Design matters

Lighting has more than purely functional benefits. It can provide atmosphere, subtly delineate different living zones (important in open plan homes) and amplify the character of a space.

Many people may be surprised to learn that the popular go-to for Australian lighting, ‘the downlight’, is a fixture that is very rarely seen in European and American homes nor, in fact, in most homes around the world.

Downlights were invented in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s to provide concealed, intense spot and broad floodlighting to warehouses, retail spaces, and showrooms. They clearly work in these settings and, indeed, are designed to be an industrial rather than a residential lighting choice.

Australians are obsessed with brightness, with most people’s homes awash with maximum light regardless of time of day, function, or the ideal mood for a space.

Three very useful lighting styles to consider in your home in place of downlights are pendants, wall lights, and lamps.

Different lighting for different rooms

• Gathering spaces such as kitchens, dining rooms, lounge rooms, TV rooms, and outdoor rooms are ideally lit by ambient light. While there might be some argument about kitchen lighting, for me this space is primarily about being together with friends and family, so the focus should be on comfort lighting. Pendants over the counter should provide enough task lighting without being awkwardly bright. • The above rule also extends to private spaces such as bedrooms, studies, and libraries, which are best mood lit with individual task lights, such as reading lamps that can be added as needed. • Solitary spaces often need brighter task lighting: bathrooms, walk-in-robes, butlers’ pantries, laundries, and service areas all do well with downlights. Bathrooms, though, also benefit from decorative lighting.

For those renting or developing a home, installing permanent decorative lighting may not be possible, or the choices too daunting to appeal to a broad market. This can especially be the case for wall lights interlinked with furniture arrangements. In this instance, either table or wall lamps will happily fulfil the need for mid-height, atmospheric lighting that is easily adaptable.

How bright?

Light is measured in lumens or lm (not watts, which measure the power used to supply the light source). I recommend the following for inviting, cosy living spaces: • Kitchen and dining pendants: 500 lm (40 watts) especially with two or more pendants • Wall lights: 250–500 lm (25–40 watts) • Standard lamps and floor lamps: 600 lm (40 watts) • Reading lamps: 600-800 lm (40–60 watts)

Getting the lighting task right

• Ensure that your architect, interior designer, or builder specifies a maximum of 2700K warm white fixtures for your home (the higher the number, the cooler the light). • If you can’t do away with downlights altogether, make sure you can switch them on individually so that they’re only on when you really need them.

LED lights

Most lights for sale these days are powered by LEDs and use substantially less energy whilst lasting much longer than old fashioned incandescent or halogen globes.

Poppy Bevan, Architect Registration no. 11866 poppybevan.com