How to Change the Atmosphere in an Apartment Using Light

Light can hide, emphasize, or highlight any item in your home. Moreover, it can make a room more important and festive, turning a bedroom into royal chambers and a living room into a ballroom. Light can create a sense of spaciousness and fresh air even in a small space, helping you fall asleep quickly and wake up with a light head. You just need to know how to use it.

Entry Hall

Imagine a theater lobby before the show begins: the lights are off, you're sitting in darkness, waiting patiently for magic. The curtain rises, and for a moment you're blinded by bright light and a variety of impressions.

How to Use This. If you want your apartment to amaze guests from the door, you need to create a contrast between the entrance area and the living room. The entry hall should create intrigue, while the living room should look like the light center of the house.

What to Choose for the Entrance Zone. The difference between an entry hall and a theater is that large crystal chandeliers are usually not used here. Spotlights, recessed or ceiling-mounted, wall sconces – these are the best choices for the entrance zone.

Living Room

On one side, it is a ceremonial room where family celebrations and friendly parties take place. On the other hand, it's a room where all family members want to feel relaxed and comfortable. Using light, you can change the atmosphere in either direction.

How to Control Mood in the Living Room. A Murano glass chandelier will visually expand the space, provide general lighting, and give the atmosphere a sense of solemnity. However, bright overhead light is tense and cannot be called cozy. If you want to add warmth and comfort, turn off the chandelier and switch on table lamps – second-level light fixtures.

Secret Trick. The strongest theatrical effect is provided by various types of backlighting. Using spotlights and track lighting systems, you can illuminate anything: a glass or porcelain collection, paintings, furniture, walls, and floors. Backlighting partially replaces theatrical decoration. For example, you can create a feeling of Chinese interior design by choosing red-toned backlighting.

Design: Irina Kireeva

Dining Room

There is nothing better for lighting a dining room than a low-hanging lamp above the table. You can keep the walls dark: this technique diverts attention from work surfaces, focusing it on a beautifully set table. An alternative solution is the warm, flickering glow of candlelight, which makes not only dishes but also faces at the table attractive. Nothing is better for a festive dinner.

What to Choose for the Dining Room. In a kitchen (or dining room) with an elongated shape, a rectangular table is usually placed. In this case, rows of identical lights hanging along the centerline of the table look good. General rule: a light fixture above an eating table should be positioned at a height of 2–2.5 meters from the floor so that it is not at eye level for a standing person. It’s not very pleasant when the lamp shines directly into your eyes.

Design: Marina Novikova and Olga Lewis

Bedroom

Modern interior design trends require plenty of light, but it should not be clear where it is coming from. This principle applies to both the living room and the bedroom, where soft, unobtrusive lighting that helps relax and fall asleep is especially important.

We don’t fall into sleep like fainting, but gradually transition into a sleepy state, reviewing the day’s events and slowly calming down. There should be no bright flashes of light in the bedroom, so strong ceiling lights are not needed here. Main sources of light are usually placed near the headboard.

Design: Elena Kornilova

What to Choose for the Bedroom. The choice of wall sconces or table lamps depends on whether you like to read in bed. Wall sconces that direct light upward use the ceiling as a reflector. The light hitting it scatters so that the contrast between lit and unlit areas is barely noticeable. It’s clear that reading under such lighting is uncomfortable.

For Those Who Like to Read in Bed. If you can’t fall asleep without reading at least a dozen pages before sleep, it’s better to choose sconces with downward light direction. Another option is bedside lamps that illuminate not only the book but also the surrounding space. For maximum comfort, it’s best to have two pairs of light fixtures in the bedroom – both sconces and bedside lamps. It’s not necessary for them to be paired: some variation usually just enlivens the room.

Design: Irina Krashennikova

Children's Room

Lighting in children’s rooms is created according to the same principles as in adult rooms: soft light reflected from walls or ceiling is preferred. The only thing to always remember is that there should be more light sources in a children’s room.

What to Choose for the Children's Room. Everything depends on the child’s character. If he is afraid of sleeping in the dark, night lights are needed. If he has bursts of movement and likes to spin around like a top, light fixtures with shock-resistant properties are required.

Design: TS Design Studio

If the Child Is Afraid of Sleeping in the Dark. Designers create many light fixtures in the form of stars, planets, and other visually appealing items from an adult’s perspective. But children quickly stop paying attention to them. However, an aquarium with live fish will not lose its appeal for a long time, especially if equipped with lighting that perfectly replaces a night light.

What Ideal Lighting for a Study Desk Looks Like. The lighting of the workspace changes with computer models, and no one can predict what exactly will be needed when the child grows up. But you won’t go wrong if you bet on natural sunlight: it’s better for the eyes and costs nothing.

Design: Elena Solovyeva

On the Cover: Elena Solovyeva’s Design Project

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