The Importance of Lighting in a Home

Lighting is the key ingredient to decorating a room in a house. Putting it crudely lighting in any type of Malta real estate or Gozo home makes or breaks the design of a specific room or the home itself. Therefore, it can be said that lighting is of great importance.

Having spoken to Tony Cassar Darien, an expert in lighting and people involved in the Malta property market, many home buyers buying property in Malta and Gozo treat home-lighting as an afterthought. The subject of lighting is treated as part of a property designer’s list of accessories to be dealt with in conjunction with the home’s final touches.

Property viewings

When asked about the importance of lighting when a buyer attends a property viewing before deciding to purchase a property for sale in Malta, Tony Cassar Darien answered: “I asked my friends in Malta real estate a leading question knowing beforehand the sheer probability of their answer. How often do their clients ask to view a property in the late evenings? 

Well, you have guessed right; visits are inadvertently arranged during daytime when the property is bathed in sunlight. This tends to explain how certain rooms end up looking fine by day but are rather disappointing under artificial light. For ‘disappointing’ read lighting is inconveniently placed for those who constantly live amid the lighted space” says Tony Cassar Darien.

The importance of lighting 

Having helped friends with lighting schemes for their own property or buying real estate for sale like an office in Malta, Mr Darien thought that the subject of lighting in a home should be approached in conjunction with what’s being envisaged for seating and other furniture. He felt that this is the only way where one can be sure of buying the right type of lighting and setting it correctly.

Trying to explain good lighting sounds so easy that it almost makes one feel slightly diculous yet oftentimes he is informed by friends that it’s not working right for them. 

“The basic rules I think concern lamps hanging centrally over a dining table, bedside lights to shine on your book and laptop but not into your eyes, the illumination of desks and work surfaces, lighting of dark corners and the display of objects that you want to stand out” says Tony Cassar Darien. 

Factors of a good lighting plan

So, I guess if you want to specifically work out a lighting plan to cope with your spaces this has to be based on three main factors, in fact, these are the same considerations used for lighting up a theatrical design.

1. Background lighting

Background lighting gives a soft level of light throughout an area to create mood and atmosphere and therefore has to be supplemented by other light sources. There are various ways of going about it and the range includes recessed downlighters (spots hidden in the ceiling), uplighters (floor-standing lights beaming upwards), table lamps and wall lights may all provide the background lighting.

2. Direct lighting

Direct lighting is of course necessary in the kitchen and in bathrooms. Besides providing adequate light for eating, writing, shaving and so on. Direct lighting in a home in Malta or before buying real estate for the first time, is necessary for the inside of deep cupboards, dark corners and staircases. It usually comes from pendant lamps fitted to the ceiling, although strip lights fitted under units or spotlights which may be flexibly angled out, may also do the job.

3. Display lighting

Then there’s the display or accent lighting designed to enhance anything that you want to be displayed. By focusing attention on the desired object the eye is drawn away from the less attractive features that you may want to hide in your home or for potential buyers when viewing your property during a viewing. There are innumerable fittings such as spotlights, framed projectors and other flexible lamps, which work very much like theatrical lighting.

Overall lighting plan

I believe it always helps to draw a lighting plan for the area in question. Malta Property, offices and new buildings across the wide spectrum comprise Malta real estate ranging from shell-form to fully refurbished residences. However, it still pays to draw up an overall plan whether you are rewiring from scratch or adding a few extra lights or dimmer switches. Putting it all on paper helps you decide which fittings to use and where. Misplaced switches can mar an otherwise coordinated lighting scheme and should always be planned along the main circulation routes.

Lighting and colours

One does not need to be a rocket scientist to know that our perception of colours is based only on light. The simplest illustration of this fact is achieved by looking at an ordinary piece of fabric under neon lighting, domestic lighting and natural light. The rag will appear as if it is in three different shades, if not in almost three completely different colours.

However, do remember that even natural light, which is always the best way to view fabrics, carpets and upholstery, varies. And same as there’s a huge difference from the bright lighting of a midday summer day to the grey of a wintry day, artificial lights also vary in character and intensity.

Read more tips on common mistakes made when purchasing property for sale in Malta and Gozo.