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Interior design consultancies know the richness of light in all its forms. In London, lighting is crucial to interior design consultancies that need to make stunning results. In this, the sixth article in my series which I call “DeLIGHTed by Design,” I continue to draw on my experience working with some of London’s Top Interior Design Consultancies to clarify this exciting area.

Six main lighting tools are considered foundational by established interior design consultancies. These are down-lighters, up-lighters, wall-washers, decorative lighting, colour and control. Many London interior design consultancies will preferentially reckon of these mostly in terms of mood and results – from daring highlights to soft textures – instead of as hardware and installations.

Down-lighters are often set back into a fake ceiling, although some interior design consultancies will prefer to install them on walls. These units will direct light downwards, and can be focused by the design team as necessary, perhaps to illuminate the floor or a favourite contoured bookcase. Most interior design consultancies recognise that this type of light is very sharp and will generate somewhat intense shadows, which can be a refreshing contrast to the occasionally dreary London weather. The most well loved units are always available in narrow beam designs, which are best for highlighting certain features. Interior design consultancies will sometimes opt for a wide beam model instead. One nice technique that I have seen used in a few London residences is to make an array of shimmering ceiling lights with wide-beam downlighters. This is appropriate when the interior design consultancy wishes to make a more general, ambient light, but with a fabulous designer feel.

Up-lighters wash the ceiling with light, and the ceiling then serves as its own lighting fixture, bouncing relaxing and general illumination back into the living area. Interior design consultancies will use up-lighters to make an engaging feeling of openness and upward motion when the ceiling is painted a dark colour, in which case the reflected lumens will be low. Up-lighters in London are often either free standing or wall-mounted, usually above head-height to eliminate dazzle. One fantastic technique that I once saw used by a well-known London interior design consultancy was to incorporate a fabulous up-lighter that was recessed into the floor as a central feature, making drama and powerful contrast for a cove and elongated column.

In the next article in this series “DeLIGHTed by Design,” I will continue explaining how interior design consultancies rely on the six core lighting tools.

Interior design consultancies know light in all its forms. In London, lighting is crucial to interior design consultancies that need to make stunning results. In this, the eighth and final article in my series which I call “DeLIGHTed by Design,” I continue to draw on my experience working with some of London’s Top Interior Deign Consultancies to clarify this exciting area.

When most schoolchildren are questioned to reckon of the countryside, they often imagine the hot, shimmering flicker of a bonfire on a crisp autumn evening or the comforting flare of a scented candle. But how is an interior design consultancy to re-interpret these fabulously earthy and atmospheric scenes for, say, an elegant central London flat? The answer is artificial light.

Interior design consultancies recognise that artificial light is available in many different shades. It is similar to the situation with paint, where buckets that are marked “white” can really contain a multitude of different tones. Interior design consultancies use colour professionals who know that the cool white light of an energy-efficient bulb makes an entirely different effect from the warm yellow-orange tones of a tungsten filament. In London, low-voltage halogen options are often used in darker flats where there is a need to add light during the daytime. Interior design consultancies will install dimmer switches that allow homeowners to reduce the brightness of halogens at night, causing them to adopt a more husky yellow-red glow that is akin to an ancient lantern or oil lamp. By contrast, lamplight is too yellow for most interior design consultancies to include for daytime use, and indeed it can lead to sleepiness or lethargy at work (one of the reasons it is nearly never seen in London offices). But at night, tungsten lamps become much more warm and welcoming.

Some interior design consultancies have a like-despise relationship with fluorescent lighting options. These fixtures often emit various shades of white, ranging from a very cool, nearly daylight tone, which can be quite crisp, to a warm, rosy streetlight glow. Some interior design consultancies like fluorescent lights for London kitchens, where they illuminate workspaces but save on electricity bills. But, other interior design consultancies stay well away from fluorescent options because their colour does not change as they are dimmed. Fluorescents merely become less bright under such conditions, which can contribute to an unattractively dull, and nearly grey, lighting effect.

That brings me to the end of my series “DeLIGHTed by Design.” Thank you for letting me share with you about how London interior design consultancies make fabulous lighting schemes!