Lighting can have a huge impact on a space. Whether you’re trying to create a cosy and comfortable living room or a vibrant and productive workspace, choosing the correct lighting can make all the difference in setting the tone and creating the right atmosphere.
From making your employees feel more awake in the office to helping your family sleep better at home, proper lighting can affect every part of your day. In this article we will go through some of the main ways in which choosing the right lighting can make a difference to your residential or commercial space and to the people in it.
The most important light in both residential and commercial spaces is natural light. Exposure to natural light is crucial for overall health and wellbeing. Both in workplaces and at home, the presence of natural light can boost mood and reduce stress, as well as reduce headaches and eye irritation caused by the light from screens. Natural light is also essential to keeping your circadian rhythm – or internal clock – regular, which is how you regulate your sleeping pattern, and exposure to sunlight boosts your vitamin D too.
Keeping your windows clean, both inside and out, is a great way of maximising the natural light in a space, as well as keeping blinds and curtains fully open during the day. This can also help to reduce energy costs as you won’t need to have your lights on as much when the sun’s up.
Proper lighting can make your space feel much bigger. By lighting the darker corners, you can create the illusion of more space by illuminating every inch of your room, making it feel brighter and more open.
Adding lighting at floor level or around the ceiling can draw the eye up and down, making your vertical space seem bigger and your ceilings feel higher. This can make your space feel more bright and airy.
The use of multiple sources of light is a great way of creating the illusion of more space in a room, as it eliminates dark shadows which would be caused by light from a single direction. This technique of using multiple light sources at different points around a space is known as layered lighting, and it’s a great way of adding depth and making a room feel much more spacious. Layered lighting is particularly effective when the light sources are at different heights as well as spread out around the room.
Using the correct lighting can boost your mood significantly. Being in a well lit, bright space can boost your brain’s release of serotonin. Serotonin is the hormone in your brain responsible for boosting your mood and making you feel happier, calmer and more focused.
Adding some bright light to your space is particularly important on days when the sun isn’t shining as brightly, the sky is very cloudy, or during the winter months when the days are shorter. A lack of natural daylight can make you feel a bit down, but this can be counteracted with some bright indoor lighting.
Imagine sitting in a dark room all day; pretty miserable, right? Making sure you light your space well can keep you feeling better, working harder and getting more done.
Proper lighting can increase your productivity, whether at work or checking things off your to do list at home. Good lighting can give you an energy boost and increase your focus. It can also help you to see things more clearly, which is really important for working on tasks which involve attention to detail.
Bad lighting can contribute to tiredness as well as eye strain and headaches, which can slow you down and make you feel lethargic. You can tackle all of this with the addition of some well placed lighting, taking the pressure off your eyes and letting you get on with things in comfort.
Lighting can be used to quickly and effectively draw attention to particular features of your space. This type of lighting is sometimes referred to as accent lighting. You might want to highlight an interesting architectural feature of your space such as a column or archway, or perhaps you have some artwork which could be specifically lit to draw the eye to it.
In a commercial space, you might have some certificates showing particular qualifications or awards which can be subtly highlighted with some well positioned lighting, drawing the attention of clients and customers. In retail, lighting is extremely important for highlighting promotional materials and specific products. Good lighting can be the difference between a boring display that people walk past and something really attention grabbing.
Lighting can be decorative in its own right. Decorative lighting comes in a huge range of shapes, sizes and forms; pendant lights, wall sconces, floor lamps and table lamps can all be used to give character to a space and put your own stamp on your home. As well as the fixtures themselves, the light that’s produced can create a beautiful ambience in a room.
Lighting can be used to create distinct areas within a larger space. In residential spaces this is particularly useful for open plan living spaces with a kitchen, dining area and living area all in one room. Clever lighting can transform your open plan space into three distinct, cosy areas.
In commercial spaces, dividing your space up into smaller sections can be even more important. In office spaces with lots of work areas spread over a large space, the use of specific lighting can make each desk space feel cosy and specific. You can also use lighting to separate out meeting spaces and areas for taking a break, turning a vast open space into a dynamic and well planned out place of work. This separation of spaces for work and relaxation can also help workers to feel more completely relaxed when they’re on breaks or eating lunch, so that they can more fully focus on work when they’re in their work space.
Clever lighting can give you more options with your space. Making your lights dimmable gives you control over the intensity of your lighting, letting you change the atmosphere in your home or workplace over the course of a day.
You might want brighter lighting in the morning to give a little boost of energy and help wake up, whereas in the evenings you might want a more tranquil and cosy atmosphere. Installing dimmers on your lights can completely change the feel of a room as and when you want to.
In a commercial setting such as a cafe or restaurant, the time of day might dictate the type of lighting you need. Brighter lighting is more welcoming for breakfast or brunch service, and a more intimate feeling for dinner can be achieved with dimmer general lighting and individual lights on each table.
With the right choices of lighting you can save money on your bills. There are lots of little choices you can make which will make a big difference to your energy bill. Installing dimmers can help you reduce your energy usage, as lights which are less bright don’t need as much energy to run.
Switching your light bulbs to LED lights can save you a huge amount on your electricity. LED bulbs don’t heat up like more traditional light bulbs do, so all of their energy is used to produce light, and isn’t wasted on heat.
Clever placement of lamps can reduce the need to have lots of different lights on at once, which can also save you money. Even something as simple as changing your lampshade can allow more light to spill out into a room from a single source.
Lighting can completely change a space, and can have a huge impact on the people working and living in it. At ES Lighting we have a huge range of different lighting solutions to fit any space. Whether you’re looking for residential lighting or commercial lighting, we can help you find the perfect options for your needs.
You can browse our range of lighting online, or for more help or advice you can get in touch with our team of experts. We’ll be more than happy to put our knowledge and expertise behind your project.
