Directional light CAN bring THE magic to YOUR HOME
Directional lighting gets a bad rep because of the inappropriate use of downlights as general lighting in our homes.
Downlights *which are directional light* do the following:
They create shadowing,
Make some areas over bright and others too dull,
Are glary (sometimes horribly so if someone is using those awful pancake diffuse downlights) and
Downlights make a mess of our ceilings.
For sure, the way downlights are generally used, but directional light is certainly guilty all of these things.
-HOWEVER -
Directional light is a wonderfully diverse type of light, and it can be used to create a huge range of effects in the home.
When used with consideration for what you want to see, a lighting design with well placed directional light can be magic.
Directional Light Can be used to:
Highlight Artwork: Directional lighting can be used to highlight artwork or decorative features in the home, such as a painting or sculpture. By positioning the light source directly above or below the artwork, it creates a dramatic effect that draws attention to the piece.
Task Lighting: Directional lighting can also be used to provide task lighting in areas where specific activities are performed, such as in a kitchen or home office. By directing the light towards the work surface, it provides ample lighting for the task at hand.
Accent Lighting: Directional lighting can be used to create an accent in a room, highlighting a specific area or feature such as a plant or architectural detail. By positioning the light source at an angle, it creates a contrast between light and shadow that adds depth to the space.
Creating Drama: Directional lighting can be used to create a dramatic effect in a room by highlighting a specific area or object. For example, by directing light towards a textured wall or a piece of furniture, it creates an interesting play of light and shadow that adds depth and interest to the space.
Outdoor Lighting: Directional lighting can also be used to highlight outdoor features, such as a tree or outdoor seating area. By positioning the light source at the base of the feature and pointing it upwards, it creates a dramatic effect that adds visual interest to the outdoor space. We’ll talk more about how to design lighting outside with care for our environment in another post coming soon - looking at the Dark Sky guidelines for our inspiration for getting light right outdoors.
The truth about downlights:
Magic, mind-blowingly fabulous directional light that creates beautiful effects can be from downlights.
Yes - there are good downlights. In fact, there are thousands of good ones out there
- HOWEVER -
They do not belong in a standard grid in every square meter of your ceiling, no matter how good they are.
The problem with downlights, is that we most commonly see the worst quality, most poorly designed ones in our homes. And because they are everywhere, it starts looking like they are the only option - or worse - the best option. They are not - in fact no downlight is the best option for every square meter of your ceiling. When downlights get used everywhere, it’s just lazy, bad lighting, not design.
Directional lighting can be - spotlights, wall lights, floor lamps, table lamps, some pendants, spike lights in the garden - the list goes on.
Any light which can create a controlled beam of light, which can be aimed in a particular direction - through adjustment, or through luminaire design - can be considered a directional light.
Light is a way of helping you see what matters in your home, it can be crafted by directional light fittings to behave in particular ways and create specific effects.
Getting the right light is all about understanding how each light fitting is designed, what it can do - and then choosing carefully to get the right light in the right place. At MINT, this is what we’re all about - we create light in homes helps you see what matters most to you and puts as much importance on function as it does on aesthetic beauty.
Understanding the huge range of options available to create the right light is an important step to creating beautiful lighting designs.
