Most people do up their homes by buying expensive furniture, lavish home accessories, and wrapping their walls with dramatically patterned wallpapers. More often than not, people believe that filling up their homes with these items is the way to make it look inviting and comfortable. They have a point in doing so because a well-filled space often creates an impression. But more than that, another way of creating an enticing space is by having the right lighting.



Yes, lighting. This is the part that most home owners overlook. It is a common misconception that illuminating the space is the only function of light fixtures. But the truth is a well-lit room can be more dramatic than a lavishly decorated one. The right lighting can immediately add warmth to a space even in the absence of furniture and accessories.

Interior lighting can be categorized in two: general lighting and mood lighting. General lighting, as the name suggests, gives total illumination to a space. Fluorescent lamps are the most common general lighting being used. Mood lighting, on the other hand, is used to highlight certain areas of the space. Halogen lights are good examples of mood lights. The great difference perhaps between general lighting and mood lighting is their color. General lighting is bright and gives a white glow while mood lights are more subdued and give off a yellowish glow.

Now, you might be wondering which areas in the house you could use general lighting and mood lighting. Actually, you can use both in the same area. Mixing general lighting and mood lighting is actually a good way to make a space more inviting. What you can do is make a separate circuit for each so you have the choice of turning on just the general lighting, just the mood lighting, or both.

Another question in mind might be where to put general lighting or mood lighting when using them both in the same space. General lighting could be done in the form of a cove ceiling so the unsightly fluorescent lamps would be concealed. It is always nice to do a cove ceiling along a long wall so the lights would be bouncing from different angles. As for mood lighting, you could place them directly above the part of the space that you want to highlight.

For example, if you have a nice painting hanging in your living room then you could further highlight or give emphasis to that painting by putting a halogen lamp above it. The yellow light shining down on your painting will give the artwork more depth. Other ways of using mood lighting is through chandeliers, pendant lights, and track lights. With chandeliers and pendants, you can have your electrician install dimmers on it so you can control the intensity of the light as mood lighting generates heat as the light intensifies.

For ideas on how to combine mood lighting and general lighting, hotels, museums, and display galleries are the best places to get inspiration from. These places combine general and mood lighting a lot to make their spaces look attracting and entice the people to go in.