Shedding Light on Lighting

 

According to interior designer Annette Frommer, most people don’t understand that lighting is probably one of the most important elements when designing a home. As she says, “lighting influences the way we perceive a room and the way it makes us feel. Because lighting is so essential when designing a space, it is important to give it proper attention at the outset of any project“. Here are some tips and examples that Frommer believes will help you when you start to plan your space.

 

First, however, you must define the specific kind of ambiance or experience that you want the space to portray. As she points out, dim and indirect lighting can create an intimate and calming space, while white and direct lighting stirs our senses, enabling us to see even the smallest of details. “Remember how you feel when sitting in your dentist’s chair? The light is bright, and almost blinding, and maybe even kind of scary,” Frommer points out. “In other words, lighting controls the mood of your space and how it makes you feel there.”

 

Below are some of Frommer’s favorite design ideas for lighting, which show best how to expertly use lighting in a bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, or any other space. She believes that the right kind of lighting will complement your interior design features and transform your home.

Spotlights

 Frommer believes that when you start planning the lighting, you should begin with technical lighting (spotlights/led). Small low watts are used for a softer light, and higher voltage for larger spaces. As she points out, the uses of spotlights are many and varied: They can be used in the kitchen for putting focus on the cabinets, in the bathroom just above the wall-to-wall mirror, or even to illuminate corridors or stairs. Where bright lights don’t really fit, spotlights provide just the right amount of illumination. 

Spotlights are minimalistic & enlarge the space, Photo: Elad Sarig 

Showing the way along the corridor ,Photo: Oded Smadar

Spotlights frame the mirror ,Photo: Oded Smadar 

Chandeliers

Frommer is a steadfast user of chandeliers, believing that nothing adds more glamour than a crystal chandelier, especially with tall ceilings. Chandeliers are grand! They provide drama and opulence. Place a chandelier in a foyer, over a gorgeous tub in the bathroom, or over a large dining room table. Even in a bedroom, a chandelier adds total polish and class… 

The glam feel of opulent chandeliers, Photo: Sharon Tzarfati

    

Even a bedroom can feel grand!, Photo: Elad Gonen     

Pendant lighting

 Frommer likes the versatility of pendant lighting because it can be used in many areas. Depending on the style and where you place it, pendant lighting can be used for ambiance, task, or accent lighting. Clear or light-colored shades can be used to create ambiance, two or more pendant lights with dark shades can be used for task lighting, while one or two pendants over a table or other focal point can create accent lighting.

Like jewels from above

 Photo: Gilad Radat

  

Photo: Oded Smadar 

Wall lighting and sconces

Frommer loves these and finds so many uses for them. She believes them to be fantastic, as they provide not only style but accent lighting as well. They come in a range of designs and sizes, so the possibilities here are endless. Whether just as decorations that provide elegance, or a way to highlight works of art, sconces add a touch of class and sophistication for showcasing elements in a space.

Chic lighting for a delicate bathroom, Photo: Gilad Radat  

Sconces for a traditional flair, Photo: Itay Sikolsky

Table lamps

According to Frommer, a table lamp is suitable for any room. It can be placed on a shelf, a desk, a bedside table, or a side table. Table lamps not only provide centered light, but they can also make a design statement since they come in so many diverse and beautiful finishes – chrome and brass provide radiance and some flash, for example, while marble or concrete add texture to a modern sleek space. Besides illuminating, the plethora of table lamps available today can make a real design statement.  

 

Showing the way along the corridor ,Photo: Oded Smadar