Lighting - Scheme Design and Control Systems

Good Lighting
Lighting will make your home feel spacious, clean and welcoming. The key is to have a flexible scheme that takes you right through the day and all the different uses of your room. At the flick of a switch, you should be able to transform it from a bright, vibrant living space to the setting for a romantic dinner for two.
Lighting for all areas
Creating the right ambience by selecting with different types of lighting, the mood of a room can change from calm and romantic to energising and vibrant. Highlighting certain areas of the room, such as the fireplace or pictures produces focal points and feels as if the room extends further. Alternatively make a large room with high ceilings appear cosier, by adding several types of small lamps, singularly or in clusters to create low pools of light. Also, consider shadows when arranging your lights and add pierced-lanterns or light shades to create unusual patterns on the walls and ceilings.
Ambient lighting
Background lighting plays the part of daylight and is usually provided by a central pendant light, a hangover from the days of gas lamps. It can be the source of most lighting problems as it creates a bland, flat effect. However, if you supplement general lighting with some or all of the other types, you'll end up with a great, flexible scheme. Staples include ceiling-mounted bowls, wall lights, down lighters, up lighters and standard lamps.
Accent lighting
This gives texture, focus and shape to general lighting, adding depth and shade, with shadows in some corners and pools of light in others. It's formed by a mixture of halogen spotlights, down-lighters, up-lighters, tracks and table lamps. With the latter, use opaque shades that direct light down and prevent it spilling out. Once the basics are in place, we decide which possessions to highlight, whether it's glass, a favourite picture or a table decoration.
Task lighting
This is what you need to do a specific job, whether it's reading, working at a computer, cooking, drawing or sewing. Light should be focused on the area you're using. If the light seeps out, you're likely to get glare from other surfaces, especially computer screens. Task lights come with tungsten, halogen or fluorescent bulbs, the Anglepoise being the best example for the desktop.