Light is the part of a room people notice last and feel first. It is also the hardest thing to change once the walls are plastered and the floors are down.
Follow the daylight
Spend a day noting where the sun is at breakfast, at lunch and in the evening. Put the places you use most, the table, the reading chair, the desk, where the light is good at the time you use them.
Three layers of artificial light
One ceiling light in the middle of a room is almost never enough. We plan light in three layers:
- General light for moving around and cleaning.
- Task light where you cook, read and work.
- Low, warm light for the evening, lamps, wall lights, a lit shelf.
Decide on switches and sockets early
The best lamp is useless without a socket in the right place. Mark where the furniture will stand before the electrician starts, and put switches where you actually walk into a room.