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Don't know if this was discussed in this forum before, but I came across this term recently and decided to learn a little bit more. I am not planning to remodel anytime soon, but I like the concept. I dunno, I am into ambience and such so it appealed to me. Woud you consider this (or have you considered this) in your re-designing efforts? Whatcha think? Too much work? Don't care? [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70402-thinking.gif[/img]
Mood Lighting Part 1 & 2
From Part 1* specific sections copied
Mood lighting, essentially, just begins when you start paying attention to lighting and its effect on the mood of a room. Obviously, a room with a ceiling full of florescent lights feels clinical, and perhaps a little harsh. It's good for a room where work needs to be done, whether it's reading small print or performing open-heart surgery, but it doesn't create a warm and cozy home atmosphere.
However, if you're designing a home, you want to think differently about lighting. In a living room, you want the light to be dimmer than in, say, the bath or the kitchen, but ideally you would have several levels of lighting available, so that the room could be brightly lit when you're vacuuming but more dimly lit for romantic after-dinner relaxation.
When thinking about how to light a space, remember to consider all the options available, from floor lamps or table lamps to canister lamps or recessed ceiling lamps. The best way to get ideas is to go to a large lighting store and give yourself time to really look around and become familiar with all types of lighting.
Bear in mind as well the differences among types of bulbs: incandescent, florescent, and quartz-halogen. They all have give off a different color as well as differing amounts of light. And don't be afraid to play around with the different kinds of lighting. Try moving lamps around, try turning one off and another one on, and try using bulbs of varying wattage until you achieve the mood you want.
From Part 2 * specific sections copied
One of the most common questions we get here at the Sheffield School of Interior Design is: What is "mood lighting," and how can I achieve it?
First, we often think mood lighting must mean scented candles strategically placed to create a romantic atmosphere. That plus a little Barry White playing in the background.
But in reality, mood lighting is much more important to every facet of the life being lived in the home. The first consideration should be how much ambient lighting there is in a room. To assess this, look at the room at different times of day: morning, afternoon, evening, and night, without any lights on at all. Even at night, you may have light coming in from a bright street lamp, whereas in the morning, you may find that one room is considerably darker than another.
Next, consider how you might add to the ambient lighting in the room. In a living or dining room, you could add a central light from the ceiling, which will bring in diffuse light to the room.
Of course, this isn't the best approach in a bedroom, where you want softer lighting. Here, a central fixture will be too bright and will call attention to itself.
Tip: One possibility often used in contemporary design is a pair of down lights in the ceiling, either over the bed or over a living room sofa. While these can create unflattering directional light if they're very bright, when toned down with dimmers they can cast gentle pools of light, accentuating the focus, providing spillover light onto the wall paintings, and washing the whole room with a pleasant ambient light.
Another option to supplement ambient lighting in a room where there is indirect lighting is to use strip lights behind a wall-to-wall valance over the windows.
When thinking about mood lighting, you also want to light the major decorative objects in the room - a mirror above a dresser or paintings in a living room.
Should you project light directly onto a mirror? No, this would produce reflected glare. All you want to do is provide sufficient illumination to show off the mirror frame, and to provide enough light for one to use the mirror. You could install sconces on either side of the mirror, and these should be sufficient for both purposes.
What about the paintings? These too should be sufficiently lit, either with museum lights placed above them, or with wall sconces on the sides.
In short, then, you want the mood lighting of any home to enhance whatever mood it is you're trying to achieve, by using the natural ambient light and then enhancing it in a variety of ways.
Mood Lighting Part 1 & 2
From Part 1* specific sections copied
Mood lighting, essentially, just begins when you start paying attention to lighting and its effect on the mood of a room. Obviously, a room with a ceiling full of florescent lights feels clinical, and perhaps a little harsh. It's good for a room where work needs to be done, whether it's reading small print or performing open-heart surgery, but it doesn't create a warm and cozy home atmosphere.
However, if you're designing a home, you want to think differently about lighting. In a living room, you want the light to be dimmer than in, say, the bath or the kitchen, but ideally you would have several levels of lighting available, so that the room could be brightly lit when you're vacuuming but more dimly lit for romantic after-dinner relaxation.
When thinking about how to light a space, remember to consider all the options available, from floor lamps or table lamps to canister lamps or recessed ceiling lamps. The best way to get ideas is to go to a large lighting store and give yourself time to really look around and become familiar with all types of lighting.
Bear in mind as well the differences among types of bulbs: incandescent, florescent, and quartz-halogen. They all have give off a different color as well as differing amounts of light. And don't be afraid to play around with the different kinds of lighting. Try moving lamps around, try turning one off and another one on, and try using bulbs of varying wattage until you achieve the mood you want.
From Part 2 * specific sections copied
One of the most common questions we get here at the Sheffield School of Interior Design is: What is "mood lighting," and how can I achieve it?
First, we often think mood lighting must mean scented candles strategically placed to create a romantic atmosphere. That plus a little Barry White playing in the background.
But in reality, mood lighting is much more important to every facet of the life being lived in the home. The first consideration should be how much ambient lighting there is in a room. To assess this, look at the room at different times of day: morning, afternoon, evening, and night, without any lights on at all. Even at night, you may have light coming in from a bright street lamp, whereas in the morning, you may find that one room is considerably darker than another.
Next, consider how you might add to the ambient lighting in the room. In a living or dining room, you could add a central light from the ceiling, which will bring in diffuse light to the room.
Of course, this isn't the best approach in a bedroom, where you want softer lighting. Here, a central fixture will be too bright and will call attention to itself.
Tip: One possibility often used in contemporary design is a pair of down lights in the ceiling, either over the bed or over a living room sofa. While these can create unflattering directional light if they're very bright, when toned down with dimmers they can cast gentle pools of light, accentuating the focus, providing spillover light onto the wall paintings, and washing the whole room with a pleasant ambient light.
Another option to supplement ambient lighting in a room where there is indirect lighting is to use strip lights behind a wall-to-wall valance over the windows.
When thinking about mood lighting, you also want to light the major decorative objects in the room - a mirror above a dresser or paintings in a living room.
Should you project light directly onto a mirror? No, this would produce reflected glare. All you want to do is provide sufficient illumination to show off the mirror frame, and to provide enough light for one to use the mirror. You could install sconces on either side of the mirror, and these should be sufficient for both purposes.
What about the paintings? These too should be sufficiently lit, either with museum lights placed above them, or with wall sconces on the sides.
In short, then, you want the mood lighting of any home to enhance whatever mood it is you're trying to achieve, by using the natural ambient light and then enhancing it in a variety of ways.
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