Lighting is an integral element to any home interior as it not only illuminates your space but it also transfers light and shade, enabling it to transform a room from dull to dazzling. There are many different types of lighting for your home, which fall under two main categories, natural and artificial light. We've provided some valuable tips on how to use these different types of lighting to style your home and give your interior more aesthetic appeal.

Lighting categories

Natural light or sunlight is essential for keeping your interior well lit and most importantly, it's free. Unfortunately, the downside of natural light is it's hard to control, as it varies depending on the direction your rooms are facing, the time of day and season. The only way to control natural light is by using window furnishings and mirrors. Window furnishings can range from curtains through to shutters and blinds, such as slat, Roman and venetian. The benefit of blinds and shutters is effectively controlling glare without concealing the style of the window.

Another form of natural light, which can add ambience to your home, is combustion light. This includes both candlelight and fire light. Candlelight is a lovely lighting alternative when you want to create a warm glow and increase the feelings of intimacy in an environment, whereas natural fire light is inviting and lovely to sit next to during cooler weather or with company. Candleabra or candlesticks also make a striking feature in any room.

The benefit of artificial lighting is it allows you to be able to add layers of detail to any space. In a residential space, we recommend using a warm light over a clear light, as it's more welcoming. With artificial lighting, you have the flexibility of being able to highlight features and create zones.

General, ambient, mood, task and accent lighting

Interior lighting can be further broken down into niche categories including general, ambient, mood, task and accent lighting. While some of these forms of lighting fall under several categories, it's good to have an in-depth understanding of all these categories to be able to create an effective lighting scheme in your home.

General interior lighting

This category of lighting is dedicated to ensuring an entire room is lit and is used for functionality over artistic or aesthetic reasons.

Ambient interior lighting

Ambient interior lighting is normally connected to a dimmer switch, enabling the level of light to be varied to create an atmosphere.

Task interior lighting

Task lighting is self-explanatory, meaning it is a category used to describe lighting for a specific task, such as reading, writing or cooking. A lamp is an example of task lighting.

Mood interior lighting

Used to create interest through light and shadow, this category of lighting is crucial for styling a room.

Accent interior lighting

Accent lighting is similar to task lighting, in that it has a specific role to focus on one area. But rather than illuminating an area for practical purposes, accent lighting is used to highlight a feature in a room, like a sculpture or painting.

By following our lighting tips you will be able to add style to your home, as well as avoid issues that can be caused from poor illumination, ranging from headaches and lighting fatigue through to tired eyes. If you are uncertain which types of lighting or categories to use when styling your home, contact our friendly team at Jarvis Interiors today. We're dedicated to using creative interior design to enhance our clients' environments, using techniques such as colour, sound and light therapy.