10 Ways to Create an Intimate Atmosphere with luxury lighting

Initially you need to consider what the room you’re designing is primarily going to be used for. Noting down the different tasks that are going to take place in a room is a great starting point to working out the amount of lighting you are going to need. Lighting is a brilliant way of indicating the functions of certain areas, especially if the area you’re dealing with is open plan and needs to be zoned into alternative areas.

If you’re blessed with a South-facing space, you’re going to need a lot less light for the daytime and perhaps won’t need to consider as much task lighting depending on how and when you use the room. If you’re not as lucky with natural light, you need to work out how this affects the room in question and again think about how the lighting situation will impact your daily routine.

Installing dimmer switches is a great way of controlling your ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is the base of your room. This is the main light that you will flick on as you enter a room and will normally come from ceiling downlights, a pendant light or even wall-mounted lighting. Installing dimmers on this style of lighting will allow for flexibility depending on the time of day, task or your own personal preferences. You don’t particularly want a bright white light on you in the evening as this would not feel homely. A softly-lit base light will help to bring a calm and relaxing environment to build upon with other types of lighting.

Don’t assume that heading to your local trade shop or supermarket and picking up light bulbs will be enough to create the right mood for your home. Different light bulbs can produce a different colour and brightness of light. The Kelvin Scale (K) measures light colour, otherwise known as temperature; the lower the number of Kelvins, the warmer and yellower the light, and the higher the number, the colder and bluer the light. As an example, warm white glowing light is likely to be the best functional lighting for a cosy living room and has a temperature of 2,700K – 3,000K.

Remember those four areas of lighting that we touched upon earlier? Layering all four of those light sources is key to creating an intimate lighting scheme; you need to build up a scheme that combines these different effects to create an adaptable environment for the different needs of the space. Try incorporating a general ceiling light, wall lights, feature lighting, floor lamps, table lamps and task lights to create a good blend. The best schemes may involve three or four elements so really research what you could include in your interior design scheme.

You can use lighting to highlight details and emphasise architectural features as well as statement pieces of art and furniture. To create a more relaxing atmosphere, bring lighting to a lower level via table lamps and short floor lamps. Angle multi-directional wall lights or spotlights towards objects in your home that you love and want to show off, rather than pointing them at blank walls or the ground. Our Tusk Wall Light might not be movable but will certainly create a statement if placed on either side of an artwork.

Extra task and mood lighting is often where design schemes fall short. Homeowners assume that the central light or wall lights are enough at full power, instead of thinking about the layering effect. If you enjoy reading late at night, you need to have a soft and sultry background which can be achieved with diffused accent lighting and a stronger task lamp to ensure that you can see what you’re doing. Soft fabric shades on table lamps and floor lamps such as the sculptural Giacometti Leaf Lamp help to diffuse light, making it softer and perfect for the background. You can also think about illuminating features such as bookcases or fireplaces. Our Slate Cube Lamps use LEDs to give a soft highlighting glow to areas of interest.

Don’t miss out on the lighting that looks amazing too. We are appreciators of stunning decorative pieces here at AUTHOR and know a thing or two when it comes to handcrafted statement pieces. The Pear Lamp by Porta Romana is one of our bestsellers. Working as both accent lighting and a decorative piece, placing it prominently in view where it can cast light all around will help to bring a warm glow to your room. Similarly our Duck Feet Lamp is full of character and always provides as a wonderful talking point.

Now that you’ve incorporated functional, ambient, accent and decorative lighting into your interior design scheme, perhaps it’s time to think about connecting these for a smarter home. One of the easiest ways to do this is using Alexa-friendly light bulbs or plug adaptors. You’ll be pleased to know that you don’t need to rewire the whole house. Explore the options that will work for you, link them straight to your smartphone and voila! You can control the whole mood of your room via your phone.

Candles are the last piece of the puzzle when creating a relaxing atmosphere. They add in softer light and create a sultrier mood that is instantly welcoming. Our Square Scented Candles are the ideal addition for an instantly warming feel while not distracting from the decor. Created from high quality natural wax and essential oils, they add a warming smell as well as soft lighting. Try placing them on a metallic tray for an even more intimate atmosphere.