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Interior Design – Light Sets the Mood
So you want to redecorate, you want to create a home with a personal touch, one that can always say “welcome”, ease your worries, render you happy, chill you or calm you down.
You can do it: with the right light.
Stop skimming through fancy magazines. If you don’t have the money and the skills to replicate those wonders, you’ll end up with an interior that lacks your personal touch. Instead, use your imagination. Design the interior of your home according to your special wishes.
Let’s say you like blue, but you already have some new white furniture and it makes no sense to replace it. Or maybe you just want to avoid the hassle of selling it (and get way below its value) and buying new. Whatever your reasons, you can still get the “blue” mood your desire through light: controllable light.
We are not talking dimmers. We are talking full color control options. We are talking LED lights and mood lights.
LEDs are no longer the kitschy, flashy annoying lights that were used a few years ago to catch our attention towards a new product. LEDs are no longer used solely for traffic lighting and automotive lighting. LEDs are now used in light therapy, mood lighting, accent lighting, landscape lighting, building illumination and so on. Because LEDs are economic, environmentally friendly (they do not pollute: there are no UV emissions, no IR emissions – unless built so – no noise emissions) energy saving and provide for flexibility of design, but, above all, LEDs are controllable! RGB (red, green, blue) LEDs, based on what engineers call “the three chip technology” are able to display over 16 million colors – more than human eyes can see. LEDs are wonderful and their light. beyond description!
The best part is that you can choose from thousands of LED products the one you can afford and still have exclusive, somehow unique illumination to astonish your guests and to create the right mood in your home.
For example, look for controllable LED cubes – not those you can use as ice cubes for your cocktails (yeah, that’s possible too!), but those you can use to replace your coffee table. For example, NeoNeon offers LED mood light cubes you can use as chandeliers, while My-tronic offers LED cubes in different sizes, for several uses. While Traxon is the “real deal” when it comes to mood lights, they are still a little too expensive. Many other companies offer similar products for affordable prices. You just need to browse the web and order what best fits your design expectations: LED tubes, LED stripes, LED spots, LED wall panels or, why not. LED ropes (Think Christmas! – Think safe lighting!). Just remember to search for “controllable” LED light sources.
Why? Because you want to CONTROL light, to set the light color you want: blue to relax, red to create a romantic, appealing atmosphere, green to bathe a room in the color of hope, purple, violet or pink. You want to be able to dim the light or make it brighter. You can even create the rainbow with a controllable LED light source, or any other light effect! You want a light source for the years to come, one that can look different every day.
Elements of Interior Design
Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or “starting from scratch” with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything. The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements and are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.
Element #1: Space
Space defines the boundaries and sets the limits on the functional and decorative things you can do. Usually you will not determine the space; instead, you will be faced with the challenge of using the existing space effectively.
Element #2: Line
The lines in a room are second only to color in importance when it comes to setting the overall mood or feeling of a room. The lines of window fashions should support the dominant line of the room. In most situations, the dominant line is straight (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) rather than curved. Your choice of emphasizing the direction of lines will determine the mood you want to create.
o Vertical lines add height and dignity, creating a more formal atmosphere. Vertical lines also balance the horizontal lines found in most furniture.
o Horizontal lines tend to create a restful, informal feeling. They work well in casual rooms or as relief to the strong verticals of formal rooms.
o Diagonal lines attract attention and lead the eye. They can be disturbing unless supported by verticals or opposing diagonals.
o Curved lines add a softening effect and keep the room from becoming too stiff. Use curved lines with some restraint to keep the room from becoming too soft and overly feminine.
Element #3: Form
Lines that join together produce the form, or shape, of an object, which in turn impacts the overall feeling of a room. Straight lines create rectangles, square and triangles. Curved lines form circles and ovals. The rectangle is the most popular form and is often the dominant shape in a room. Triangles provide stability and curved shapes soften the contours of objects.
Element #4: Color
More than any other element, color can make a room beautiful. Color can set the mood. It can make a room warmer or cooler, larger or smaller. It can hide unsightly features or call attention to the center of interest. Even with the simplest furnishings, the proper use of color can transform a room.
Element #5: Texture
Texture is playing an increasingly important role in home decorating. Visual texture is a material’s apparent smoothness or roughness. To maintain and enhance a casual feeling, use fabrics that are more heavily textured, nubby or rough visual texture. Smooth, shiny surfaces such as silk, moir