Modern contemporary lighting for the home

It is not difficult to be a little more imaginative when thinking about lighting schemes for your home. By thinking about who is going to be using the room and the activities that will take place, you can adjust the lighting styles to suit these different needs.

You can create a warm and inviting ambience in your room by careful use of mood lighting. By thinking of the types of light you need and establishing different zones, you can unleash your creativity and adjust the atmosphere at will - whether you want an intimate and cosy environment for a romantic dinner for two, or warmth and brightness for a family get-together.

You should always try and avoid bare bulbs as these generally bring an unnecessary harshness to the environment. Careful choice of shades will help to soften the light and a dimmer switch helps to adjust the levels up and down.

Before you start thinking about lighting individual rooms, you need to be aware of the types of lighting available.

Decorative lighting does what it says on the tin. It is there to provide a lift to the ambient light and provide areas of warmth and interest. Soft lights work well here and a fire is also a great choice. The soft flickering flames will add interest and texture to the lighting.

This is the natural stuff, the sort you mainly get in through the window when the sun is shining. In the evenings you get your ambient lighting from a mix of pendant lamps hanging from ceilings and wall lights. It gives you the basic underlying lighting theme.

Sometimes you may want to do a little reading or some work. In cases like this you need some task lighting - this is directional lighting you can use to illuminate certain areas where you need that extra blast of brightness. Desk lamps, spotlights and reading lamps all come into this category.

If you have a display of fine items or pictures you want to highlight then accent lighting is the way to go. These generally take the form of small compact lights that are easily fitted to bookcases and picture frames, often with clips and sometimes even battery operated to avoid trailing wires.

Now you can start to look over each room and work out the best options.

Dining rooms and kitchens both need to have good ambient light so down-lighters are a good choice as well as large windows to make the most of any natural light you have. For meals a pendant lamp over the table will help to give a more intimate feel to the dining experience whether you are eating in the dining room or the kitchen if space permits.

The living room is probably the one room which will welcome the most guests and where most of the family time is spent. It makes sense to get this one right. Good ambient light and mood lighting are important to make the room feel warm and welcoming. Some free standing lamps will be useful as well as coffee table lamps to bring in warmer zones. Accent lights on bookcases and on some of your favourite pictures will help to engage your guests and invite conversation.

Down-lighters are also useful in the bedroom but do try and make sure they can be dimmed. Some soft bedside lamps will work well to soften the mood for those romantic evenings. If you enjoy reading a few pages at bedtime it may be best to think about a wall mounted light above the headboard.

Thinking about contemporary home lighting can be quite straightforward - just by mixing up a few styles of lighting in any room.