Decorating Your Room With Cork Boards And Fairy Lights

Room, Interior design, Bed, Property, Textile, Lampshade, Bedding, Bedroom, Lamp, Linens,

Christopher Baker

Q: What's the best kind of lighting for every room in your house? —Teri N.

A: Great question! The quick and simple answer is "a lot." But, in the interest of giving you a bit more information than that, let me be a little more specific:

Living Room
One of the most important lighting objectives in any room is going to be layering the light. By "layering" I mean you're working with multiple levels and intensities of illumination. Let's start at the top and work our way down. Though I'm not a huge fan of recessed (or can) lighting, I do tend to use them in many of my projects. My complaint with them is the harsh down-light that they create which can almost always be very unflattering. What I like using them for is 'pawn' lighting. They're not the most important lighting in the room, but, they are often the first layer. My favorite lighting is an eye-line fixture such as floor or table lamps. They cast a very 'human level' illumination in the room, and I always think of them as my main light source. I usually add a few smaller accent lights (such as gallery art lighting, or smaller table lamps) to highlight any particular pieces in the room. Also, it's important to be able to control each of these layers of light. Dimmers are a requirement for all lighting that we design.

Dining Room
This is usually all about the chandelier. I always like to have the bulbs shaded because those bare bulbs can also give off a harsh unflattering light for you and your guests. Again, dimmers are very important! Keep in mind our 'layering' concept and maybe add some buffet or candlestick lamps on a sideboard or other table in the room. Even better, wall-mounted sconces can give off a beautiful glow in the evening. For dinner parties, I usually keep the lighting dimmed almost to nothing and flood the table with candlelight — it can really be quite magical.

Kitchen
Again, let's talk about layers: Recessed light in the ceiling, task lighting over surfaces that will be used for food prep, and maybe another chandelier or pendant over a breakfast table to help to define that part of the room. Have a look at some under-cabinet lighting, which will help you illuminate your work areas. Think about illuminating some decorative glass-door cabinetry with accent lighting.

Bedroom
I love very soft, flattering light in the bedrooms that we create, for example table lamps flanking the bed, maybe even with custom shades in a darker linen or silk. Many of our bedrooms also feature a small seating area that's a perfect retreat for reading, so good, solid reading light is needed. If you frequently read in bed, then I might layer some articulated sconces above the headboard. If one of you likes to read while the other is sleeping, I usually use a pharmacy-style shade in metal or a custom shade in darker silk or linen as it focuses the lighting downward and makes a much smaller light-pool. As always, dimmers are going to be important in the bedroom too.

Bathroom. Layers. Layers. Layers. I love some recessed lighting as a first layer. Next to vanity mirrors we almost always use wall-mounted sconces with porous shades (again like a silk or linen). They offer a lovely light source - without the harshness of an exposed bulb. It's also great to have a small task lamp . . . just for any of the bathroom rituals that might require good lighting!

Closets
Some good, solid recessed lighting is clearly going to help to distinguish this pair of black trousers from that pair of black trousers! We will also regularly add a gallery fixture across the header of built-in closets as a secondary light source. You're regularly working with matching colors and textures while getting dressed each morning, so having good lighting is a requirement.

This marvelous bedroom by Harry Heissmann and the late (and certainly great!) Albert Hadley is a perfect example of layered bedroom lighting. The table lamps flanking the bed offer general lighting for the room, while those charming swing-arm sconces inside the canopy cast a more intimate illumination for late-night reading.

Cheers,
Scot

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