Let's FOCUS on Interior Design: Lighting for Drama - Part II

Interior design professionals are accomplished at merging both function and form to create breathtaking results. In this three-part series which I call "Let's FOCUS on Interior Design," I draw on my experience working with some of London's top interior design experts to explain how to create focus, balance and drama through the use of lighting.


Deciding when to use contrast is critical for top-notch interior design results. At nighttime, feature lighting can be wonderful - think of a dusky London back garden that suddenly gets illuminated from under the flower bushes! By daybreak, however, interior design professionals know that clients crave a more even brightness. This will be less wearisome for one's eyesight than constantly gazing from a super-bright illuminator, such as a desk lamp, to an environment that is often shrouded in shadow. Top London interior design professionals always bear this in mind when planning home office spaces.


Having said all that, the secret to creating focus really is all about feature lighting. This type of illumination must be crisp, accurate and controllable using different settings than the rest of the light sources. Often the London Interior Design Professional will be asked to focus on a structural feature or a treasured sculpture. In such cases, the interior design team should use muted lighting, gently shifting the guests' attention onto the chosen object instead of causing diversions. The interior design professional is only allowed to make the illuminator centre-stage if it really is a solo feature - like an historic chandelier in an opulent London mansion, for example. Most interior design boutiques will employ dimmer circuitry to modulate the balance between general and feature illumination. The results can be theatrical and exciting - giving the client complete control of the atmosphere and mood.


Many London interior design professionals love to re-imagine living and dining rooms - places where we unwind and receive guests. Decorative accessories are often a contemplative focus for welcomed guests, and some of London's top interior design teams will rely on bespoke light sources to realise this. A fabulous vase will look mystical and historic, maybe as if illuminated from the interior, when the interior design professional paints it pastel pink using a narrow-beam downlight. A prize photograph can act as a foil when showcased by multi-view up/downlighters on either side. Interior design professionals will similarly give the focus treatment to plants and flower arrangements, as light brings out the texture as well as the hues of petals and buds.



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