The Importance of Lighting in Interior Design and How it Affects Your Life Skip to content

Photo taken from our project Willett House

The Importance of Lighting in Interior Design and How it Affects Your Life

TL;DR

Lighting choices should be at the forefront of interior design. However, the importance of lighting and the impact it can have on an interior design scheme is often overlooked. Lighting may be a practical necessity every home needs, but your lighting choices go beyond the basic requirement for light and impact your space and how it makes you feel. Your selection of lighting influences how you use your home, how individual rooms are utilised and can even affect your mood.

There are three main elements of lighting to consider when incorporating lighting into an interior design scheme. These primary elements are accent lighting, ambient lighting, and task lighting. As well as incorporating these main lighting elements into your interior, it is also essential to consider the way natural lighting will interplay with these elements so that its wellbeing benefits can be utilised. Layering these lighting types brings depth to the design scheme while ensuring you control how the lighting is used, providing a tailored lighting solution that suits your life.

As experienced interior designers in London, we will work with you to create a design scheme that uses light to create maximum aesthetic impact without compromising on your practical needs.

Table of Contents

Note: TL;DR is an abbreviation for “too long; didn’t read”

Photo taken from our project Sheldon Avenue

Key Points

— Perfect lighting is an essential component of interior design and significantly impacts the usability of the space. We will work with you to ensure your interior is designed with lighting that is both aesthetically pleasing and practical.

— Lighting choices in interior design have an impact on how you feel in your home, which in turn affects your life and your comfort levels.

— There are three primary types of lighting; these are ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. All three of these types of lighting can be incorporated into your interior design scheme to deliver maximum practicality and appeal.

— Incorporating natural light into the interior design of a building is crucial and can help to improve wellbeing. Maximising the use of natural light throughout an interior and using the three primary forms of lighting to complement this and layer the lighting will deliver the most impact.

— Lighting has the power to impact the appearance of a room in terms of both its size and available space.

— Lighting can influence the atmosphere and mood of a room and be altered to create the perfect ambience.

— Considering the way that the space is used is essential so that lighting can be tailored to meet these needs in the best way possible.

— Lighting choices need to be made from a practical viewpoint while still achieving the ideal aesthetic for the space.

— The positioning of lighting is vital and needs to be considered carefully to achieve the desired results.

— Lighting is a decorative feature in its own right and can create a grand focal point for a room, providing a style statement that elevates the entire space.

— Adaptability is vital when incorporating lighting into an interior design scheme. Lighting choices need to be versatile enough to adjust to create different effects for different needs.

Photo taken from our project Willett House

Crucial element of interior design

Light is essential to life and a practical necessity for every home. However, lighting stretches beyond the need for the basic illumination of rooms once the sun goes down and performs a far more crucial role in the appearance and usability of your property.

Lighting is one of the single most crucial elements of an interior design scheme but also one of the most neglected. Lighting is often an afterthought and the reason many completed interior design projects fail to reach their full potential. When lighting is used to its full effect, the impact on the finished design scheme is significant and can elevate the look of the entire project. Therefore, the importance of lighting in interior design cannot be overstated. This simplest of elements has the power to change the appearance of a room and even take it from an underused space to an area of the home that becomes a favourite place to spend time. So, devoting time to perfecting a home’s lighting during the design process is vital.

As highly experienced architects and interior designers in London, we are passionate about creating the perfect lighting for your home and have the creativity and know-how to make this happen. We work with you to ensure your lighting works in perfect harmony with the aesthetics of your living space without compromising on the need for it to be practical. Here we will discuss the importance of architectural lighting in interior design, how it is used, and how it affects your life.

There are three primary forms of lighting, and considering all of these is essential to ensure that the lighting design provides the perfect combination of practicality and mood. Incorporating each of these types of lighting into a room and layering them delivers maximum impact and an adaptable lighting solution.

Here are the three primary lighting elements:

Task Lighting

Task lighting is practical lighting designed to illuminate a space so that it is functional. In the past, task lighting may have been created using fluorescent bulbs, but nowadays, most task lighting uses LED bulbs. LED bulbs provide sufficient brightness to be used as task lights without the glare and strain that fluorescent lights place on the eyes. Task lights are an invaluable addition to rooms such as studies, home libraries, and game rooms, as they provide sufficient targeted lighting focused where needed. When introducing task lighting into the home, it should be completed as part of the interior design process. This is because the positioning of task lighting is crucial. Placing a task light in the wrong position could cause shadows which impact the usability of the light.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is a key feature of any interior design scheme and is especially crucial when creating a high-end finish. Accent lighting can illuminate artwork such as paintings hanging on a wall or sculptures placed on plinths. Accent lighting highlights the object of interest, enabling it to be seen in all its detailed glory and immediately drawing the eye to it. Using accent lighting is also an excellent way to draw attention to design features in the home, such as architectural detailing, and can create serious wow factor.

