(collaborative post)
Lighting is more than just a functional aspect of home design – it’s a transformative element that can significantly impact your space’s ambiance, mood, and perceived size. With the right lighting, you can create a warm, inviting atmosphere, highlight your home’s best features, and even influence your well-being.
As we move further into the year, 2024 lighting trends offer exciting new opportunities to refresh your home in ways that match your lifestyle and design preferences. Here are the top lighting tips to accentuate the space in your home and make it seem bigger.
Make a plan
Start by carefully assessing the individual needs of each room. Consider the activities that take place and the mood you wish to create. For instance, a kitchen requires bright, functional lighting for cooking, while a bedroom may benefit from softer, ambient lighting for relaxation. You should also think about whether there are dark corners in your home in need of practical illumination.
Areas such as your hallways, stairs and entranceway should be lit in a way that allows you to clearly see everything that’s going on, but not be so bright that it’s off-putting or overwhelming for you and your guests. It’s also important to think about if you’re wanting to add functional or ambient lighting into your garden to allow you to spend more time outdoors later in the evenings.
Incorporating lighting that mimics natural light and supports our circadian rhythms has its benefits, making it a thoughtful consideration for your plan. In narrow spaces, dark areas or windowless rooms, you may need to strategically place mirrors and paint your walls brighter colours to maximise the effect of your lighting fixtures.
Layering lighting
Layering lighting involves using a mix of different light sources to create a versatile and functional space. This approach can include ambient lighting to illuminate the room, task lighting for specific activities, and accent lighting to highlight architectural features or decor. Modern trends lean towards artful and statement lighting that serves as both a light source and a focal point in the room, bringing a unique flair to the space.
To bring this trend into your home start out by picking your overhead lighting to establish the overall feeling for the space, then begin working back toward the floor. Fairy lights can be strewn along walls at any height and can bring a warm and friendly feel to space when paired with trendy floor lamps. If you’ve got particular décor pieces you’d like to highlight then you can even consider installing spotlights on the floor or your shelving units to help illuminate your most prized possessions.
Use it for fun
Lighting doesn’t have to be all about function; it can also add a fun, personalised touch to your home. Smart lighting technology enables you to control the colour, intensity, and even the direction of light, allowing you to alter the atmosphere of a room with the touch of a button.
Think of uniquely shaped lamps, LED strips, or neon lighting for spaces like your bedroom. These lighting options are easy to install too – just use electrical snips to cut lighting strips into the desired length and away you go!
Areas like gaming rooms and chill-out spaces benefit most from fun lighting styles, adding an extra sense of relaxation and personalisation to the space. Utilise noise sensitive lighting behind TV screens to create an immersive experience that can help you get invested in any movies or shows you may watch. Neon signs are a particularly popular option for these spaces as you can even have them customised to display your name, gamer tag or whatever message your heart desires- helping you create a space that’s truly and uniquely your own!
Trick the eye
If you’ve got low ceilings, a room that’s on the smaller side or a space with limited natural light, it can be hard to want to spend time in that room. Adding the right lighting can help to open a room up and trick your eyes into thinking it’s larger than it actually is. This means you can get more out of the space in your home without going through costly renovations.
When looking to make your space appear bigger it’s best to opt for bright lighting, rather than that which errs on the dimmer side. In a small bedroom it may be worthwhile opting for dimmable lights so that the brightness doesn’t become overstimulating on an evening or disrupt your sleep habits. To get the most out of your lighting you should go for light fittings that are on the smaller side, or are clear, in order to prevent them from looking too bulky or blocking out any light.
For particularly small rooms you can optimise the available light by opting for lighter room colours, multi-purpose furniture and strategically placed mirrors that help to reflect more light into your space.
Conclusion
Lighting is more than just practical—it’s transformative. Whether planning or experimenting, every choice impacts not just rooms, but feelings and moments. Let’s embrace 2024’s trends, remembering that lighting isn’t just about function—it’s about sparking creativity and illuminating endless possibilities.
This post was published in collaboration with a content partner. The article is meant to inspire you how to live a slow, simple, soulful and sustainable lifestyle and may contain (affiliate) links to articles, websites or products/services that may be of interest to you.
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