Becky Shea, a designer, thinks that ambient light is the most important design element in a home. Not only does it have a lovely appearance, but the warmth that it emits is very inviting and is what makes a house feel like a home rather than just a building. But what exactly is meant by the term "ambient light"? Ben Marshall, who serves as the creative director of the lighting company Mitzi, defines it as the glow that permeates all available spaces. He goes on to say that the installation of chandeliers, pendants, flush and semi-flush mounts are the most effective ways to generate ambient lighting because these fixtures establish the room's base layer of illumination and are frequently the point of interest in the space.
Find out more about the significance of ambient light within a home, as well as what it contributes to a space and how led lighting can be incorporated into your own home, in the following paragraphs.
Why Should You Provide Your Home With Ambient Light?
The designer Liz Caan makes it a point to include all three crucial elements in every one of her projects, and one of those elements is ambient lighting. She explains that in my opinion, a room should have layered lighting that creates a few different lighting scenarios. These scenarios include overall bright light, dimmed mood lighting, and ambient lighting. In most cases, I put dimmable recessed and overhead lighting on the same switch. Then, I put a pendant light or decorative surface mount light that is also dimmable on a switch that is separate from the first switch. Finally, I put sconces or picture lights on the third switch. I also layered in lamps throughout the room to give you the option to only have light from the lamps if that's what you wanted.
According to interior designer Mary Jo Major, ambient lighting has a natural way of making a space feel cozier and more inviting. She makes the observation that when you enter a room, the ambient light greets you with a friendly handshake. Its primary function is to illuminate the space, but it also serves other purposes. It is to assist your eye in concentrating on specific locations, such as the artwork in the hallway, the bookcase by the fireplace, or the table lamp on the nightstand, which will assist you in locating your book.
What Do You Gain by Adding Ambient Lighting to Your Home?
According to designer Major, ambient lighting carries with it a number of additional advantages. She explains that the ability of ambient lighting to alter the color tone of the room is her favorite feature of this type of lighting. When you compare the appearance of the ambient lighting next to a colored wall to how it looks in sunlight or overhead light, there is a significant difference. If you only turn on a couple of table lamps in the evening, a bedroom decorated in light blue can give off the impression of being cozy and even a little moody. However, pay attention to picking out the right light bulbs. Make sure that you have warm light bulbs, as recommended by the designer Cindy Rinfret. The light that they emit is more of a warm yellow than a chilly blue. In the context of the home, dimmer and cooler light can come across as clinical and uninviting.
Also, using the room's ambient lighting to create a moodier atmosphere is a great option to consider. Designer Allison Knizek says that one of her favorite combinations for a powder room is to have dark walls, either painted or covered in wallpaper, with ambient fixtures on either side of the mirror. Sconces and pendants both provide that enticing, soft smudge of light that helps bring symmetrical balance and just enough illumination to create a dark space that is both curious and captivating. Warm-toned LED bulbs are my go-to choice whenever I'm lighting a gloomy space because they provide the perfect amount of illumination without being overpowering.
Knizek points out that the shadows that are helped to create by the ambient light are also very beautiful. What could be more relaxing than taking a bubble bath and then looking up to see a lacy Spanish iron pattern cast across an otherwise completely white room? Bear in mind, however, that there are some rooms in the house in which shadows aren't exactly welcome. Keep in mind that these rooms. According to Stephanie Purzycki, co-founder and CEO of The Finish, if your ambient lights are behind you when you are chopping vegetables at your kitchen island or picking out your morning outfit, your body will literally cast shadows over the areas you are trying to see, which can be frustrating. Finding the areas that cast shadows can help you decide where to place ambient lights or where to add additional task lighting to compensate for the shadows.
And in general, says interior designer Shannon Eddings, ambient lighting has a calming effect on people. She explains that it is easier on the eyes to look at and that it gives you the ability to change the atmosphere in your space. For instance, lighting from above (or from cans) can be quite harsh, especially at night; therefore, installing a few lamps in your living space enables you to have a calming "glow" that is perfect for reading at night or socializing with friends.