Ambient Lighting

Adding ambient light to your home is essential. Ambient lighting is often the focal point of lighting in a room. A room’s ambient lighting could be in the form of a chandelier, a pendant light, or another design of feature light. Ambient light sources can also be more subtle in their physical appearance, such as recessed ceiling lights. Essentially, the ambient lighting in a room provides a base of light, creating a warm glow throughout the room, and ensuring a general level of visibility. Ambient lighting is often dimmable, enabling you to control the brightness and adjust it to suit your mood.

The Affect of Lighting

Selecting lighting for your newly designed home requires more than simply choosing lighting fixtures that suit your tastes and your property’s aesthetic. Your lighting choices set the mood of the room and can be designed to make the room feel either spacious, cosy, dramatic, or atmospheric. But beyond influencing the appearance of your home, lighting also impacts your life and how you feel when you use your home.

The warm glow of soft lighting can have a calming effect on your mood. Warm lighting is often used in living rooms and bedrooms as it helps to create a relaxing effect as it provides enough light for you to see while remaining soft enough to help you wind down at the end of a busy day. In this way, soft, warm lighting helps bridge the gap between daytime and bedtime, slowly easing you into a state of relaxation, ready for sleep.

In contrast with the warm glow of soft lighting found in relaxing spaces and living rooms, task lighting has an entirely different effect. The bright glow of task lighting is conducive to productivity, focus, and concentration, which are characteristics that are essential in a workspace such as a home office, where the brightness of LED task lights is a benefit.

The Importance of Natural Light in Interior Design

Natural light has many benefits, so making the best use of it is an excellent way to ensure that you enjoy all of the positive effects it brings to your living space. One main benefit of incorporating as much natural light as possible into your design scheme is the positive impact on your wellbeing.

Designing your living space to include architectural elements that maximise the amount of light that enters your room is an excellent way to enjoy the benefits of natural light in your living space. There are many positive reasons to increase the amount of natural light in your home. Natural light helps to boost your mood, relieve stress, and helps to keep the body’s circadian rhythm, the natural body clock, in synch. When your body clock is working well, you will be able to get a better night’s sleep and feel more awake during the daytime. Therefore, it is helpful to consider the natural light in the room as the starting point when designing the lighting for an interior design scheme. Establishing how natural light will be incorporated into the space provides a helpful base from which ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting schemes can be combined.

Photo taken from our project Boscastle Road

Lighting and Aesthetics

Lighting adds depth to a room, enhancing its architectural features and highlighting them to maximum effect. Skilful use of lighting can elevate a space to a whole new level of style and create a luxurious ambience that goes beyond the other elements of décor in the room. Using lighting as a decorative element in a home is a highly-effective way to accentuate the main features of a room and enhance the entire space. Lighting works alongside the decorative aspects of a room to bring drama, add interest, and transform the atmosphere of the space with the mere flick of a switch. So, as well as considering the look of your lighting fixtures, an interior design scheme needs to be created with clever lighting that will be used to enhance the other design elements.

Tailoring Lighting Choices to Living Spaces

Your home should be where you feel at your most comfortable; it should provide sanctuary and be somewhere you can relax at the end of a long day. While many elements of an interior design scheme can be utilised to create a feeling of calm and peace, lighting remains one of the most significant influences. Therefore, it is essential to design a living space with lighting choices tailored to meet the demands of individual areas of the home.

Utilising the concept of ambient lighting as a base and then incorporating task lighting into the room, if needed, is an excellent way to create a practical lighting solution that can be tailored to meet your needs. The addition of accent lighting introduces a further layer of light. It helps ensure that the lighting is further tailored to your individual preferences, increasing your comfort levels and enhancing the look of your room.

Creating Adaptable Lighting Solutions

The best lighting solutions are aesthetically-pleasing and match the style of your interior while also being highly practical. Combining these elements helps your lighting enhance your space and enrich your life. Layering together the three types of lighting alongside natural light should form the basis of an interior design scheme. Being able to use this combination of lighting types ensures that you have an adaptable lighting solution that you have complete control over and can adjust to meet your needs at any time.

Understanding the importance of light and how it can impact your life is vital when trying to achieve maximum benefit from its use in interior design. When your lighting is tailored to meet your preferences and is adaptable enough to adjust to your varying needs, you will find that your lighting solution always delivers optimum comfort while elevating your property to create a luxurious look.

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Robyn Kusmidrowicz, Senior Interior Designer

Robyn has over eight years’ experience working in the high-end residential sector. Having previously worked at practices such as Argent and Elicyon, she has led work on luxury penthouses in Chelsea, show apartments on Putney High Street and a large residential detached house in Ealing. 

Robyn’s attention to detail is reflected in every aspect of her work. She is involved in all aspects of interior design and has an excellent ability to create cohesive concept designs, through to design development, scheming as well as creation of mood boards and material palettes. 

When she isn’t focussing on samples and finishes, you will find her enjoying an evening out in London at a comedy club or a theatre performance with friends. 

