A few years ago we built our home and I learned how important lighting can be because it can add more personality to a room. Lighting has come so far in the last 10-15 years. There are so many beautiful choices! Gone are the days of matching your sconces to your chandelier to your task lighting. No more matchy matchy! Lighting serves three purposes, art, mood and function.
As I was working with Kali Weber, owner of Chatham House Interiors, I saw many choices for lighting and realized how each can act as piece of art. For example, one of my favorites is the lighting we have in our entryway. We have a chandelier that is Art Deco above our entrance. As you step into the living room we have a Country French light. In the same room I have a blingy crystal light over my piano. It is such a nice surprise to see the variety of lighting in the same room. These lights compliment each other but they do not match. Walking into a room and seeing the unexpected is what I wanted. As Kali has taught me, you would not want to have the same art all throughout your home so why would you have the same lighting? Mixing it up makes it so much more interesting!
Mood is another important thing to consider when picking out your lighting. You will most likely need to have a variety of lights in the same room. Consider what you will be doing in a room at different times of the day. My office is a great example of this. I have overhead cans when I am working on a project. I need a lot of light to see what I am doing. Then I have a beautiful light fixture that is great for having a conversation in the room and gives off a more relaxed mood. In the evening I have warm lighting on the shelves. It gives a dim beautiful light to create a calming restful feeling for when I am just walking by the room or reading a book.
Function is something that needs to be considered as well. An example that most women can relate to is the lighting where they apply their makeup. If given the option, my first choice is always natural lighting but most times that isn’t always possible. One of my biggest pet peeves is putting on my makeup and then going out into the world looking like a clown! This has happened to me due to bad lighting! Side lighting is best for putting on make up, I would not recommend overhead lighting because it can cast shadows.
After all you hard work is done, the last thing you want is to not have the right lighting for the work you are doing in a given room. I have provided photographs from Kali’s previous work. You can see where she is mixing up the lighting. If you would like to see more examples go to her website at http://chathamhouseinteriordesign.com
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