Getting Light Just Right

Filed under: Your Home, Projects, Furniture

Decorating isn't just about decor, it's about smart lighting choices. Here's how to set the mood and maximize natural light in your home.

Lamps, chandeliers, pendants and sconces are all "home accessories" or "accents," but these items aren't purely decorative. Lighting plays a crucial role in how a space looks, feels and functions. While few of us have rooms with oversized windows and a steady stream of natural light (as shown in photo below), we all do have rooms with different light "personalities." And you can maximize a room's natural light by making smart lighting choices.


Artificial lighting plays three roles in design: ambient light, task light and decorative lighting. The fourth -- and sometimes most important -- element is natural light.

I spoke with Michael Ferzoco of Boston-based design firm Eleven Interiors to get a better understanding of the role that lighting plays in our homes. When Ferzoco begins working on a new room, he studies the light. He looks at the room's elements in natural light and revisits them again in artificial light in the evening, only then does he get a sense of what kind of lighting a room needs.

To help you tackle the lighting needs of your room, Ferzoco gave us a step-by-step approach to improving the look and feel of your dim space.

1. Devise a lighting strategy
Whether designing a blank canvas or working with an existing space, Ferzoco says it's important to think about how you use the space you're attempting to light. Are you working in the room? Reading there? Watching TV or entertaining? Where in the room do you plan to sit?

Start with adding the basics. Most living areas will require a table lamp and maybe a floor lamp, and most dining rooms need a pendant or chandelier; bedrooms may need an overhead light. However, beyond the basics, we all use spaces differently so most rooms will need to be customized according to how you use them. If you perform specific tasks in a room, like paying bills or reading, you should consider adding task lighting (thus the name!). Task lighting is bright, focused light that helps improve concentration. Task lighting can come in the form of a floor-length reading lamp behind your comfortable chair, a proper desk lamp or under-cabinet lights in the kitchen.

Almost every dining space has a pendant or chandelier above the dining room table, but Ferzoco says more light is needed because, chances are, you're probably only using your dining room at night. He suggests adding a spotlight to highlight a piece of art or add sconces to project light directly out, up and down. Ferzoco also encourages the use of candlelight on the table when entertaining because it adds to the ambiance of the space. Not only will it set the mood for your dinner party, but you don't want anyone to be unsure about what they're eating!

In a living room, where you might entertain and show off some of your artwork, you may consider adding some spotlights or track lights directed at your collectibles to highlight them. The addition of a mirror is a great way to reflect the light around the space, making a room feel lighter. Ferzoco says any time you can place a mirror directly across from windows to reflect the natural light around the room. Also, he suggests adding an oversized mirror above a fireplace, leaning slightly forward to reflect the room.

2. Design around natural light
Next, he always checks to see what direction the natural light is coming from. "This helps you determine how long you're going to have light during the course of the day," he says. Most people are away during the day and are more concerned with artificial light," he says. However, knowing if light comes in directly all day or only in the afternoon will help you figure out answers to a number of design questions.

First, you will know how the furniture needs to be laid out, since there's no need to position lamps in places where natural light is plentiful. It can also impact your fabric choices. Too much light can cause furniture, rugs and drapes to fade, so you'll want to avoid arranging a room in a way that puts those pieces in the line of fire. For rooms that get a lot of light, dark heavy drapery may be a better option.

Ferzoco recently had clients whose room was facing south and their windows were covered with slatted blinds. However, these blinds were breaking up the natural light and causing shadow patterns. He suggested changing out the blinds for a different window treatment, since it would maximize the natural light while still offering privacy. And it worked!

What kind of natural light does your room have?
- East-facing rooms get light all morning. If your bedroom faces east, you'll wake up with the sun unless you invest in some heavy window treatments.

- South-facing spaces get lots of sun all day long as the sun rises and sets. If you work from home, these rooms are a great choice for office space so that you don't need to rely on lamps while working.

- West-facing rooms have more light in the afternoon as the sun sets, but it is a golden sunset light. Be sure that your back isn't to a west window when working or watching TV or there will be quite a bit of glare on your screen

- North-facing spaces often do not get any direct light. Ferzoco explains that north-facing light is great for artists studios because there is no direct sunlight.

3. Create mood and drama with lighting
Ferzoco says that "the brighter the light, the more serious the mood." Very bright lighting can be extremely important in certain spaces, such as work spaces or task-oriented spaces like kitchens. He suggests using bright halogen lighting and a dimmer switch so that the mood in your living space can change as needed.

Incandescent lighting, a more yellow light, sets a more relaxed mood. When you begin to dim lights, Ferzoco explains, it has an immediate effect on mood. The mind calms and becomes less focused. With children, using a dimmer can indicate that it's getting close to bedtime.

Bottom line: A simple way to change the mood of your room is to change light bulbs and lampshades. The type of lampshade you choose has a considerable effect on mood. Choose something darker for a more relaxed mood or a bright white shade to make it feel a little more serious. Ferzoco always suggests that you opt for a dimmer or a three-way lamp so that you have the option to "turn up the volume" when needed.

To create drama with lighting, try adding sconces above a fireplace or a spotlight on a piece of artwork. Overhead lighting like chandeliers should be on a dimmer to create a romantic mood when low lit.

Rooms with dark walls can be particularly challenging to light. One of the biggest drawbacks of painting a room chocolate, gray or even black is that they feel extremely dark, particularly at night. To make the room brighter, Ferzoco says to give the room a bright focal point, like artwork, a light headboard or a light wood armoire. He also suggests using pops of color and shades of white with heavy lighting from chandeliers to focus lighting. To get even more creative with light and reflection, change the finish on your paint from a matte to either a satin or a semi-gloss.

Let's take a look at how Ferzoco designed a space around lighting. Here is the same room at different times of the day:

Use the slider tool to see the room at 10am with and without the shades drawn:




Use the slider tool to see the room at 2pm with and without the shades drawn



Use the slider tool to see the room at 8pm with artificial lights at 2 dimmer levels



Ferzoco explains that the window treatments were chosen for flexibility. Since the space is large and open with floor-to-ceiling windows, these Hunter Douglas automatic blinds are easily operated by remote control with pre-set levels for different times of the day. This allows the homeowner to maximize and control the natural light and also allow for privacy.

The artificial light comes in the form of a 1940s pendant chosen not only because it is an easily-dimmable halogen light but also because of its design harmony with the mid-century Saarinen table and chairs. "I also prefer fixtures where I don't see the light bulb -- that can be harsh in certain settings," he says.

As far as overall design considerations, Ferzoco placed the furniture in the center of the vintage ad poster and central to the room to allow for maximum circulation. Says Ferzoco: "We actually had to relocate the existing junction box for the dining room pendant because it was much closer to the windows."

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