The Art Of Making Space - Lights | Colours | Textures

We aspire to beautiful interiors that are effortlessly put together but always wonder how they coordinate the colour, texture, furniture, art and lighting to achieve the end result?

In this part of our Art and Space series, we will focus on 3 key aspects that can make or break the space – Light, colour and texture. We will discuss how to use these three visual elements to coordinate a seamless interior with art and space.

 

‘We are born of light. The seasons are felt through light. We only know the world as it is evoked by light. - Louis I. Kahn

 

Lighting design is something that we overlook in our every-day lives. It is something we take for granted and think nothing of it. In fact, light is something that we simply add and subtract to achieve the brightness we want. There is more (light) than meets the eye, and in this article, we want to talk about the importance of lighting design.

 

Ambient Lighting

The general lighting that provides an overall glow to any room. It is a necessary part of a good lighting plan and sets the tone for the space. It needs to create enough light for one to see and move around comfortably and safely, while at the same time it should make one feel comfortable without the feeling constantly under the spot light.

 

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is decorative lighting that creates a focal point on objects such as paintings, plants and highlight certain design elements. On the other, accent lighting can be used to bounce light off walls to recreate an ambient lighting effect. Accent lighting should direct at least 3 times as much light towards the focal point compared to the surroundings. Use LED when lighting artwork as it does not emit UV light nor give off close to no heat, ensuring the at the painting does not get damaged over time.

 

Task Lighting

Directed light that is localised to an area that allows one to carry out a task. Effective task lighting reduces glare and bright enough to prevent eye strain. Variety of factors include the activity we require it for as well as one’s age. (more light is required and sensitivity to glare increases as a person gets older) A good rule of thumb is to have task lighting of 40-80 watts in a working area and have the light cast to the side to reduce glare and limit shadows.

 

Colours

 

Colour can be identified in two categories that are most relevant to our living space - warm or cool tones. Each category will help you choose the appropriate colours for your space because you’ll understand how they behave in each space.

Warm tones are red, orange and yellow. These colours add warmth and provides intimacy to our space. These colours make you feel relax and soothed. 

Cooler tones known as blue, green and purple. Because these colour spectrums are similar to those of mid-day, they will make you feel energised, alert and wide-awake. These colours produce an airy and cool sensation in a space.

Tips – Choose warm or warm white lightings in the home as white lighting triggers our circadian rhythms and will inhibit our natural sleep cycles. Also, use LED lighting as it is more energy efficient, emit very little heat and does not radiate UV light.

 

Texture & patterns 

Texture and patterns add dimensions to styling. All surfaces have texture whether its matt or glossy; coarse or fine; rough or smooth. Texture and pattern are very significant in neutral colour schemes and mono colour schemes as they enhance the colour and create character in a space.

 

Spatial Examples

So how do you use colour, texture and patterns to effortlessly style your space? Here are our interior design insights.

 

Ön Colors

To get started, determine the feeling and mood you want to create in the space. Start with 3 main colours and 2 accent colours to keep it simple.

If you have a piece of furniture or artwork you want to incorporate into your space, consider its colour and choose complementary colours to go with it. In this living and dining space, the black artwork is complemented with a grey hues colour scheme. As grey and black are in the same family, the colours neutralise and balance the space. The pop of blue and yellow colours adds life and energy to the grey colour palette. 

Overall, the colour scheme feels balanced and the space feels calm, luxurious and contemporary without the black overpowering the space.

 

Ön Texture & Patterns

When choosing surfaces for your furniture, we recommend to have contrasting textures such as smooth and rough or fine and coarse. The contrast distinguishes one element from the other and adds another dimension of visual tactility to the space,

This living space is a neutral colour scheme and demonstrates successfully how texture and pattern can make a big impact in a space. Now imagine if all the surfaces in this living were matt. It would all but give a monotonous and dull feeling.

With the different textures and simple patterns added, the objects are enhanced, and character is added to the space. For example, the soft and fluffy rug against the glossy floor or the velvet lobby lounge chair against the matt walls. The contrasting textures bring each other out and make the room feel alive.

 

Ön Light

'A room is not a room without natural light' – Louis I. Kahn

Onto the final and most important aspect of what makes a space a living space – Light. Most of us have forgotten or have overlooked the importance of natural light in the trade-off for quantity of space over quality. Depending on the touch of a finger to a switch, we are satisfied with static light and forget the endlessly changing qualities of natural light, in which a room is a different room every second of the day.

 It is akin to architectural space being that of the bone structure being the fundamental structure to which its content (and light) is formed. It is the interplay of volumes, shapes and openings that breathes life into a space.

On the flip side, we have artificial light which is integral in our every-day lives. While one does not need to be lighting designers to be able to appreciate the nuances of lights and how it plays into the creation of space, it is something that tends to be neglected when we are styling or furnishing our homes. We might not be able to change many of our current lighting setup, but we still change the brightness, colours and by adding or subtracting lightings.

 

With The Space In Mind

When creating your space with colour and texture, start with the ideal space you have in mind and remember the type of atmosphere you want to create. Then choose colours that complement each other and after add texture to enhance your feeling you want to achieve. With these key styling elements, you can create any space that achieves a balance between light, texture, pattern and colour.