Lighting, the key to a winning decor

You’ve successfully designed and decorated a room to your personal taste, with carefully chosen accessories and furnishings in your favourite colours. Now you need to show it all off with a well-thought-out lighting system, which must be functional and accommodate everyone’s needs.

There are many different types of lights, each designed for a purpose, with the ability to create a specific atmosphere or highlight a particular feature in the room. We turn the spotlight on this indispensable decorating tool.
Project guide service
Paint calculator
Wallpaper calculator
Moulding calculator
Colour it!
Related Projects
Page 1/5
Lighting types
Room by room
Current trends

Lighting types

Overhead lighting
Overhead lighting provides a general source of light from a ceiling fixture, most often in the centre of the room. Recessed lights, ceiling lights, chandeliers or pendants are all examples of overhead lighting. They are a good basic source of ambient light, illuminating most of the room and providing very adequate visibility. It is generally recommended to have one light source for every 20 to 25 square feet. Overhead lighting is often complemented by other types of task lighting specific to activities such as reading, homework, or meal preparation.
Wall lighting
Decorative sconces, wall lamps and spotlights provide additional accent lighting which adds interest to the room. You will need an electrician to install these lights, as their wires need to be concealed behind the wall. Wall lights are available in a wide range of styles, from antique to modern, and can simply be decorative accessories in themselves.
Decorative lighting
As the general ambient light source often does not reach all corners of the room, table lamps or floor lamps provide accent lighting to give the additional luminosity needed in those areas. Bear in mind when choosing and placing table lamps that the bottom of the shade should be at eye level when you are seated.
Display lighting
Some lights are designed to pick out and light up specific items of your decor ─ picture lights above artwork, for example. Display lights can be wall fixtures, small decorative projector lamps or track lighting, among others.
Page 1/5