Your home is your refuge from the world and an intimate reflection of your personality. Whether you’re a traditionalist, enjoy a sleek modern style or love the retro look, how you style your home is an individual choice that really matters. Lighting, while only one aspect of creating a home, can play a crucial role in defining how you choose to express yourself.
Ceiling lights in particular can be problematic in terms of style, function and size and can often be overlooked. The choice can be overwhelming. However, the right ceiling light can make a world of difference to the look and ambience of a room so it’s important that you get it right.
Style And Size
Before choosing your ceiling light, consider the size and style of your room and in particular your ceiling height. Modern homes tend to have reduced height ceilings in comparison to those built prior to the 1960s. It’s important that your ceiling light, of whatever style, doesn’t overwhelm the room and give an oppressive feeling. Work out, realistically, what is the lowest the light fitting can descend to, bearing in mind clearance for head-height and select a ceiling light that doesn’t drop below this level.
Personal choice will dictate what style of modern ceiling lights you select. Think about your current or proposed decor, the age of your home, but don’t be restricted by tradition – a sparkling traditional chandelier, for example, can look beautiful in a modern home and conversely, a sleek, contemporary piece can cast a whole new light on a traditional, formal room.
To Dazzle or Dim?
Light is measured in ‘lumens’ and the higher the lumens, the brighter the light. When choosing ceiling lights consider the size of your room and the number of bulb-holders there are in the fitting you’re looking at. A larger room may need more illumination than a smaller one, but you can also play with the wattage of the bulbs and have several dimmer ones in a multi-bulb fitting or bulbs of a higher wattage in a single bulb fitting. Again, it’s a matter of personal choice.
Another point to consider is whether you want the ability to dim the lights, perhaps when you’re resting in the evening. If this is the case, you need to look for a ceiling light fitting which contains a transformer enabling it to be dimmed for a more atmospheric ambience.
Colour and Finish
These days we are spoiled for choice when it comes to the aesthetic finish of our light fittings. A rainbow of colours, an excess of textures and a range of materials from the very plain to the elaborately ornate can make it difficult to narrow down the choice. Ceiling lights can be made from glass – transparent, coloured, textured or shaped, natural materials like twisted and plaited paper, fabric or woven wood. Metals are also an option and can be bright to reflect light or burnished for a modern look.
Choosing a ceiling light is an important interior design statement but you also need lights suitable for the purpose, so make sure you choose wisely so you can love it for many years to come.