Ideal Home Lighting: How to Achieve Optimal Illumination in Your Apartment?!

Interior design involves synchronizing various elements with the aim of creating a pleasant living space for people.

However, while grappling with style or aesthetic challenges, we often don't pay enough attention to one important aspect that may be crucial in shaping the overall ambiance.

That aspect is lighting, whether natural or artificial. While we can't have much control over natural lighting, there are numerous possibilities for optimizing artificial light.

The Importance of Good Indoor Lighting

General or ambient lighting is one of the most important factors for a comfortable indoor environment. In addition to natural daylight, it includes chandeliers, ceiling lights, wall lamps, and other light sources that illuminate the entire space.

Adequate ambient lighting contributes to a better mood for those present, creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere, as well as a sense of spaciousness and comfort in the apartment or house. We often become aware of this when we find ourselves in a poorly lit room, whether it's dark and gloomy or excessively bright like a television studio.

In addition to improving mood, optimal lighting in an apartment also serves a practical purpose, allowing us to effortlessly perform various tasks, from moving around the room to specific activities that require precision, such as reading, meal preparation, makeup application, shaving, and more.

Lighting in an apartment can also have its esthetic or decorative role, highlighting its best features such as artwork, shelves, home library, bar counter, home bar, or other details.

Ultimately, choosing appropriate lighting can affect electricity consumption and result in a lower electricity bill at the end of the month.

Common Mistakes in Room Lighting

SINGLE LIGHT SOURCE

One of the most common mistakes in achieving optimal lighting is relying solely on a single light source in the room, especially if it's not positioned correctly. Having only one overhead, wall, or floor light often creates shadows that can be limiting for various activities. Additionally, unevenly lighting the room can create a feeling of cramped space.

LIGHT COLOR

The choice of light color in a residential space is subjective but often boils down to two options: warm yellow or cool white light. While yellow light gives a sense of warmth and hospitality, commonly found in living rooms or bedrooms, white light is more suitable for bathrooms or kitchens. A different distribution of colors usually appears unnatural and less pleasing to the eye.

BULB WATTAGE

In the desire to achieve better room lighting, people often resort to purchasing bulbs with 100 watts or more, often unaware that bulb wattage does not necessarily mean a brighter room. When analyzing bulb characteristics, lumens are the most important parameter for measuring the amount of light. In today's households, bulbs with 800 lumens are most commonly used, and their wattage can be as low as 15 watts (energy-saving LED bulbs). Higher wattage can also cause bulbs to burn out faster, as well as damage to installations or bulb sockets.

Tips for Optimal Lighting in Living Spaces

• In the living room, combine multiple light sources placed at different heights (ceiling, wall, floor).
• In the bedroom, use wall or directional lighting (lamps) with warm yellow light.
• In the dining room, position the light source above the dining table.
• In the kitchen area, use a combination of overhead lighting and directed light (for work surfaces).
• In the bathroom, use halogen wall lighting with uniform white light.
• Use a dimmer switch to adjust the optimal light temperature.
• Use energy-saving bulbs.