Jonathan Bilgeshausen, Director/Architect

Jonathan heads up our Hamburg office. His shared vision and purpose, combined with his deep knowledge of the city having studied and worked there, give him a real understanding of the culture and how to deliver successful projects from conception to completion.

His experience working on high-end residential and commercial projects, have given him meticulous attention to detail at all stages of a project, regardless of size or sector.  Jonathan is involved in all stages of the process from initial sketch-ups to managing projects on site. 

In his spare time he enjoys exploring new ideas and cultures which has given him a love for travel.

Inese Kalnberza, SENIOR Architect

Having joined Finkernagel Ross in 2014, Inese has worked on several, high-end residential projects, as well as many fast-paced commercial projects, giving her an excellent grounding in the creation and delivery of meaningful spaces across sectors. 

Inese’s interest in craft and its importance in today’s world is translated across her work.
This, coupled with her keen eye for detail and sensitive approach makes her a valued member of our team. Her confidence to work over all stages of the RIBA  process combined with her skills in communication, allow her to understand and deliver the client’s vision every time. 

In Inese’s spare time you can often find her at local art shows and craft fairs, learning about different techniques, materials and finishes.

Ruth Chadney, Senior Architect

Ruth is an experienced architect with a passion for residential design. She has several years of experience in the industry, which has allowed her to confidently lead multiple residential projects, from the initial concept design to the final construction phase. Ruth is known for her attention to detail and believes that the small details make a significant impact on overall design. She takes great care to ensure that every element is carefully considered. 

In addition to her design skills, Ruth is an excellent communicator and team leader. She confidently manages teams of designers, engineers, and contractors, ensuring that every project runs smoothly and is completed on time and within budget. Her experience at Ben Pentreath and Cousins & Cousins have instilled a love for restoration and refurbishment of listed buildings. 

When she’s not designing homes, you will find Ruth enjoying the countryside with her family, taking inspiration from heritage buildings.

aaron gladney, architectural assistant

As a talented and dynamic Architectural Assistant, Aaron’s strengths lie in visual and verbal communication. He has varied experience in working at different architectural practices based in New York, Ireland and London, covering projects in hospitality, healthcare, public realm, office fit out and high-end residential.  

Aaron has a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of composition, which he uses to create stunning, functional, and sustainable designs. In addition to his visual skills, Aaron has exceptional verbal communication skills, which he uses to effectively collaborate with clients, and our internal project teams. 

He is an innovative thinker who is always exploring new technologies and has a particular interest in how they can be used to enhance the design process.

Alice Reid, Studio and Communications Manager

Alice is a versatile and creative Studio and Communications Manager who brings a unique blend of organisational skills and marketing expertise to the table. 

With experience working within another London based architecture and design practice, Alice has developed her knowledge, attention to detail and the creative flair needed to successfully accomplish her day-to-day role. 

She is an excellent communicator, using her marketing skills to shape and maintain our brand and identity within the industry by keeping our content fresh and relevant.  

Her love for creativity and design, can be seen in her personal life where she is a passionate baker and enjoys making and decorating cakes in her spare time. 

James J Igbafe, Architectural Assistant

James is a highly motivated and talented architectural assistant. His skills in design, detailing, and in particular, his passion for hand drawing have developed from experience working at multiple Architecture practices across London and the UK.

James’ love for travel has developed a strong understanding of how varied architecture can be around the world and is often the source of inspiration for many of the projects that he works on. He is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to assist architects in bringing a vision to life.

James has experience working on projects involving housing, private residential, public sector and high-end mixed-use developments. His ability to take projects from pre planning stage through to completion is seamless, due to his attention to detail.
In his spare time he enjoys exploring London’s numerous exhibitions and museums, always with an ice cream in hand.

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Felix Finkernagel, Director/Architect

Felix is an accomplished architect with over thirty years of experience in both the UK and Germany, working across both commercial and residential sectors. Felix’s creativity flows through every aspect of his work, bringing  his designs to life through the art of hand sketching, honing his ideas by experimenting with form, materials and scale to ensure fluid designs that are truly one-of-a-kind.

As head of our architecture department since he co-founded the practice in 2006, Felix works closely with our project architects, as well as leading our project management and cost consultancy services, ensuring the smoothest possible running of our client’s projects.

Felix’s love for adventure can be seen in his life outside of architecture, where he often competes in ironman events in different cities around the world.

Catherine Finkernagel, Director/Architect & Interior designer

Catherine is a versatile team member due to her experience as a registered architect and interior designer. Her work spans over a broad range of projects, from small, boutique developments to large, one-off, new build designs. This broad skill set gives Catherine a holistic approach to her work, which goes far beyond detailing architectural finishes.

Having worked in the USA, Germany and London, Catherine took the step in 2004 to co-found Finkernagel Ross with Felix. She is passionate about creating inspiring, bespoke homes, carefully crafted to individual needs and desires, for people to enjoy for years to come.

Outside of her work, Catherine enjoys learning about art history and has a particular love for mid-century furniture, design and craft.