Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Choose Ambient Lighting







Choose Ambient Lighting


Ambient lighting is lighting that comes from all directions and softens the look of a surrounding area. It actually sets the tone and mood of a room. It can be natural lighting or lighting provided by mechanical means. Most rooms have ceiling lights installed as a main source of lighting. Adding ambient lighting throughout a room will provide a balance of lighting that can emphasize one or more focal points. Light will be coming from the floor, the tables, the walls and the ceiling. Follow these instructions on choose ambient lighting to design a room that comes alive with subtle light.


Instructions


1. Place a mirror against the wall opposite the window in a room. By doing this, you will enhance the natural ambient lighting entering the room during daylight hours.


2. When choosing a table lamp for an end table, make sure that it is large enough for reading if it is placed next to a chair or sofa. The bottom of the shade should be level with your ear for properly reading light. It should be heavy at the base so that it can not be tipped over. The base of the shade should not be wider than the top of the end table.








3. Choose a floor lamp that matches the decor and is also a torchiere. This will direct the light to the upper half of the room. If a room is very large, place a torchiere at opposite ends of the room.


4. Accent lighting is used to create focal points in a room. It is quite similar to landscape lighting. If there is a large plant in the room, place a small light on the floor behind the plant. This will illuminate the plant and create shadows on the wall. This can be done for several plants or other decorative objects in the room such as statues.


5. Wall lighting comes in different varieties such as track lighting, picture lighting and wall sconces. A wall sconce is placed on the wall and will produce similar light to a floor lamp. Track lighting and picture lighting can be directed to a focal point such as a wall painting. Track lighting can be pointed in different directions and is good to use when there are several items on a wall that are to be illuminated. A picture light can be used to illuminate a work of art on a wall. Choose the right light fixture depending on what is going to be lit.


6. Adding candles to a room will create a relaxing overall mood and tone to the area. Place several clusters of candles in several areas around a room to produce a fair amount of subtle light.

Tags: ambient lighting, Choose Ambient, Choose Ambient Lighting, floor lamp, focal points