Banana Web

Planning Your Lighting

Lighting needs to fulfill three key functions. Firstly, it needs to provide enough background light for general use, in effect recreating natural daylight. This is known as ambient lighting. Secondly, it needs to supply focused light for specific areas such as desks, bathroom mirrors and kitchen worktops. This is known as task lighting. Lastly, it needs to create areas of interest and variety, highlighting or softening the the architecture of the room and adding atmosphere with shadows and contrasts-this is called accent lighting.

Different rooms will need you to shift the emphasis from one type of lighting to another. For example, studies need good task lighting whereas accent lighting is key to designing a restful bedroom. Usually a combination of all these three types of lighting mentioned above will establish the right levels of mood and practicality.

Therefore, it becomes essential for you to plan your lighting before you start with the actual work. It will save time later on and can also save the possible change in lighting if it doesn’t fit well in a particular room.

Classic Shutters

If the windows have original shutters, make the most of them. This is a classic style that has a perfect contemporary relevance when it comes to windows. They provide an architectural definition to the windows without adding any decoration to them at the same time. Shutters prove that the  most elegant windows do not need dressing at all.

Using the classic shutters also puts you at a freedom from spending on the window decorations or on blinds, panels or curtains. If you want to add new shutters, wooden replicas of traditional shutters can be made to fit your window, and these are made up of modern wood that is created specially for such types of shutters using the raw wood. The advantage with these wooden replicas is, they do not imbibe water in rainy season preventing problems associated with their closure. However, they might be somewhat expensive than the traditional wood.

You can also opt for a sleeker alternative such as plain lengths of MDF (which is medium density fireboard) hinged together, or go ultra-modern with panels of white perspex.

Curtains

Continuing with our previous discussion on natural light options with blinds and panels, let us discuss about use of curtains for windows.

First of all, do not feel that you have to eschew curtains altogether-just to avoid using much bulky fabric and too many overblown gathers which take up valuable space. Opt for long-line curtains in heavy linen or cord which contribute a sense of height and elegance, or use sheer voiles, muslins or organzas which screen the glass with a filmy layer for a touch of modern romance.

Keep headings simple by using tab-tops which are made up of fabric or leather. Use metal eyelet holes or clip-on rings that will slide on to a slim pole.

Loured shutters outline the elegant architecture of your tall windows if there are any in your house. They also act to filter the light to prevent the room color from feeling too bright or too strong depending upon if its painted with whites or strong colors.

Blinds and Panels

Natural light opens up a space and gives it character. Therefore, it is very essential to use appropriate window shutters that allow natural light when needed and can block it when it is not required. Let us discuss about the various window cover options.

Blinds and Panels:

Roman and roller blinds will both allow you to soften the outline slightly with fabric panels, while restricting color and pattern to a narrow strip at the top when blinds are pulled up. Make them from translucent white muslin or stretched voile, and you can leave them down so they provide privacy yet filter plenty of light into the room(perfect for bright, sunny windows). Slatted Venetian-style blinds, available in plastic, steel or wood, can switch from light-admitting to light-obscuring with just a change in their angle, and suit the functional, industrial style of some modern furnishings.

Neat fabric panels, creating a cross between curtain and blind, are even simpler. Stretched on to hinged metal portière rods, they can swing open and shit like shutters. Made from sheer voile and slotted on to a fixed pole or wire across the top of the window, they act as a contemporary(and much more attractive) version of the old-fashioned net curtain, screening the window without obscuring the light.

Adding Pattern

If single colors make spaces look bigger, it follows that anything that breaks up a run of one color has the opposite effect.

Dominant patterns are best avoided in small rooms unless you want to make a feature of the cosy, intimate feel, as they can create a frantic, over-busy impression that can be distinctly uncomfortable to live with.

If you are tired of flat painted walls, try a color-washed effect that softens the surface with a textured look without adding any obvious sense of pattern. You could also try small, discreet patterns, such as tiny floral springs, or checks or dots, which have a neat, contained look that can work well in bedrooms and children’s rooms. The other type of pattern that is worth considering is a subtle stripe, which can enhance the height or width of the room if you use it judiciously.

Adding patterns makes the room look more lively and you can create dramatic effects with various types of patterns available in the market.