Currently, much attention is paid to the appearance of a country house, especially the territory that belongs to it. Light is of great importance in home decor, thanks to which the area is transformed. A country house gives you the opportunity to be closer to nature, and decorative lighting of paths, trees, and flower beds will help you admire it for as long as possible.
Working on a design solution for lighting a suburban area is not an easy task. To make the decor attractive, certain design inclinations are required, as well as technical skills. Lamps can be placed throughout the entire area, from the alley to the pool.
Please note that garden lighting should not only be beautiful, but also meet all safety standards. The installation itself will be carried out by specialists. Your task is to navigate the area and understand where to place the lamps in order to move around the estate at night without a flashlight.
Designer lighting for a country house site
Garden lighting
One of the main projects in landscape design, giving the area a slight mystery and romantic atmosphere. Guests of the house, like the owner himself, will feel safe in any area of the site.
Home lamps are used for garden lighting. Their main feature is that they are powered not from the electrical network, but from a battery or solar panel.
Lighting the area of a country house
Main light
Such lighting provides a flow of light evenly throughout the entire space and most often consists of certain groups, located, for example, at different levels of a plasterboard ceiling surface. Such an organization provides a unique opportunity to choose lighting exactly to suit your mood.
Decorative
Even the most beautiful area of the house loses its individuality in the evening. All sculptures, fountains, flower beds become invisible in the dark. To avoid such situations, it is necessary to competently organize the site design and emphasize all the advantages of the estate. The appearance of the landscape can be very diverse, it all depends on the preferences of the owner.
It has become modern and fashionable to install spotlights or mini-spotlights (mounted in recesses on the ground) near plants for illumination.
Decorative lighting of the local area
When designing lighting for a large estate, there is one rule - it is better to select lamps of simple shapes or hidden lighting for a multifaceted landscape design, with various patios, garden beds, fountains, and slides. If the decor of the area is simple and not intrusive, you can choose lighting of different colors and shapes to give the landscape elegance.
Author's solutions in the field of residential lighting
When designing artificial lighting systems, several diverse problems are solved. One of them is the placement of lighting fixtures in such a way as to highlight the original design elements of living rooms and services with maximum benefit.
To achieve these goals, different types of lighting devices and placement methods are used. Built-in luminaires with reflector lamps have become widespread.
Such devices provide a directed and focused stream of light, which will highlight a specific interior detail - a niche or bookshelf. There are a great variety of designs and design options for spotlights.
Their appearance is selected for each specific case and in accordance with the tastes of the home owner. The variety of forms provides wide scope for the realization of the author’s creative ideas.
Facade
Mainly used for illumination of buildings and residential buildings. As a rule, they are installed on the facades of buildings.
External is divided into 3 main types:
- Facade lighting. It is used to illuminate large buildings and illuminates the entire building.
- Local lighting illuminates the most expressive parts of the house.
- Hidden lighting transforms buildings through built-in LED lamps inside the façade.
Floor lamps are used for lighting. They are lighting fixtures with frosted glass diffusers that fit perfectly into retro and high-tech styles. Floor lamps are installed vertically along garden paths.
Nuances to consider
We decided on the scenarios, looked after the chandeliers and lamps - more than half of the work was done. It remains to think through the details.
Color temperature of light
Basically, lamps that produce white light are used in the interior. It can be warm, neutral or cold. The color temperature of the light sets the mood in the room.
It is measured in degrees on the Kelvin scale (K). Warm white - below 3,500 K, neutral white - 3,500–5,300 K, cold - above 5,300 K. The color temperature of the light bulb is written on the packaging.
Neutral white light is suitable for the work area in the kitchen / Project author: Tatyana Vasilyeva
Warm white makes the room cozier. It is suitable for living room and bedroom. Neutral light is used in the hallway, kitchen, and for general lighting of the nursery. Cool white is a rarity in apartments; it is more often used in offices. At home it is only suitable for a work lamp.
It is desirable that the color temperature of all lamps in the room matches: then the lighting is even. But this is not necessary: the lighting temperature can be selected based on the purpose of the lamp. Or emphasize the texture of the surface, the design idea.
Color rendition of lamps
Sometimes lighting visually changes the colors of furniture and decoration. To select light bulbs that will not distort colors, they are guided by the color rendering index Ra: it should be above 90. Lamps with Ra equal to 100 do not distort colors at all.
The lamp almost does not distort the color of the wall / Photo: keresi72/Pixabay
Illumination
Bulbs for lamps need to be purchased so that there is enough light in the rooms. When I order lamps, I ask the store to make a calculation and recommend lamps for them. This service is usually provided to customers free of charge.
Bright bedroom / Project author: Tatyana Vasilyeva
If you don’t want to go to the store, you can use programs for calculating illumination - for example, a calculator or the DIALux application. They take into account several parameters, so the result is more accurate than with simplified manual calculations.
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Lamp location
Lamps should not be placed at eye level or directly above the sleeping area, otherwise they will be blinding. Thoughtful lighting does not draw attention to itself: the light source should not be too noticeable. If it is needed to emphasize the shape, color, texture, or to become the king of the interior on a holiday, two modes are provided: bright, festive and calm, everyday.
Pendant lamps in the bedroom are located above eye level and to the side of the beds / Project author: Tatyana Vasilyeva
Additional sockets and switches
Some lamps require sockets - they are marked on the plan. It’s better to immediately provide 2-3, they are never superfluous.
Switches near the bed / Photo: Pexels/Pixabay
It's good to have the lights turn on and off in multiple places. General light switches in the bedroom are placed at the door and next to the bed; in the living room, a switch is added near the sofa.
