Lighting, both indoor lighting and outdoor lighting,  is a key factor in creating a specific atmosphere in your home, your outdoor living area or your garden space. Whether you are designing an indoor or outdoor space, you should include a variety of lighting options both for functionality and for aesthetic significance.

Ambient Indoor Lighting

Ambient lighting is also referred to as general lighting. Typically, this is the lighting that provides overall illumination in a room. Ambient lighting can have a significant impact on the atmosphere of a room. Up-lights shine toward the ceiling and can soften the mood of a room. Track lights or recessed lights are sometimes referred to as down-lights. This type of lighting can also add visual warmth, elegance or tranquility to a room. Ambient lights can be used as your primary lighting source, though you will need to place them strategically to achieve the full-coverage lighting you’ll need if you use them as such.

Decorative Indoor lighting

The atmosphere you can create using decorative lighting covers a range from lively, festive and whimsical mood to elegant, sophisticated or demur. Floor lamps, table lamps, sconces, chandeliers and various other types of lighting can be included in the decorative lighting category. Take into consideration the size, shape and color of the decorative lighting when you are striving for a specific mood. A Reinhold Electric contractor in St. Louis, MO advises that decorative lighting be used as a secondary lighting option, to accent main indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, as decorative lighting tends to be more expensive and uses too much power to be practically used as a main source of light.

Lighting your outdoor living area

Outdoor living furniture is just as attractive as the furniture designed for interior spaces. Likewise, you can find outdoor lighting options of equal beauty and similar design. Floor lamps and table lamps are ideal for creating a relaxed atmosphere in your outdoor living area. String lights are also a popular feature in outdoor living and dining spaces. Lanterns are wonderful for bringing tranquility to a space. Coordinate your decorative lighting with the mood you wish to create, using complementary colors, materials, and styles to tie different areas together in decorative coordination.

Garden and landscape lighting

Designers often suggest that you keep the vision of a moonlit night in mind when choosing landscape lighting. Pathway lights add an element of friendliness to your landscape. They not only visually welcome people to your door, they provide illumination to keep your yard safe and secure at night.  Porch lighting also affects the evening curb appeal of your home, acting as both decoration and a practical illumination solution. Lanterns and any type of flickering lighting option creates a soft, aesthetic atmosphere in your garden or yard. Spotlights are an excellent way to showcase some of the spectacular shrubs or garden art in your yard. Illuminated outdoor statues or structures can add an element of sophistication to your yard.

You can control and create the atmospheric appearance of your home and your landscape design based on the type of lighting you include in the design. Lighting is a key element in setting the mood for any space and can enhance the appearance, value, and safety of your home.