It’s important to get your interior lighting just right

Two months ago the timer on my kitchen lamp was set to come on at 10.45pm.

It’s now adjusted to 8.45pm as days get shorter at the rate of about 15 minutes a week. Yes, indeed, it’s time to wrap furry blankets around chilly knees to watch television as the season of hibernation begins and balmy evenings sitting and sipping on the patio are now eluding us.

Usually during the winter we see the shortcomings in our interior lighting when dark evenings and particularly dark mornings force us to live much of the day by artificial light. This can be anything from dim bulbs or harsh glaring ones, to insufficient variety in lighting appliances.

If you have, say, a single pendant light in your main living area with a 100 watt bulb and not a table lamp in sight, you’re unlikely to have the cosy atmosphere which is absolutely necessary for the months ahead.

Lighting designers advise creating three layers of light - ambient, task and accent, and there’s a great deal of common sense in this when employed as it makes you realise that getting your lighting right is as important to creating and varying the atmosphere in a space as your choice of paint colour, upholstery and soft furnishings. You might be surprised to find that by night the three layers can transform what may otherwise be a dreary space by day in dire need of redecorating.

Ambient refers to the main type of lighting, usually a pendant hanging from the middle of the ceiling. It can also be wall lighting, but this is not as popular anymore, largely because it creates a dark hole in the middle of the room. Task lighting is directed at a detailed activity such as reading, doing a jigsaw and sewing, or on an area like a work surface, or where you have materials for a hobby using a spotlight or focused lamp. Accent is the lighting equivalent of accessorising, and can be a decorative lamp with a low wattage bulb or rose bulb which appears to be pink but when lit emits a warm feeling without casting a rosy glow.

Trending in the light fashion stakes this season are combinations of modern and traditional elements in a single pendant piece which create an aesthetic that works in any style of home. Groups of pendants in different lengths are replacing the traditional chandelier but be careful if you opt for this look so the lowest hanging of the group doesn’t become an obstacle when walking around the room.

Metallics, especially gold effect and copper are warm and stylish, but as the shades are solid, light will pool directly below them and won’t emit to the sides. For a glow that spreads beyond the boundaries of the shade, the other material trend is glass, especially clear, vintage style crystal.

Next week we catch up with international furniture designer Joseph Walsh.