Light is what allows us to see, it is the source of vision, the key to beauty, the luminous source of all visual stimulation. As such controlling illumination is vital in any art form, but most especially in the decorative arts, where light will be coloring a three dimensional space rather than just a single place or point. Further, the nature of the space and the light coming from natural sources will change within the room, altering the nature of the space inherently, and requiring you to work with a whole new dimension, that of time.
The first rule of lighting is that the more sources you have of light, the more control you have over the illumination of the space. Different lamps and light points can give you access to far different ways which you can illuminate the room. These different lamps and lighting sources should all have differencing levels of illumination. The lower the output of the piece, the more of them you can comfortably lair on top of one another, giving you the option to play with all sorts of different levels of light.
Another trick to using light in your decorative schemes is to hide various unsavory points of a space using shadow. The absence of light can actually be a positive tool in some situations. Dim is not always dark, sometimes its romantic, sometimes it’s intimate, sometimes it’s just relaxed. You can use this to your benefit, giving you the ability to use light to emphasize some features, and hide others.
A simple way to take control of the illumination is with a dimmer switch, or using lamps that have multiple levels of output. This allows you to decide what the atmosphere will be at any given point in time.
Another way to take control of the light is by using curtains to tame the flow of sunlight into the space. Sunlight is extremely warm and bright, and while it can energize a space, during the summer months it can also lead to making a room unnecessarily hot. Gauzy semi translucent curtains can also allow you greater control over the nature of the lighting in the space.
Lighting is one of the most important elements in a home. It can cast a space in shadow or illumination. It can add energy, or mellow the mood. In this way its one of the vital elements to learn to control in a home decorating situation.
PebbleZ.com now has an exciting line of decorative onyx lamps available. Watch as the translucent semi precious stone lights up from within, revealing hidden spectacles of pattern and color. Jim Slate, an artisan for PebbleZ.com, is the author of this article.