Lighting in your rooms

Hallway

Hallways are often overlooked as they are usually used as a dumping ground for shoes and bags but to make your apartment both safe and welcoming you need to extend your lighting scheme into the hall and up the stairs (if applicable).

• Simple uplighters placed at intervals along the wall and up the stairs will chase the light up onto the ceiling.

• The treads and risers of the stairs need to be clearly visible and there should be no dark corners.

• If you have several landings make sure that they are adequately lit up.

• Try using recessed spotlight in each step for a more modern effect

• Put the main overhead light at the top of the stairs rather than the bottom to reduce the risk of accidents.

Kitchen

Nowadays the kitchen is the room where we spend the most of our time, preparing food, eating and entertaining, which is why lighting the kitchen properly has become even more essential.

A central pendant light gives a good general light, but if that is all you have you will be working in your own shadow and this will take our the enjoyment of cooking. Kitchen light should be a similar to natural light so you do not get dazzled.  Whatever the shape or size of your kitchen, the light should come from behind or to the side of where you are working, not from in front. You will also need a high level task light at various areas in your kitchen, such as the sink and cooking area.

When buying a new kitchen, you will find that most modern kitchens come with built-in lights, or you can mix and match from the kitchen supplier in order to get a custom-made kitchen. Items such as cooker hoods come with a built-in illumination and cupboards can have built-in lights that are triggered when the door's are opened.

• If you have a pendant light but want to illuminate a different area, put it on a longer cord and a put a small hook in the ceiling above where you want the light to hang and clip it over.

• Replace your central pendant light with two or more ceiling-mounted fittings set wide apart to allow a much more even flow of light.

• Mini fluorescent light underneath wall units gives a good level of light over the work surface.

• Paint your kitchen ceiling matt white and keep the walls above the wall units a pale colour.

• Fit a track system with directional lights you can position over the work surface and sink.

• Fit rows of recessed downlights into the ceiling as they emit light exactly where it is needed and give good colour rendition.

Living room

In today's modern living, living rooms are used for just about everything from dining, entertaining, reading and watching television and therefore most of us need a flexible lighting scheme.

This is where accent lighting comes into its own. Use it to highlight collections of books, glasses or pictures to make a real statement.

For a cosy and welcoming light use tungsten bulb but do not restrict yourself by making your lighting plan too fixed. Think about where you place your lights, as you may want to move furniture later on.

Lighting effect on your living room

• Use table lamps dotted around the edges of the room on shelves and tables as they radiate light inwards and make the room feel spacious but cosy.

• Make sure that your central overhead light does not cast unflattering shadows and use low-voltage light to detract attention from it.

• Use wall washers to give a good level of illumination but remember that the light reflected back will be tinted by the colour on your wall.

• Position a free standing uplighter or standard lamp behind the sofa.

• Only mount wall lights beside a feature that won't be moved such as alcoves or a fireplace.

• Use the fireplace and candle lights for a romantic atmosphere with your other lights dimmed to their lowest setting.

Lighting when reading or watching television in your living room

• Place a lamp to one side, behind or above your chair if your want to read.

• If you have too much natural sunlight coming into your living room and you are struggling to watch TV, place a lamp on either side or behind your television.

• You shouldn't watch TV in total darkness as you eyes can be strained as they are constantly have to shift in order to focus and follow the images on the screen.

Bedroom

The right light in your bedroom will help you wind down and get a good night sleep. But you also need strong light so that you can get dressed in the morning.

The most important bedroom light is the one beside your bed as you use it for both reading and watching TV when other wants to sleep. You could for example inset your wall lights into the bedhead or simple use table lamps.

• Fit a dimmer switch on the main central light or wall lights to create instant atmosphere.

• Dressing tables needs to be horizontally lit from both sides so that you do not see shadows across your face.

• Fit tungsten or fluorescent strips in the wardrobe or units that comes on when you open the door.

• Choose lampshades that are white on the inside and darker on the outside, fit a clean bulb to give off warm tones of light.

• Do not use candles in the bedroom unless you are absolutely sure you won't fell asleep while they are burning.

Children's bedrooms

Safety takes centre stage when it comes to lighting in the children's room and remember that their scheme will change as they get older.

If you are decorating a baby room you need low level lighting so that you can see easily during those frequent visits during the night so why not try a plug-in night light or small lamp with a shade and low voltage bulb.

It is important to make sure that little fingers can not open the fitting and get hold of the hot bulb or the electric wiring.

• Use a wall light rather than a free standing lamp that can be easily knocked over.

• Dimmers work wonders as they help a child prepare for bedtime.

Bathroom

The light in your bathroom should be bright enough for your to apply make up and shave but also be so flexible that you are able to have a relaxing bath without getting blinded by a 100 watt bulb.

Good lighting in your bathroom will look fantastic, just think about all the materials used in your bathroom such as porcelain, glass or marble which all reflects the light back into the room. But you have to take into consideration that too much light on the surfaces can also create a glare.

Perfect bathroom lighting

• Stud the ceiling with low-voltage spotlight or downlights which wash the walls with light. Downlighters cast pools of light onto the surfaces below and are great for water and glass. Get your builder to put in a false ceiling to hide the wiring and fit them with a dimmer switch so you do not get blinded when using the toilet in the middle of the night.

• Replace existing fittings with frosted ones and you will immediately get a lonely diffused light.

• Install a row of light bulbs around your mirror, dressing-room style, as they give a good even light from all sides. If this look is not your style, try to fit diffused wall lights on each side of your mirror but either way avoid a single strip of light over your mirror, as you will end up with shadows below your nose and above your mouth.

• Make sure that the light is not too soft as this does not flatter your skin and you won't be able to see well enough to apply your make-up.