Designing a Bright Home - Lighting issues

In designing a nice home, the right lighting gives it a warm and cosy feel.  You want the home to be nicely bright, especially for areas where you expect to be conducting detailed work like cooking, working, studying, reading and writing, and just hanging out, but dimmer light for watching TV, handphones and just lounging around.  Warm light is also better than cold light for dining, to illuminate the food better. 

Some tips on lighting - there is a hierarchy when it comes to it.  Natural light is better than artificial light.  That is because we as humans tend to gravitate towards natural light and it also uses no energy at all, it's absolutely free of charge.  Being in natural light makes us feel good, and we probably get a bit of Vitamin D too. So you want to be able to harness it.

For sunlight, indirect is better.  That is because direct sunlight, which is what you get when you have a east or west-facing wall and the sun is shining at your face or back, is very hot and irritating.  The best indirect natural light will be found in spots in the home which are south-facing and near the window.  If you have such spots in the house, bingo!  Situate a beloved activity there, if it is reading, make a sitting area there; if it is studying, put your study table there. North facing spots also give natural light but tend to be a bit darker.  

Place your lighting as close as possible to where you will be conducting your activities.  For example, a desk lamp uses less energy than a light on the ceiling.  Spotlights give a warm glow and if directed at an angle, can be very bright but not glaring, and you can also hang them close to where you are, and not place them up at the ceiling.  Dimmable lights give you additional flexibility on how bright the space gets, which can be great when you want to dim the lights for a movie night and not watch in utter darkness.

Lights shone against the walls or surfaces reflect off a larger surface and can light up more parts of the room in a gentle way, for a more aesthetic look which works as long as you are not doing detailed work.