Interior lighting is perhaps the most important home decor item you should be investing in right now (aside from festive decorations, natch).
As shortening days limit your access to natural light, the proliferance of grey, low-hanging cloud can spread gloom throughout even the most naturally cheery of homes. I’ve talked before about the impact that light – or lack thereof – can have on our mood at this time of year. Indeed, interior lighting is a crucial element in creating a hyggeligt atmosphere throughout the winter months, and the key I’ve found is in the layering.
A lone hanging bulb emitting a harsh white glare just isn’t going to cut it, but by distributing a number of different light sources evenly throughout a room at various levels, you can create a soft, cosy light that lifts the spirits and warms the soul.
1. Task lighting
Task lighting has been my first go-to as the nights have begun to draw in, utilising a directional light source to illuminate my work space as the sun begins to go down. I’m lucky to have my desk positioned in front of the window in the direction of the sunset, allowing me to eek out the very last few beams of light in the afternoon, but I’ve still found myself switching on my Anglepoise lamp earlier and earlier to spotlight key areas of my work surface as I type on my laptop, or plot out future plans in the diary..
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Table lamps
Where task lamps tend to be minimal and functional, as midwinter approaches and nightfall begins earlier in the afternoon, I’ve been turning my attentions to more decorative lighting sources for my open plan living space. Table lamps are a great source of ambient lighting to a gentle, warming hue to a room and through their low to mid-level positioning help to create an intimate, cosy atmosphere in the immediate surrounds, and are ideally placed on sideboards or tables located near to sofas or reading nooks.
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Floor lamps
Floor lamps offer similar ambient light solutions as table lamps, but tend to through their catchment beam a little further, making them ideal for suffusing social gathering spaces with a welcoming warmth and cosiness. Many floor lamps have adjustable shades which allow you to either use them as a directional light source providing a spotlighting effect, or position them to bounce light beams back off of a wall or other surface and create a more gently diffused lighting effect.
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Pendant lighting
Most UK homes tend to have a single overhead light source built into the main living space. Since a hanging bare bulb is hardly the prettiest – nor the most flattering – of light sources, a pendant lamp can provide not only a stylish focal point to a room, but also help temper the glare of a naked bulb by providing direction and diffusion to the light beam. I love pendant lamps hung in a row over a dining table, or in a cluster above a central living space..
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How do you use lighting in your home?
2 Responses
I love your selection! Especially the brand Northern Lightning is very nice. Also the floor Lamp from Gubi is one of my favourite.
I completely agree that lighting is incredibly important in the winter, not only because ambient light can help us feel cosy and warm, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, the reduced daylight in winter can mean that daily activities, such as working at home, can become affected by a lack of sufficient, bright light. Buying daylight lamps can save us from straining our eyes, which could damage them in the long run.