Decorating your home is a sweet challenge because there are many decisions you should make regards colours, style, price and everything in between. When it comes to lights, besides the fixtures, you'd surely need lamps. They will create the atmosphere you want, assist the existing fixtures and are surely easy on the eye as decor. How to choose your model? Simple – just follow your preferences, needs and consider the style of your home. These three are the best guides to buy the aesthetically pleasing, practical and suitbale lamps for your needs.
Types of Lighting
There are five basic types of lighting. The first and most important one is the natural lighting that occurs naturally during the daytime. It's essential for your emotional and mental state and will reveal the room's truest colours.
Ambient lighting – this is the one that's also known as general lighting and is meant to give you uniform overall lighting in a room. It's what most people think of when they think of fixtures. This type of lighting is often ceiling fixtures or scones; it can also be portable or wall mounted.
Task lighting – this is the one that's added in living rooms or home studies and is a great aid for reading, doing paperwork or anything else that requires extra lighting. It can be placed on desks, counters, kitchen islands and any other place that needs task lighting.
Accent lighting or focal lighting – this one creates the atmosphere or is used to put
attention to a particular object or aspect of your home. These lamps are often placed to illuminate a piece of art or a sculpture, or maybe even a chair you particularly like.
Decorative lighting – this is solely used for aesthetic reasons. You can use it to add some lighting to wall art, or maybe to draw attention to a musical instrument such as a piano, or a table where you keep collection items.
Types of Lamps
When you determine the type of lamp you want and how you'll use it, it's time to consider the type you should get. There are three categories of lamps - table, floor and wall lamps.
Table Lamps
These are setting your tasks and ambient lighting and are often mid-sized. Table lamps are portable and used in most homes. Based on where you'll place them, these lamps can improve the performance of the main fixtures or enhance the ambience in the room. Some modern models may even have USB charging which can be quite practical (especially if you're trying to save some money on your electricity bill or take the lamp when you travel).
Accent Lamps
When you buy lamps it's almost impossible not to come across accent lamps. They give ambient light and create a personal statement in a room. Even though they're functional, their main purpose is to support the interior design theme of your room or add a decorative touch. Accent lamps have many characteristics and finding the right one depends on the aesthetics that you like. Getting one will help you infuse your room with a bit of colour, add some texture and curves or simply accentuate the theme of your room.
Reading Lamps
Just because reading lamps have mainly practical purposes, it doesn't mean they can't look great. In fact, it's a smart idea to buy a reading lamp so you won't squint and torture your eyes while trying to read your lines under the somewhat dimmed bedroom light.
Reading lamps will provide you with a brightly focused light and can adapt to changing conditions. Go for a dimmer model because you can set the brightness that works best for you. Reading lights are best for home studies, but you can get one for your bedroom or in the kids' room.
Desk Lamps
If you have a home study or your kids have started attending school and have to do homework, it's time to invest in a desk lamp. It's a great addition to help you get proper light over your documents, books, notebooks and computer. Your desk should get enough reading light so you can always be easily focused on the tasks you're doing, instead of the torture that's a simple ceiling light that's often not enough for such tasks.
Most desk lamps have tilting shades that redirect light onto your paperwork across your desk or away from screens. Most models have adjustable arms and necks so you can rotate or extend them to cover surface areas all over the desktop.
Buffet Lamps
These are perfect for dinner parties. Buffet lamps will give a great touch to your dining room and table and will also serve you practically. Your guests will be able to see the food and drinks and the atmosphere will surely be elegant and classy. Often lamps come in pairs and are placed on the ends of consoles, serving tables or sideboards. Buffet lamps are often tall and thin to prevent the base and shades to get in the way of hands and arms. Their light is softer in order to create a welcoming mood and ambience.
