Interior Lighting

mood lighting the inside

Interior lighting as differentiated from indoor lighting involves the use of artificial lighting or natural lighting to light up the indoors for decorative or accentual purposes. It is a form of interior décor and can be considered an essential to interior furnishing. It is almost an art form in itself.

Interior lighting involves basically two aspects.

Accent Lighting – creates a mood and adds interest to a room by highlighting or spotlighting certain areas and objects, such as paintings, walls, and collectibles. Break the room into several zones by lighting and switching them separately, then adjust accordingly for the mood you want to set. Layer with light from a variety of sources to get the most flexibility for creating different moods in the same room. Layer with light, using wall washers, downlights, and accent lights on dimmers to create a medley of possible effects – from spacious to intimate. Graze textured walls with our halogen downlights or directionals placed close to the wall and aimed downward. Light bookcases and stereo cabinets from within, using small-diameter fluorescent or miniature halogen bulbs concealed behind the shelves. Use a halogen floor-mounted directional fixture under a large plant to create an artistic pattern on the ceiling. For a soft accent, place scones on either side of your fireplace. Using a halogen spotlight, accent an interesting painting, floral arrangement, or piece of furniture at the end of a hallway.

Decorative Lighting – become elements of the space themselves, such as chandeliers and candles. For an elegant setting, blend candlelight and lower levels of electric light sources all over the room. Show off your walls. Walls can be lit many different ways, including using recessed lighting in the floor, or decorative sconces that point light upwards. If you have a wall of beautiful exposed brick, for example, you'll want to light that to show off the texture. Use downlight for pictures. Artwork should generally be lit from above, using downward facing lights. Many specialty lights are available to install directly over photos and paintings. Place light sources at various heights within the room (ceiling, table, floor) to add visual interest and human scale. Illuminate artwork over the headboard with ceiling-mounted fixtures placed close to the wall to avoid direct glare.

Discover all available tools. Modern lighting goes far beyond the standard incandescent bulb. You can choose fiber optic lights, and even LED illumination. You can install dimmers, colored filters, or diffusing lenses. There are nearly limitless options to change the quality and mood of a room's lighting.

Interior lighting also has various styles including casual, contemporary, traditional, tiffany, crystal, etc which all add to the element that your taste contains. Thus interior lighting is as essential as furnishing your house.

There are many more fixture articles in our fixture section. There is more specific information in the links at the beginning of this article. They can guide you where you need to go.