Lighting offering more than practicality, a good lighting scheme is a decorating tool in it’s own right. Light can make a room fell larger and airier, it can play with proportions and disguise unfavourable aspects; and it can radically change the mood, running the spectrum from invigorating to soft and relaxing. Well planned lighting can make a room look bigger or a basement area feel like it is above ground. Mixing different light sources offers versatility too, for example, transforming a practical kitchen into an alluring dining area by night. If you are on a budget well chosen illumination will add glamour to a scheme. Even simple materials such as white tiles, take on a new life when they are bathed in the right light.Lighting tends to be approached as an afterthought. Most people leave lighting to the last because they are frightened of making the wrong decisions. But if you plan early on, you have the greatest flexibility and will save on potentially costly mistakes later on.
This autumn the familiar incandescent bulb disappears from our shelves forever and in it’s place, comes an array of eco-friendly alternatives and a whole new lighting language- watts, for instance being replaced by lumens. Like any changeover, it no doubt will take some getting used to, but there are many benefits and not just where the environment is concerned. The new technology lets us use more light for less energy, and also offers the chance to be far more creative about the way we use it. Skimming washes if light over stairs, focusing pools of illumination in a bathroom or casting an artwork in an ambient glow – all of these create a certain magical effect that would have been hard to achieve in the past.
New bulb types
The new mainstays are compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s), light emitting diodes (LED’s) and infrared coated (IRC) lamps with quality varying with each type.
Fluorescents, for instance emit a flat cold light and whilst cost effective, lasting some 20,000 hours. The power of the bulb will diminish as its gets older. The action of turning the light off and on also reduces its lifespan, so leave it on if you are going to be away from a room for less than 15 minutes. The other major disadvantage of CFL’s is generally they are not dimmable, and can be difficult to dispose of as they contain mercury, always check before putting them in the bin.With the new technology of course these are also changing, there are some CFL’s available that look and feel more like traditional bulbs. These tend to be fully dimmable and easy to dispose of, but they are not usually fully energy efficient, often offering energy savings of only 30 per cent.
LED’s are the most energy efficient form of lighting, saving up to 80 per cent compared with a standard light bulb and producing very little heat. With a generous lifespan of up to 25 years. The chip based technology for LED’s is far from perfect, but is getting better every day. The best LED’s reflect surrounding colours perfectly and this is known as colour rendition. One way to test a bulb is to take a swatch of red fabric to the lighting shop. When the fabric is lit it should look red and not orangey. At present it is best to stick to the well known companies and expect to pay up to £35 for a good bulb.
IRC’s, or infrared coated halogens are more energy efficient that a standard bulb anything up to 40 per cent. The produce a crisp white light and have the further advantage of being fully dimmable. With new regulations coming into effect in 2016 standard halogen bulbs will be phased out and all will be IRC coated to meet the new standards.