ARCHITECTURE AND LIGHTING: FUNDAMENTALS AND ADVICES

One of the first things that an interior decorator thinks about when facing a new project is the lighting of it. Natural light, or the absence of this, will be a determining factor when choosing elements as important as the colors of the wall or the style and quantity of the furniture. Also depending on the type of use to be made of each room will have to opt for one or another type of artificial light. Speaking of lighting is not just talking about lamps and design, it is also about color temperature or layers of light.

The color temperature refers to the type of environment, warm or cold, that we want to create in each space, while the light layers tell us more about the type of lighting we are looking for, and that can be combined in each room: from general lighting , until the focus, used to highlight very specific decorative aspects, for example a picture or a showcase, through focused lighting, which would give us a flexo, or by ambient light.

While it is true that for tastes the colors -and also the lights- there are some keys to lighting that, from our office of architecture in Sitges, we always try to take into account when we approach the renovation or decoration of homes. Basic ideas that will help us create environments where we feel comfortable and that fit the needs of each space.

Dining room

The dining room, as its name suggests, is the place where we gather to eat and celebrate. That is why light should create a warm and comfortable environment. Our recommendation is to use suspended lamps on the table, whether it is just a luminaire, or if there are several, in the same or different heights. The lamps that hang on the dining table not only get a warm effect on the diners, also throughout the room, creating mystery with a touch of glamor.

Lounge

The living room is a multipurpose space in which the same thing we rest watching a movie on the sofa as we receive visits. That is why a type of light is necessary for each activity. It matters a lot the aesthetics, but also that the lighting is practical. We are very accustomed to the fact that the rooms are dominated by huge ceiling lamps, but many indirect lights can create a warmer and more comforting effect. Wall lamps that direct their light upwards make the ceilings look taller than they really are.

Kitchen

The kitchen is a work area and therefore the lighting must be clean so that we see well and do not run the risk of suffering small accidents at home. Experts recommend using recessed lights in the ceiling, to avoid shadows and to amplify the points of light, preventing it from being reduced to only one, as it would be if we only installed a luminaire. The lights placed under the furniture, which illuminate the area of ​​the countertop, let us see clearly when we are handling food.

Bedroom

As happens in the living room, in the bedroom we perform different activities that require different points of light. What is important is to be able to create practical and relaxing environments whenever we want, so if we put a wall lamp or the table, the ideal is that not only allows us to read without straining the view when we are in bed, but that can also be attenuated, or simply rotated so that it focuses on the other side, when we want to create a more intimate environment.

Another part to keep in mind is the closet area. The ceiling lamps usually illuminate the room in a general way, but when we want to access the clothes of the furniture we do not always distinguish clearly the colors. One idea is to put lights in the closet itself, although making sure that an exterior light illuminates without shadows the dressing area will be more than enough.

Bathroom