Lighting
Crave characterful accents Fans of quirky styling with a bit of DIY thrown in may wish to take a leaf out of this dining area design. Glass pendants are placed below a roof window for bauble-like allure. Winding the cables around a horizontal pole allows for bespoke placement and an artfully undone finish. This type of installation is perfect for bringing character to an extension; cross-back chairs, exposed brick and parquet flooring all add lived-in ambience to a new addition.
The idea of an entirely glass roof was considered, but rejected for structural reasons. Diffley designed this roof shape which brings in light from two sides, and the manufacturers did the precision engineering. “Basically, the old back extension of the house is wrapped in glass,” she explains. “If you look up, you can see what was there before.” At the back of the kitchen, a door leads through to a refurbished family room with new shelving and integrated AV facilities.
Diffley worked closely with John Cullen Lighting during this project. “We wanted to illuminate the ceiling light wells at night without causing reflection glare in the glass roof and John Cullen helped us with that,” explains Diffley. “They also fine-tuned the bulb angles to reduce glare in the ceiling over the dining table. They really understand architectural lighting design rather than just selling lights.” Clever use of lighting under the island unit makes it look as if it’s floating and a strip above the floor-to-ceiling units creates a warm glow. The sleek worktops are made of quartz.
Light your way Stairs tend to be quite easy to enhance with LED lighting, as there are many components that can be illuminated. Here, a slight overhang in the treads means there’s a spot perfect for tucking LED strips, which washes each riser with a gentle glow. This is a nice touch for creating an atmospheric entry – rather than having hall and landing lights on, you can simply guide evening visitors up the stairs using the stairs themselves. Tealights in jars on every step would provide a similar service, but once this is in place, it’s effortlessly permanent. Do consider where the most practical spot for your switch for these lights to be and whether you’ll need one on each landing.
Take it outside It’s not hard to give a garden atmosphere with lighting after dark – illuminated foliage isn’t fussy and will simply look lovely with a few uplighters. However, using light to zone off an area like this comfy outdoor lounging spot requires skilled designing to get the effect just right. On the decked steps and bench, each layer slightly overhangs the area beneath it (a bit like the wall panel in the earlier photo), thus allowing space to tuck in an outdoor-suitable LED strip. You may not have an area like this, but is there a bench or a dining area or a pergola that would look good highlighted like this? Ask a professional to come have a look and give you some options.
Boost your bedhead Just imagine this calming bedroom after dark… What a welcoming glow you’d get, drawing you towards those pillows. It looks pretty good in daylight, too – with an LED strip behind the bed highlighting the shape of the wall space. Here, a half wall has been constructed to add presence to the divan bed, provide a little shelf and also to house new electrics… including that LED strip at the back of the half wall. If you’re thinking of doing something similar, be sure to choose recessed LED strips so as to have a flush finish to your shelf.
A similar tactic has been taken with these bedroom shelves, albeit with strips in a slightly different position. Note how dramatically different the effect is against warm brickwork. But you don’t need bare bricks – a wall simply painted a different colour will have just as big an impact. Try out some different testers on the backs of your shelves to see which colour looks best.
Illuminate a display For careful curators, it’s important to have the best backdrop for collections. Shelving painted the same colour as your walls is a good way to go, since there will be nothing to distract the eye from the objects you want to show off. Here, two trios of box shelving either side of the chimney breast make for an elegant and unusual twist on the low, built-in cabinet topped with alcove shelves so many of us will be familiar with. But what really turns this into a standout feature is the simple addition of LED strips at the top back of each box. It’s a tip that will really lift all sorts of shelves and cabinets, and is a simple job for an electrician.
Create an architectural feature In rooms with few details in their bare bones, consider adding some afresh. Here, the designer has continued the oak flooring part of the way up the wall, then brought the wall above the boards out and painted it, adding a very warm, yellowish LED to the gap this creates. The effect changes the feel of the room and plays with its proportions. Unless you have a teeny tiny room, adding a panel to a wall can be an interesting way to gain architectural interest without aping period features. Especially useful for loft conversions, extensions or new builds where these would not be authentic.
Uplift an attic Rooms in the eaves of a house will often have an interesting architectural shape. Rather than try to minimise the effect of the slopes in this space, the designer has instead highlighted them. On the lower part of the ceiling, beams have been kept natural, while paintwork is pale, for a traditional look. Less trad is the illuminated apex, which echoes the lines of the beams below and highlights the shape of the roof. If you want your rustic or period room to feel more old than contemporary, do as these homeowners have and stick to just one LED strip feature. In this room, it’s tempting to light up every beam but, as this shows, it’s not necessary.
Cast a glow Just one of the details that gives this clean-lined, modern kitchen such a welcoming feel is the soft glow beneath the worktop seating area. White LED lighting comes in various tones, from cool to warm illumination. Rather than give a futuristic lift to sharp edges, as can be the case with brighter LEDs in contemporary kitchens, this gentle warm white glow just adds depth and atmosphere.
Turn a mirrored recess into a ‘window’ Internal bathrooms don’t have to be the dark, unloved bunkers of the home. Here, the designers have used the space above a concealed cistern to create an alcove, which they’ve lined with mirrored glass and illuminated with a spotlight. Obscure the reflection with a vase or ornament and it will look for all the world as if you have a window.
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