usually performed by ceiling lights, multiple wall spotlights or ceiling projectors. When purchasing lights, make sure the light sources are shielded by glass, fabric or other materials and do not cause glare. It is also recommended to equip the general lighting with a dimmer. So it can be bright in the dining room while you eat, while a soft, soft light ensures comfort during social gatherings afterwards.
However, a room lit only with backlighting quickly appears boring and one-dimensional. Selective accent lighting offers variety. It can, for example, emphasize a particular piece of furniture, an unusual detail in a room or an unusual wall structure. Indirect accent lighting also reveals dark corners of the room and makes it appear larger. The structures are highlighted through direct lighting from bottom to top; for furniture or paintings, spotlights aimed specifically at the object from above are suitable.
In places where we concentrate, for example when reading on the sofa, working at the desk or in the kitchen, selective lighting is also necessary. Task lighting with floor lamps or spotlights ensures targeted, high-contrast light here. Ideally, the light should shine from above so as not to cast shadows on your work area.
When the lighting is not primarily intended to increase brightness, but rather to make the room more comfortable, it is called mood lighting. This type of lighting can only be achieved through indirect lighting. This means that the light sources themselves are not visible, but their light is reflected by objects or walls, such as background lighting on the cabinet or indirect spotlights on the ceiling.
By combining several indirect light sources with warm, reddish light, i.e. with a low color value, a cozy atmosphere can be created. By the way, the higher the value of the light color measured in Kelvin, the bluer or colder the light will be. A warm light color similar to that of a light bulb is between 2,800 and 3,000 Kelvin.
TIP 2: PLAN LIGHTING AHEAD
Given the lighting purpose mentioned above, forward-looking lighting planning involves thinking carefully about where and what light is needed during the design phase of the new building. There is nothing worse than being able to position the lights only where you need them with infinite extension cords or countless multiple sockets.
The floor plans of the planned rooms serve as a basis. Make a rough sketch of the likely placement of the furniture. What is the best place for the dining table? Where is the bed in the bedroom? How should the kitchen be organised? Consider where natural light enters the room through windows and where there may be darker corners during the day. Large pieces of furniture, such as kitchen cabinets or wall cabinets, also cast a shadow, which you should also include in your lighting design. From these considerations you can develop a list of the lights you need and their placement.
Additionally, you should keep in mind that your setup may change over time. So plan enough additional connections so you can remain flexible in the future. In other words: assume that you will always need more connections than you think today.
We also remember that recessed spotlights require space in the ceiling or in the wall and it is better to take this into account during the rough construction phase. Furthermore, the cable capacity must be sufficient to connect all the necessary lights and other electrical devices to be connected, such as televisions or PCs.
TIP 3: IDEAS FOR THE LIGHTING DESIGN OF LIVING AND WORK SPACES
The following applies to all environments where you spend longer periods of time both day and night: to create mood lighting it is better to design multiple light sources for different purposes. A classic ceiling light with warm white light is ideal for general lighting. Furthermore, dimmable ceiling spotlights can create individual accents as they shine brightly and produce pleasant indirect light.
A floor lamp next to the reading chair in the living room provides good reading light, while additional spotlights or light strips specifically illuminate the worktop in the kitchen. In the dining room you should provide sufficient lighting with a pendant lamp above the dining table. Make sure that, on the one hand, the light is sufficiently intense and, on the other, that it does not blind you when you sit at the table. The classic desk lamp is used in the home office and on the desk in children’s and teenagers’ rooms.
When purchasing lights you should also take into account the proportions of your living room (living room). Large pendant or pendant lamps look out of place in small rooms with low ceilings, while they have a particular charm in rooms with high ceilings. If the ceiling is low, for general lighting it is advisable to choose flat ceiling lights or wall lights.
TIP 4: LIGHT DESIGN IN THE BEDROOM AND BATHROOM
The bedroom and bathroom also need good background lighting. Furthermore, bedside lamps in the bedroom provide direct light for reading, creating a pleasant atmosphere. You can create romantic moments with LED strips on the back or under the bed.
In the bathroom, warm white recessed spotlights fixed to the ceiling or recessed into the ceiling are the best way to provide pleasant general lighting. Again, additional light sources are needed to avoid the floodlight effect. Create extra light over the sink and mirror so you can see what you’re doing while applying makeup or shaving.
In the bathroom, avoid lights with cold and bluish light. Otherwise you will get the same effect that almost everyone has experienced in a dimly lit hotel bathroom: with LEDs or cold white neon you look at yourself in the mirror worse than you actually are. It doesn’t have to be this way. Otherwise make sure that all lights and lamps are also suitable for use in the bathroom.
And if you want to tackle the lighting design of your new home together with a professional, organize a personal meeting with the nearest construction partner.
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