This Pooky series looks at the seven elements of interior design: space, texture, line, form, colour, pattern, and, finally, the most important of all....light! Here’s a guide to our specialist subject…
If you have been following our Seven Elements series, you will have guessed that we have saved the best till last. Lighting, of course! No surprise, really, but lighting is the element that makes all the difference. Get the lighting right and all the hard work you have put into creating your beautifully styled home can be fully appreciated.
Our advice is to start thinking about lighting from day one and make it an integral part of your design plans from the very start. The right lighting will bring a space to life and create the right mood, whatever your style and design preferences, as you’ll see from the range of interiors featured in this post.
With lighting, it is all about what, when, where and how. Each type of room in your home has a specific function—or functions—different spaces and functions need different lighting at different times of the day or night. Deciding how best to light a busy, multi-purpose kitchen, a downstairs cloakroom, a child’s bedroom or a reading nook requires flexible thinking.
Just the right amount of light…
Pooky’s Doorstop rechargeable lamp and empire shade in Morris & Co’s sunflower borage block print keeping this bathroom by @ourhebehome light and bright.
This is where the science comes in, and it’s worth following the science if you want to have the right amount of lighting. Did you know that we measure lighting in lumens and that there is an ideal lumen range for different types of space?
For example, the range for kitchens and bathrooms, where you need strong light, is 70 to 80 lumens for each square foot; for sitting rooms and bedrooms, the range is lower at 10 to 20 lumens per square foot. Start by measuring the length and width of the space to find the square footage. Add this to the appropriate lumen rage and, hey presto, that gives you the relevant lumen number.
Find out all about lumens and lighting different rooms in your home, with our expert guide: How much light do you need in a room?
The layered look
Layering is a key feature of contemporary interior design, just as it is with fashion; it is all about putting together a specific look, piece by piece, with each addition, texture, and colour lending a purposeful layer to the overall character of a space. Layering, in the context of lighting, involves making choices about how and where to use three different kinds of lighting.
Ambient lighting creates the overall effect; it includes ceiling lights, such as pendants, including chandeliers, recessed lighting, floor lamps and wall lights.
@ceciliahallinghowells makes the most of an awkward space in a child’s bedroom with our Swing articulated floor lamp.
Task lighting does what it says on the tin; it focuses strong illumination on tasks where we really do need to be able to see what we are doing, such as reading, sewing, working at a computer, or cooking. We are talking about office and desk lights, table lamps and downlighters.
Accent lighting brings a touch of theatre to a space; use it to draw attention to particular features, such as an architectural aspect or precious objects, even a vase of flowers or a large houseplant. We are talking mood, drama, attention and, as we’re talking drama, let’s not forget the importance of entrances and exits. First and last impressions count, which is why we love an imposing hallway lantern.
Our Zeus chandelier—an essential part of this grand entrance by @makingspacesnet and @renovating_harrogate
Adopting a layered approach, with different lighting types, means that you can tweak things, according to the time of day or the season, or simply to create a subtly different atmosphere.
Go to Home lighting design: A guide to layering light for helpful advice.
Think colour, texture, pattern
Incorporate these into your lighting schemes and you have four key interior design elements in one. The simplest and most budget-friendly way to bring in colour and texture is with lampshades made of fabric or natural materials.
Take a textural stroll through Pooky’s extensive range, where you will find lampshades made from card, cotton, jute, linen, paper, parchment, rattan, silk and velvet. Add pattern and colour with ikat printing, hand marbling, shibori, hand painting, contemporary designer prints, or patterns rooted in history. Each combination is unique, with different levels of light diffusion. It is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of colour, texture and pattern that you can blend and adapt to create optimal lighting for every room in your home.
Colour co-ordination for cosy corner vibes, with Pooky’s grey green egg and spoon silk ikat shade Photo: @itsnotsogrimupnorth
Discover more at Pooky’s guide to lampshade fabrics.
Focus on…this!
We all have pieces in our homes that are worthy of notice, our very own favourite things. Use focused lighting to share the love, from strategically placed lamps on bookshelves—who doesn’t love a nosey at other people’s bookshelves?—to wall lights that bring a whole new meaning to kitchen shelves.
Cardiff kitchen by @the_beatty_project plus Pooky’s Elbow wall fittings with glass Scallop shades.
Picture lights are a must for art and photography lovers; they make the most of a personal art gallery, and protect paintings and prints from light damage.
Our Clyfford picture light—the perfect artwork companion in this @inspired_interiors_edinburgh sitting room. Photo: @nestmarketing
Check out our guide at: Picture lights - how to illuminate your paintings and artworks.
If you live in a Victorian or Edwardian home with ornate cornices, use uplighters to bring out the finer details.
And these days, lighting can be the focus of attention or a work of art in itself, from designer lampshades created by Matthew Williamson or Ellen Merchant, for example, or sculptural, like our gold and white marble Knotty.
Set the mood
Light - natural and artificial - affects our mood, as well as our overall wellbeing, so it makes sense to use lighting to create or enhance a particular feeling. Need to be firing on all cylinders? Go for white-blue, which is cooling and stimulating.
But, if you need to recover from that busy day at the office (at home or away…), choose warm white-yellow lighting to calm, warm and de-stress. Want to create a relaxing, welcoming effect for your guests? Introduce soft low-level layered lighting with table, floor and wall lamps. And don’t forget about dimmer switches, for instant mood adjustment!
Here’s how: Understanding warm lighting - plus a guide to colour temperature.
Express yourself—with lighting
We love this bathroom by @manwithahammer … the perfect place to recharge your batteries on a Friday night, with flexible help from…rechargeable Phileas.
Whether you live in an urban studio, a 1930s semi or a rural Georgian rectory, your home is the one place where you get to decide about the design scheme. Whether you’re an uber cool minimalist, a multi-layered maximalist, a globtrotter with a stash of unusual artefacts, or a country house comfort-seeker, lighting should always form an integral part of your interior design plans. And we’re here to help!
At Pooky, you will find lighting and lampshades for every type of space, from hallways to dining rooms, and every type of interior design style.
Need a design confidence boost? We’re happy to help: How to develop an ‘eye’ for interior design.
Discover more about lighting and interior design…
Immerse yourself in Pooky’s we love interiors blog series, where you’ll find interior design and lighting inspiration for all tastes, from classic design styles to international approaches, seasonal interior design tweaks, interviews with contemporary designers, profiles of some of the world’s greatest designers, advice and guidance on room-by-room lighting and much more, including some of that important lighting techie stuff too!
Browse Pooky's enormous range of sensational lights and shades here.
See also:
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Space
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Texture
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Line
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Colour
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Form
The Seven Elements of Interior Design: Pattern
