Recently the word "Hygge" started being bandied around in the UK to describe a type of cosiness and comfort which can create feelings of contentment and well being usually created with a particular style of interior design plus friends/family and a few of life's simple pleasures like food, music and warmth.
Apart from the fact that very few Brits seemed able to pronounce the Danish word (it's hue-gah by the way) or understood that hygge is more a state of mind than an interior design style, the idea proved very popular with those who realised that such an ambience can be emulated with style features in the home.
Lighting is a big part of this cosy, comfortable style. Think candles and lamps, dimmable light fittings and warm white bulbs rather than whiter than white versions.
Of course lighting is key to any interior design style. I love the new "old" bulbs with quirky shaped glass bulbs and interesting filaments which are design features in themselves.
Gone are the days when you just picked up boxes of functional Edison or bayonet bulbs with the weekly shopping.
Nowadays you can browse through endless shapes and styles of bulbs ranging from wifi-enabled bulbs you can activate with your voice, programme to change colour or turn on and off with your voice, to vintage style bulbs that it seems shameful to hide with shades.
Check out Urban Cottage Industries light bulbs where you can find globes and tubes, clear and frosted, all with exceptional performance in terms of life span, colour temperature and render and dimming functionality.
It's worth spending some time thinking about what mood you might want in each room, and whether that room needs flexible lighting.
Some bulbs can be altered from warm to cool white and can be programmed to change in sync with the natural pattern of the day, helping your body get a more natural light experience even indoors in winter.
A compromise could be fitting a cool white or daylight effect bulb to your overhead light in rooms you relax in but adding warm white bulbs to lamps, or making sure lamps have shades which diffuse harsher light to make the atmosphere more relaxing.
Kitchens usually need a bright light which is why fluorescent strip lights were popular for a while. However they generally don't add much, style-wise, unless you have a very industrial style cooking space!
Light fittings which angle bulbs in different directions are useful to direct light to areas you work in when preparing meals or you could add under cupboard lights which you can even buy in tape form, easy to link together wherever you fancy light for convenience or style.
Bedrooms can be tricky as you sometimes want a warm, cosy atmosphere and sometimes you need brighter light to be able to see what to wear or to paint your nails or to check if those socks match or if one is black and one is navy!
Once again thinking about adding lamps or fitting wall lights along with an overhead light and adjust the lighting to suit your mood.
Lighting outside is becoming more and more vital to most people who have outside space. From a string of solar lights draped along a balcony to professionally fitted spotlights highlighting trees and plants in grand gardens, lights can bring outdoor space to life even when viewed through the window
in winter.
Luckily lighting is one thing you can change in your home quite easily whatever your budget and usually without the need for any professional help. However, if you plan to fit anything but solar lights in the garden or you want to add wall lights or move fittings, always seek advice from a qualified and registered electrician.
Disclaimer: Collaborative post.
Apart from the fact that very few Brits seemed able to pronounce the Danish word (it's hue-gah by the way) or understood that hygge is more a state of mind than an interior design style, the idea proved very popular with those who realised that such an ambience can be emulated with style features in the home.
Lighting is a big part of this cosy, comfortable style. Think candles and lamps, dimmable light fittings and warm white bulbs rather than whiter than white versions.
Of course lighting is key to any interior design style. I love the new "old" bulbs with quirky shaped glass bulbs and interesting filaments which are design features in themselves.
Gone are the days when you just picked up boxes of functional Edison or bayonet bulbs with the weekly shopping.
Nowadays you can browse through endless shapes and styles of bulbs ranging from wifi-enabled bulbs you can activate with your voice, programme to change colour or turn on and off with your voice, to vintage style bulbs that it seems shameful to hide with shades.
Check out Urban Cottage Industries light bulbs where you can find globes and tubes, clear and frosted, all with exceptional performance in terms of life span, colour temperature and render and dimming functionality.
It's worth spending some time thinking about what mood you might want in each room, and whether that room needs flexible lighting.
A compromise could be fitting a cool white or daylight effect bulb to your overhead light in rooms you relax in but adding warm white bulbs to lamps, or making sure lamps have shades which diffuse harsher light to make the atmosphere more relaxing.
Kitchens usually need a bright light which is why fluorescent strip lights were popular for a while. However they generally don't add much, style-wise, unless you have a very industrial style cooking space!
Light fittings which angle bulbs in different directions are useful to direct light to areas you work in when preparing meals or you could add under cupboard lights which you can even buy in tape form, easy to link together wherever you fancy light for convenience or style.
Bedrooms can be tricky as you sometimes want a warm, cosy atmosphere and sometimes you need brighter light to be able to see what to wear or to paint your nails or to check if those socks match or if one is black and one is navy!
Once again thinking about adding lamps or fitting wall lights along with an overhead light and adjust the lighting to suit your mood.
Lighting outside is becoming more and more vital to most people who have outside space. From a string of solar lights draped along a balcony to professionally fitted spotlights highlighting trees and plants in grand gardens, lights can bring outdoor space to life even when viewed through the window
in winter.
Luckily lighting is one thing you can change in your home quite easily whatever your budget and usually without the need for any professional help. However, if you plan to fit anything but solar lights in the garden or you want to add wall lights or move fittings, always seek advice from a qualified and registered electrician.
Disclaimer: Collaborative post.