Light the Way
Lights, lanterns, candles, all can add a wow factor to a room purely by altering the shape, shadows and colour. Whenever I have bought a place, my first request is lots of light as it gives a sense of space and height. Our shoebox 25th floor New York apartment had tall ceilings being a renovated building, which instantly lit the room in natural light making the major room appear larger. Our Berlin apartment was like a tree house with soft dappled sunshine even in the winter. I try not to have curtains being a fan of blinds, to keep that sense of light all year round. If you can afford it, upgrade your windows and let the light in. Feng Shui tip: lights are the Fire element so consider that carefully in any water section of the Bagua map.
The Wow Factor
A friend once said, it is the finishing details that make a room. I often use a light to set the scene. Other recommendations have been to use odd number of lamps and to mix and match with heights, shapes, shades and colour. Some suggest placing light fittings higher up on walls or recessed lighting to make the area feel brighter and spacious. I am not a fan of ceiling lights as they can be too bright and wash out the colour of the room so use dimmers if needed. You can buy lamp bases and change the shades, don’t be afraid to buy in antique shops but make sure they show you that it works.
Which for What
Before buying lights, consider the use of the room – some rooms may just need a soft low light, others need clear light to work in. Layer your lighting as well at different levels with pendants, use dimmers and make sure you choose a soft light bulb. There are 3 key types of lighting: General functional lighting which mainly comes from the ceiling in the form of pendants, down lights and recessed fixtures. Second is task lighting for work areas, kitchen benches, bathrooms and reading. Finally, Ambient lighting – use small lamps, lighting in cabinets, put fairy lights in a big glass jar
The Kitchen
This is an area that needs to function so consider layers of lights to be able to cook and then turn down, consider down lights under cabinets. I have mine on a easy to buy connection that I can automatically turn on and off. For my wow factor, In our Berlin kitchen, we had 3 jar pendants with the word Sucre on, which added a sense of humour. Use dimmers to adjust lights, light up glass cabinets. Feng Shui tip: lights being of the Fire element, be careful where you place them in relation to water elements in the kitchen.
The Bedroom
For me, this area needs softness and it is where gentle shadows are welcome. Feng Shui tip: if in the relationship corner of the Bagua map or in the room, a single light says you are single so make sure you have 2 and match the lamps! I don’t use overhead lighting but if you need to, set the mood with down lights and dimmers.
The Office
You will definitely need functional lighting in this area however, choose different bulbs to avoid the white light that can tire the eyes. Consider ceiling lights and also lamps to alter the light during the day.
The Bathroom
Depending on the size of the room, you ideally need two kinds of lighting, functional and task. Often bathrooms forget about one or the other, often the smaller task lighting resulting in an over bright room or a dingy, dark feel. There are small portable lamps for lounges that I have seen effectively used in bathrooms. Happy lighting!
