How Can Lighting Be Used To Convey Different Moods

Lighting is used to create different moods in a room, whether it be natural or artificial, so it is really important to get it right, to create the correct atmosphere for the use of the room.

Where we place table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces, pendant lights, and how we direct the light, can help to create different light effects and feelings, such as shadows, strong beams, etc.

Candles for instance create a calm, relaxing, and even romantic mood when lit in a room, but by using the wrong lighting, you can either create a room that is too dark to get a task complete, or too bright to be able to relax in.

The number of lights, the strength, and colour of the bulb that we use in the light fixture can also create a mood within the room or space.

Warm light bulbs create a more relaxing feel, and whiter, brighter bulbs, create a better environment where a task might be carried out and would be suitable for a room like an office, bathroom, or kitchen.

Dimmer switches can also be used to change the mood in a room, from bright and light, to dark, cosy, and moody.

There are 3 types of lighting, and ambient lighting is the most basic out of the 3.

Ambient lighting is a warm comfortable light. It can be the natural light that shines through your windows, and it can also be the unnatural light given off from a table or floor lamp, a ceiling chandelier or pendant light with a dimmer switch, down lighter, or a wall light, that doesn’t overexpose a room but gives off enough light for the room.

Ambient light is a soft light, which may have been softened by using a lampshade for example. Ambient light gives you enough light for the room that you are in without the light being overbearing.

Because the light is non-directional, it doesn’t point at just one area, so the light is more evenly spread around the room.

Task lighting is the complete opposite of ambient lighting. They are directional lights, that are not diffused.

Task lights are directional lights that are pointing towards an area that the light needs to focus on.

Task lighting is mainly used for the area that you are working at, such as a desk at work, you would have a desk lamp pointing at your work. In a kitchen, you might have spotlights over the counter tops or a hob. In a bathroom, you would have a task light over the vanity or sink, so that you could apply make-up or for a man, shave your beard.

Directional light beams can cause glare by bouncing off reflective surfaces and can create unwanted shadows.

Decorative lighting is where the light fitting is meant to attract attention and is a feature to the room, a talking point in the room, where the shape and size, is more important than the light it emits. A light fitting that is aesthetically pleasing.

Decorative lights create the mood of the room, regardless of what you are using the room for,

It may even be the lighting used to highlight an item in the room, light a piece of art, or to change the colour of the room.