Knowing the basics of lighting design isn’t just for interior designers anymore. Every Australian home owner or apartment dweller can reap big rewards with lighting to make everyday living comfortable, energy-efficient and beautiful.
Where to start with home lighting design?
Take a quick tour of your home to see what you have to work with and what you aim to achieve. Remember, the Golden Rule for lighting design is
Layered Lighting. Allow each room to have the essentials of
Ambient light for general illumination,
Task light for specific purposes and
Accent light for highlights. Download our guide:
Light Layering Handbook Pendants, down-lights, batten-fixed and track lights come in all shapes, styles, and finishes. Lighting choices for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, lounge, entry and hallways can be unique to each room or follow a lighting design theme throughout your home. For outdoor areas, consider entertaining and security lighting as priorities for garden, deck or street front façade. Then add flair with decorative wall-styles, built-ins (floor or wall) or garden and pathway bollards. Here are a few trends and hot tips for room-by-room indoor/outdoor home lighting.
Lounge or Living Room
Bring flow and harmony to your number one living space simply by using light and shadow to its full effect. Dramatise separate spaces like a bar area or home theatre zone with
linkable lighting –perfect for a modern look to ceiling recesses or accent walls. It’s all about the right combination of comfort and style.
Hot Tip: Consider a zone within a room. Create dedicated ‘comfort zones’ with fusion and illusion – where you use spot or track lights to highlight an area. Accent them further with a pendant to complement the colour or textures of your furnishings. Get more ideas for zone lighting from
Lighting design makes a big difference in your home
Dining Room
For a regular family feast or entertaining for friends, make your dining setting the hero of the room. Modern pendants make a statement when clustered or repeated, so don’t stop at one. Ambient lighting plays an important part in candlelit dinners, as well, so be sure to have all lighting levels (and layers) covered.
Hot Tip: Pick a design trend. Some popular looks today are Natural, Industrial, Scandinavian and Black & White. Match your lighting to your décor with a great range of lighting from these
design trends.
Home Office or Study
The workspace should be inspiring. The right task lighting makes it comfortable and functional for desk or screen reading while ambient lighting offers a good contrast to a bright screen. Go for an overall look of clean, lean, effective light fixtures. Hot Tip: Look at potential accent lighting spots. Cabinets or book shelves make a great feature when properly lit (and make things easier to find) with strip lights. Highlight personal achievements or awards with gallery-style
under shelf downlights.
Kitchen
From the first morning coffee to final wash-up, your kitchen is the workhorse of your home. Give it the full work up with lighting style variety like downlights, pendants, and recessed lighting. It can make a dramatic difference in the right light intensity, whether you’re putting the family to work for dinner prep or sneaking in solo for a midnight snack. Hot Tip: Match the lighting finish to your fit-out. Stainless steel brushed metal and natural fibre finishes are popular in kitchens today. See some of the latest designs from the new
Crompton Pendant Light range.
Bedrooms
Make it your oasis for relaxation with perfect lighting. Wall mounted luminaires are petite and elegant to draw the eye to artwork or shelving. Ambient lighting should be adjustable (dimmable) for full flexibility both night and day. Hot Tip: Adjust the length of a pendant for the right effect. Location, location, location is the first priority to make pendant lighting work. Add to that the flexibility of how far down it hangs and you’ve got the perfect solution to inviting lighting. See some of our many styles of
feature pendants.
Bathrooms
Low ceilings? Small spaces? Look at options for wall lights in the bathroom for versatile lighting effects. Moreover, so you never need to stumble in the dark again, see what under-cabinet low-lighting space is available. Hot Tip: Add a touch of vanity - Hollywood style Look at ‘pamper-lights’ surrounding a mirror for flawless makeup or manscaping with
Track Lights –also dimmable for low-level lighting. Know where best to position lights to avoid shadows.
Outdoors
Floodlights or sensor lights, path and driveway lighting and wall batten door lights help make your home warm and welcoming after dark. With a range of styles and finishes, light fixtures like the Sirroco and our range of Bollards can create a beautiful aesthetic to walls and gardens. Hot Tip: Add dramatic street appeal with lighting Look for the architectural angles of your roof, entry, levels and pathways. Accent them with directional lighting like the
Crompton 20W Hornet LED Floodlight. Apartments are homes, too. Get a sense of the Big Picture. See how we uplifted an entire apartment block by lighting:
Urban Oasis in the heart of Karratha See more vivid examples of lighting your home room-by-room on
Crompton website. You can also call us about any of the products you see on 1300 799 300 or complete details on our
Contact page and we’ll help you find the ideal lighting solution.
