Lighting is one of the key ingredients to interior design, and one that should not be considered as an after thought. Ambient lighting provides the foundations to a room, and it's something that should be designed and planned during the early stages of any renovation.

In its purest form, lighting provides our rooms with illumination, but adequate ambient lighting can create the relevant mood in the room that's required. You wouldn't want to work under the dull glow of a street lamp, and you wouldn't want a relaxing evening spent under bright artificial lighting.

It's all about creating flexibility and enhancing the space with the lighting you choose. To create the perfect setup in your home, we explore ambient lighting and the best ways to achieve this in your interior.

What Is Ambient Lighting?

Ambient lighting, otherwise known as mood lighting involves using colour, temperature and brightness to create a warming, and comfortable amount of light throughout for an ambient space.

Ambient lighting is usually created with a mixture of lights through a layered lighting scheme including downlights, wall lights and pendant lights. Flexibility with this lighting setup is key.

The purpose of ambient lighting is to ensure that no matter what time of the day, there are perfect levels of light to suit the time and mood of the house.

Add A Dimmer Switch To Your Lighting Setup

The main thing that you want to achieve with ambient lighting is flexibility which is very difficult to achieve without a dimmer switch.

A dimmer switch gives you total control over your lighting setup, allowing you to increase the brightness, and dim your lighting when the role of the room requires it.

Dimmer switches are a great addition to most rooms, but they are incredibly important in rooms such as the bathroom, or the kitchen which require greater flexibility.

For example, in the bathroom you need full brightness to aid tasks such as applying makeup and shaving, yet in the evening you want a relaxing setup, with lower levels of lighting to relax in the bath and unwind.

Control is key with ambient lighting, and creating the right levels that are perfect for you, the room and what you're looking to achieve.

Layered Lighting

Layered lighting in an interior allows you to create soft and subtle levels of lighting to enhance your interiors, but to also set the mood to the desired level when required.

Wall lights come in a variety of different styles to suit your home decor style, as well as being suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

When selecting wall lights and where to position them think of why, and where they might be needed. For example, a pair of wall lights on either side of a bathroom mirror provide excellent task lighting which avoids the overhead glare of a downlight. They also work incredibly well in a hallway where you may just want subtle mood lighting in the evenings and mornings.

Layered lighting is just another way to gain control over the flexibility of your lighting.

High CRI Lighting - Artificial Lighting

Have you ever heard yourself say the words, 'let me look at that in a different light?'. Well, that's all to do with one thing called CRI, colour rendering index, and it's a scientific reason as to why paint can look different in different lights.

CRI is the measurement of how colours look underneath a light source when compared with sunlight. It reflects the true colour of objects in the room. 

A low, poorly performing CRI level (less than 97) can cause havoc with your interiors. It can make your painstakingly long decisions of choosing the right furniture and paint be a worthless effort, as they end up looking completely different in situ. Not convinced? A low CRI can even affect your mood. 

A simple solution when adding bulbs to your light fittings is to look for those with a high CRI level >97. 

As you can see, CRI plays a hugely important role in both the paint colour and the objects you hold in your home. 

When choosing your lighting always aim for lighting with the highest CRI as possible for clarity and definition. Our extensive range of downlights are available in a number of different finishes to suit your home decor style.

Colour Temperature Changing Lights

Colour temperature is one final decision that can make a big difference on how your lighting looks, and feels.

Do you want your room to feel warm and relaxing? Or perhaps a warmer white for a relaxing, yet practical use in a room? Or maybe a bit of both?

Colour temperature changing downlights are a smart choice for interior design as you can switch the settings and change your colour temperature with a flick of a switch. From daylight like lighting for tasks, to a warm and inviting glow for a relaxing evening.

Ambient lighting for interior design shouldn't be an afterthought, it becomes a strategic lighting strategy that will make your interiors feel better, and reflects the needs and mood of the room throughout the day.