Metford Home Design Family Room

Design tips & trends

How Natural and Artificial Lighting Can Change a Room

Your choice of lighting can have a surprising effect on all sorts of things from your mood, energy levels and even how the colours of your home appear. However, once you know what you’re doing, you can expertly use different types of light to customise the look and feel of your home.

The effect of light on your mood

Kempsey Interior 4

 

There’s a reason why you find yourself in a better mood when the sun comes out. Natural light increases cortisol levels in your body and it’s important that we expose ourselves to it each day.


Exposure to too much artificial light has been shown to increase stress levels and it can make you sleepier throughout the day. Allowing natural light into your home is a great way to increase positive vibes.

Effect of light on colours

Acacia Interior 4

 

You may have carefully chosen out the colours of your home interiors such as walls, furniture, cushions and curtains — but your choice of lighting can affect how these colours look.


Artificial lighting comes in a variety of hues and you should choose bulbs that complement your home and mood you are after.


LED lights emit a blue light that works well in modern spaces and will remove warmth from your colour palette, whereas incandescent lights emit a warmer light that will make reds, oranges and yellow appear more vivid while dulling blue and green colours.


For the most natural looking light that will show up your chosen colours in their truest form, choose light globes that emit a white light.


North, west, east or south?

Balmoral interior 11

 

When planning the lighting and colour palettes for your home, you first need to consider which way your windows are facing. Which areas of your rooms have more lighting in the morning versus the afternoon?


The time of day that natural light enters your home also affects the colour of the light. For example, east-facing rooms that get sunlight in the morning tend to appear bluer, whereas west-facing rooms will have warmer, dramatic light in the afternoon.


If you want lots of natural light but are concerned about privacy or too much glare, a good solution is to diffuse the light with sheer curtains that can soften the light for a more even glow.


Contact us today to plan your new home with the best mix of natural and artificial light.


View all Design Tips & Trends Articles >

You may also like...