Shadows
Sharp shadows are an effective design technique: they emphasize the texture of the finish and interesting details. But directional and general light should not create them, otherwise the impression of the room will be unpleasant. For example, a lamp above a bathroom mirror will visually age a person by several years, so it is better to replace it with sconces on the sides or buy a mirror with soft lighting around the edge.
The lighting in the dining room is uniform, without sharp shadows / Project author: Tatyana Vasilyeva
Decorative lighting in the floor and window sills
It is no more difficult to install light bulbs in the floor or window sill than in the ceiling, and the interior will become more voluminous and interesting. Decorative lighting should not be neglected: this is the case when a couple of details are enough to make the room “play.”
Decorative lamp below eye level / Photo: PIRO4D/Pixabay
Lighting stairs in a country house
Country houses have several floors and stairs can be both inside and outside the house. Illumination of staircase steps at night is a very important part of lighting. The lighting of the staircase to the second floor in a private house looks beautiful and elegant.
The advantage of such lighting is that you can install it yourself and do not need to contact specialists. Before installing lighting fixtures on the stairs, you need to study the instructions and become familiar with the installation rules.
If you do the installation yourself, then pay attention to the lighting for the flight of stairs. This work is quite easy, but also painstaking, so familiarize yourself with all its aspects before starting.
Lighting a flight of stairs in a country house
Lighting for living room and kitchen
Both the kitchen and living room are active rooms and are multifunctional. Lighting for the active areas of the house is developed to the maximum, and is provided for at the earliest stages of designing a house - when choosing the orientation of the main rooms according to the cardinal points.
The best options for natural lighting are the orientation of the room to the south and east; this part of the house is usually reserved for the children's room, living room and kitchen. Summer dining shading is done depending on the level of insolation. Evening electric lighting should in any case be uniform and warm.
In country houses, the kitchen is a very special room, and modern layouts position the kitchen as a combined dining room and even a living room - family gatherings and receiving guests are convenient and justified in an active kitchen area with free space and good lighting. Proper lighting of such a multifunctional kitchen-dining room requires the organization of several lighting scenarios.
For receiving guests or a festive family dinner, organizing lighting requires a special approach, depending on the size and style of the existing room.
Modern pendant chandeliers of large sizes are appropriate in living rooms, and for intimate gatherings in the evening, the best option would be soft diffused and directional lighting with floor lamps and wall sconces; fabric lampshades and environmentally friendly lamps made of wood and textiles are in perfect harmony with quiet evenings.
The fireplace area of the living room also requires lighting, usually symmetrical - each side of the fireplace shelf is illuminated by a separate wall sconce, corner fireplaces are emphasized by floor lamps that provide dim directional light.
Light in recreation areas
For relaxation in any apartment or house there are separate, special zones, and the lighting of these zones should be soft, promoting relaxation - this could be a floor lamp, a floor lamp or a suspended ceiling light with a “floating ceiling” design. Soft and cozy curtain lighting can be combined with floor lamps, sconces and ceiling lamps to create constant light.
For the bedroom, bedside areas are illuminated with symmetrically located sconces or table lamps with diffuser shades; usually these additional light sources are used for reading. For general lighting, pendant chandeliers, built-in ones, or LED lighting in tiered structures are used - the main choice is the personal preferences of the owners. One of the reasons for organizing general lighting is to reduce sudden changes in light brightness.
Lighting of stairs, hallways, lobbies, corridors
For the hallway, bright lighting is very important, since this room is the first to tell both the house and the owners, and should create the most favorable impression. Provided it is bright, the light should not cause visual discomfort when entering the hallway, but nevertheless be strong enough for comfort when gathering at the mirror before leaving the house.
Wall sconces are very appropriate in hallways, as in any part of the house - these lamps are very functional. Traditionally, sconces illuminate areas of rooms with mirrors and interior elements that people want to draw attention to.
A long corridor is perfectly illuminated by a number of single-plane lighting fixtures placed at the same height or in a given sequence. A visual narrowing of space occurs only when wall lamps are installed in one high-rise level symmetrically to the axis of a long corridor; one row, on the contrary, creates a slight effect of additional space.
Stairs must be illuminated; lighting of stairs is a requirement for safe operation. For stairs, diffused light lighting fixtures and lamps that provide low brightness are used; for LEDs this is only 3 W.
Special lighting for staircases with markers is modern and economical, and in terms of design it is a logical solution for creating an effect that can transform the entire lobby area. Markers today are considered to be the most advanced equipment for home lighting, and they provide enormous design possibilities - realistic imitations of natural scenes or simple flashlights, any choice will be successful.
The markers are designed specifically for illuminating stair steps and a small space around them; blinding a person on the stairs is impossible, since the light flux is strictly directed. Moreover, the power is quite low, which has a positive effect on savings.
Purchasing street lighting fixtures
Before purchasing lamps, LED lamps and other lighting devices, you need to know a few rules:
- For each product presented in the store, ask for a safety certificate. Please read all information provided carefully;
- pay attention to the material from which the device is made. Consider that the housing will be exposed to direct rays of the sun, moisture, etc. Choose a lamp made of stainless material.
Lighting the site of a country house is one of the important components of a landscape project. If you plan the lighting system at the end of the work, you may incur additional costs in terms of money and time. It is best to do this simultaneously with projects for garden paths, gazebos and other decorative areas of the site.
Decorative lighting for a country house is an integral part of the entire design idea. With the help of lighting, the owner and guests of the estate will feel comfortable and at home around the clock.
Emphasis on interior items
If you have an original painting, and at the same time you dream that your guests will appreciate it, then decorative lighting will help you. This is what will help highlight items, emphasizing their advantages. Lighting devices in this embodiment must have directional light.
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The brightness of the light should be close to natural light. As lighting, you can use LED strips that are built into the ceiling or wall surface.
