Dos and Don'ts.
Here’s my list of the 10 most important dos and don’ts
when lighting a house or garden:

1. Plan ahead. Think about the wiring for lighting and electrics early on in the planning stage. This not only saves money, but allows for maximum flexibility.
2. Leave extra supplies for eventualities. If in doubt, put in extra cabling as this is much cheaper than adding to the scheme after decorating has taken place.
3. Try to layer the lighting in a room or garden so that not all light sources come from the same level and you have a mixture of up-lighting, down-lighting, pin-spotting and soft washes of light.
4. Always try to dim the lighting for a softer effect and more control. It also saves money.
5. Split up the circuits in a room so that not all lights come on together.
6. The eye is always drawn to the brightest point. Try to ensure that this brightest point is the object being lit rather that the source of the light.
7. In a garden, a little light goes a long way. Don’t take the security-floodlight approach, but pick out a few shrubs or a beautiful tree and light that.
8. Well-lit gardens give a greater feeling of space when viewed from the house. This is especially true with a conservatory as, by lighting something in the garden, the glass no longer acts as a mirror as the eye is drawn outside.
9. It is a mistake to design a lighting scheme around a grid format of down-lights. This lights the room but does nothing else.
10. If in doubts, talk to us – architects and electricians are not lighting designers.

By combining the above points, artificial lighting can create dynamic effects, highlighting and bringing to life artwork, silk, curtains and other textural details, just as natural sunlight brings leaf colour and texture to life.

Visit our showroom for a lighting demonstration.