An integral part for setting the mood of any home interior has to be your choice of lighting. Adding layers of ambient lighting with table lamps can result in a room instantly feeling warmer & homelier. Make a feature wall or a decorative piece stand out with beautiful pools of iridescent light.
Task Lighting
When choosing table lamps for your room you should keep in mind practicality as well as style, so if the lamp is for your bedside cabinet make sure it’s suitable for tasks such as bedtime reading, but also for providing areas of shadow to accentuate other lighting effects within the room. Table lamps can be a fantastic way to spotlight a group of family photos or decorative pieces that you may wish to display.
Shadowing
Placing a table lamp with an opaque shade close to a plant with not so dense foliage can result in some beautiful leafy patterns projected onto your walls or ceiling, similarly this can work well with textured wallpapers providing the lamp is placed at the right angle directly below the wallpaper (be sure to choose low heat/energy bulbs for safety). When done correctly this type of up-lighting technique can quickly transform the look of a room with very little effort.
Lamp Bases
Lamp bases come in many different styles and materials such as ceramic, brass and nickel plated to name a few. When choosing your lamp base think about them as more of a statement piece or ornament to compliment your theme, rather than just a functional lighting piece.
Many ceramic lamp bases have patterns that can fit seamlessly into your room design, whilst the nickel and brass bases are equally suitable for both contemporary country homes or modern apartments.
Choosing the right lamp base is critical to enhancing the impact of your room. Whether you favour contemporary chic or classic elegance, there are many options available to you.
Lamp Shades
When selecting lampshades, you should choose something that fits with your room's theme - but remember, it’s not all about style, think about practicality as well. For practical task lighting you will want to choose a shade that allows enough light through, whilst still being able to affect the colour spectrum from the light itself, allowing you to quickly and easily introduce colour onto what was once a plain boring wall.
For interior designs that feature a strong colour, don’t always be too tempted to opt for a lampshade that matches your central colour theme. Choosing a colour that compliments your central theme, whilst not detracting from it, will enhance the impact of your room and underline your style. Making everything the same colour is often too easy and can overpower a room.
How Many Lamps?
Lamps that are intended to sit on either side of a central piece of furniture, such as a bed or a sofa, should be unified in style. However, if you intend to situate lamps in parts of the room for different purposes, try to add to implement an alternative dimension to your theme by implementing base styles to suit - perhaps even introduce a floor standing lamp to cast light from a higher perspective.
