How to set the mood with your lighting

Arguably, the most important element of your interiors, so far as creating the right mood goes, is your lighting. While fresh flowers add a sweet fragrance to your rooms and photographs provide a personal touch, it is lighting you need to build an atmosphere.

For instance, if you want it to feel like a sunny day when it’s grey and raining outside, you’ll need to switch on your main ceiling night, while if you want your room to feel cosy because it’s cold outside you can turn off the big light and turn on your lamps instead.

As you can see, mood lighting is not something that should be ignored and it’s just as important as painting and papering a room. Read on for our guide on how to create the perfect atmosphere with your lights.

Lights great and small

In order to get an effective mood lighting scheme you need a selection of lights. In modern homes, this can be achieved with multiple LED bulbs in the ceiling.

When all turned on at once, these should create the same amount of illumination as you would get on a sunny day. However, by turning off banks of them at a time, you can make the room feel cosier – while also saving power! Some homeowners even purchase LEDs that change colour, which can add an additional element of finesse to a space.

However, it can be expensive to kit out all your rooms with LEDs, particularly if you don’t already have them as you may need to get your home rewired. Luckily, it’s easy to replicate their effect using multiple separate lights. Everything from a tea light candle to a large central ceiling lamp can play an important role in your scheme.

Functional and aesthetic

The key to designing a good lighting plan is striking the correct balance between function and aesthetics. All your lights should perform a role, while you can also purchase beautiful fixtures that fit right in with your interior decor.

For instance, a Moroccan henna lamp is almost like a work of art in its own right and will work well with a home that has a little international flair to it. However, it also serves a useful purpose by creating the illumination you need to read or sew.

Furthermore, as well as acting as task lighting, your lamps can be used to create the right mood. In the evening, whether you’ve planned a romantic meal or simply want to make your living room feel cosy for a night in front of the television, turn off the main light and switch on your lamps instead for a gentler glow.

Light and shade

Conversely, the dark plays just as much of an important role in creating the correct lighting plan to generate a mood as the light does. If you want to feel warm on a cold winter’s night by lighting a few candles and enjoying the embers of a fire, the mood might be ruined by a streetlight outside your home.

Similarly, in the bedroom where you might want to relax and enjoy a lie-in, you won’t welcome the sun waking you up with its glare. As you can see, it’s important to be able to make your rooms as dark as you want, as well as bright. In order to achieve this, ensure that your curtains are thick and lined so they are able to completely block any light outside. You can also purchase black-out blinds that are made to totally cover your windows.