We are Paloma Design Studio, a trio of lighting designers and experts in Talk To. In this guest blog post, we take you on a journey through our personal insights and share tips for creating the ultimate lighting for your home.
Join us as we explore key concepts that unlock the magic of light and create the perfect balance between ambiance and functionality.
“To create a harmonious home, it is essential to work with several lighting principles that together tie the lighting and create warm, intimate environments.”
Lighting extends beyond just technical aspects; it is an art form that shapes the atmosphere and feeling of a room. Light not only affects you biologically but also contributes to how you experience a space.
Paloma´s 5 top tips – on how to approach your lighting plan
We believe it is important to consider the whole picture and make a plan that you can implement step by step. Here are our top tips on how to approach your lighting plan:
1. Focus:
Start by defining the important and beautiful focal points, views, and sightlines in your home and garden. Enhance these focal points with light. Consider that objects in your view through windows act as extensions of the rooms when it gets dark. This will help you establish a good foundation for your lighting, as you prioritize illuminating what you love most about your home.
2. Function:
Think about where you need light functionally. For example, over the kitchen counter, by the bathroom mirror, at the laundry sink, etc. Then, connect these locations with your focal points, and you’ve made significant progress in your lighting plan.
3. Decorative Lighting:
In a home, a significant portion of the lighting consists of decorative fixtures, such as pendants, wall sconces, and floor lamps. These need to be considered in your lighting plan and are as crucial as technical lighting. Try to think about the quality of light a decorative fixture provides, not just its design.
Even if a fixture is aesthetically pleasing, it may not provide the light you need in the intended location. Consider if you can place it elsewhere in your home where it provides the “right light for the space.”
“A fixture is not just a beautiful object but has a crucial function in providing the room with light and the right atmosphere.”
We always suggest physically examining decorative fixtures in a store before purchasing, as they can look very different when illuminated compared to when they are turned off. It is also important to ensure that the fixture is compatible with the control system you have installed at home.
If possible, prioritize beautiful and honest materials, as they contribute not only to a beautiful play of light but also to enhancing the overall impression of your interior.
4. Integrated Lighting:
Integrated lighting in built-in carpentry such as bookshelves, display cabinets, and wardrobes creates beautiful backgrounds and focal points in a room. Integrated light enhances the materiality in both the carpentry and what you illuminate, adding that final, luxurious layer to a lighting scheme.
Here, it is crucial to consider the objects and materials you are illuminating and choose the type of fixture and color temperature accordingly.
Also, remember that integrated lighting needs to be well-hidden and shielded to focus on what you want to illuminate; otherwise, the light source itself tends to be more visible than the object.
5. Lighting Control:
When it comes to controlling light, there is a plethora of solutions today, and this can be a challenging jungle to navigate. Start by defining your needs and how you physically want to live with the light. Do you prefer to control the lighting from an app, a digital panel on the wall, or an old-fashioned rotary dimmer?
Whatever you prefer, we always recommend being able to dim the majority of your fixtures to create a lighting environment that you can adjust according to the changes in the day and your needs.
3 important lighting terms to keep in mind
1. Color Temperature (Kelvin)
Color temperature indicates how warm or cool a light source appears. The lower the Kelvin value, the warmer the light. In home environments, the most common temperatures are 2500, 2700, or at most 3000K to create a warm and inviting feeling.
2. Color Rendering (CRI or Ra value, both terms used in Sweden)
This value measures how accurately the light reproduces colors, where CRI100 is the maximum. We always recommend staying above CRI90, but preferably even higher.
3. Luminous Flux (Lumen)
Luminous flux indicates the amount of light emitted by a light source and is measured in lumens. Most ceiling fixtures (downlights and spotlights) we recommend for home environments have approximately 300-500 lumens.
There are numerous fixtures with both lower and higher values, and regardless of your choice, we always recommend installing suitable dimmers to adjust the light level according to your needs.
Want help with lighting in your home?
If it still feels tricky, we are here to help you, in small and large matters. We are passionate about creating beautiful environments with light and hope to have the opportunity to assist you in your home!
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