LIGHTING AS ART: HOW TO USE STATEMENT LAMPS TO DEFINE DIFFERENT ZONES IN AN OPEN-PLAN HOME
If you’re familiar with the expression, ‘painting with light’, you’ll already have an understanding that lighting can become its own work of art. How you use everything from ceiling lights to floor lamps can completely transform your living space. In an open-plan home, using statement lamps can help to define different zones, giving each one its own character, ambience, and experience.
Modern lighting lends itself particularly well to the principles of using lighting as art. Let’s examine some lighting ideas that can elevate an open-plan home.
Embrace artificial and natural light
Before we look in more detail at the different types of modern lighting, bear in mind one key element – natural light. Open-plan homes are designed to make the most of natural light wherever possible. Spaces close to large windows, balconies, or other natural light sources already have their own character.
Introducing home lighting that harmonises rather than competes is important. Step back, turn off all your ceiling lights and lamps, and explore how nature has already laid out a template for you that influences your lighting artistry.
Pendant lights
Oversized pendant lights can introduce a sense of structure in an open-plan space. They can signal a zone in a room by anchoring it to key areas such as the dining space. Pendant lights work particularly well over a dining table or kitchen island and can form part of your home lighting plan over a workspace or reading area. The scale of the light creates a natural focal point, making the area or zone feel grounded and connected to the wider space.
Floor lamps
Freestanding and elegant, floor lamps introduce purpose and definition into living areas. They can turn a dark corner into a cosy reading nook, complete with a side table and accent chair. Floor lamps can also create visual boundaries, separating a space from other parts of the room without introducing hard borders.
Modern chandeliers
Architectural and instantly a key focal point in any room, modern chandeliers introduce elegant definition into an open-plan space. They have distinctive looks and can imbue a dynamic personality into a zone without losing that cohesiveness that holds your home lighting together. Sculptural, artistic modern chandeliers are works of art in themselves, energising a space and adding structure to dining tables, main living areas, or kitchens.
Table lamps – create a pathway
Statement table lamps add subtle nuances by spotlighting a sculpture or vase, or by working as visual signposts that lead you through the space. Functional and beautiful, they can also be moved around easily to add interest, create a particular ambience, or simply shake things up occasionally.
Warm or cool?
Modern lighting comes not just in a variety of different forms but also creates a range of lighting effects. LED ceiling lights can be adjusted (depending on the bulb or fixture) to produce different mood themes in your space.
Warm, yellow lights add a cosy feel to seating areas, while brighter tones towards the blue end of the spectrum add clarity and a sharper, more contemporary ambience in a kitchen or work area. Look for LED lights that can be fitted with bulbs that can introduce varying brightness and colour temperature into your open-plan home.
If this has inspired you to look at your home lighting in a more aesthetic way, you can find even more creative and innovative ideas in our Lighting section at CB2.