21 June 2018

More Than a Source of Illumination – Light Fittings Create Ambience

The fear of darkness is a feeling that dates back to the time when humans first walked the earth. It was at night that the danger from hungry predators was greatest and the only means of spotting them was the illumination provided by the stars and, on some nights, the moon. Over and above its importance for visibility, the power of the photon often seems magical. Sunlight, twilight, moonlight, candlelight, and the beautiful rainbow displays that are born when the sun’s rays are refracted by raindrops have all inspired poets and songsters for centuries. Today, in the wake of Edison’s genius, electric light and its vast range of decorative fittings now also attract their share of admiration.

It might seem presumptuous to compare the excitation of gas molecules in a vacuum or the incandescence produced in a tungsten filament by resistance to a flow of electrons, with the golden glow of dawn or the cool luminescence of a full moon, but electricity can now produce a passable imitation of these effects. Although filaments seem destined for extinction, evolution has produced some significant improvement to both the quality of illumination and the cost of producing it, with light-emitting diodes now leading the pack ahead of compact fluorescent and halogen globes. Presentation, however, is everything. It is thus the beauty of the light fittings that draws the eye of the beholder, and not the cost effectiveness of the source.

With literally thousands of designs from which to choose, there is certain to be something to delight even the most hard-to-please purchaser, as well as a plethora of possibilities that cannot fail to inspire the interior designer. When chosen with care, the lighting in your home, in an office block, or in a hotel is not just a means to counter the darkness, but a powerful means with which to create whatever ambience you may desire. When poorly lit or overly bright, even the most beautifully furnished and decorated room tends to lose much of its appeal. In practice, the design of light fittings can be more effective as a means with which to control the quality, direction, and intensity of lighting, than the wattage ratings of the globes in use.

Through the careful arrangement of fixtures, one can set the mood of a room to better serve its purpose or even to define separate areas within the same room for different purposes by the use of different lighting effects. With the huge variety of designs, colours, and textures in which light fittings are now available from Eurolux, it is a simple matter to re-create anything from a cosy farmhouse kitchen or traditional formal lounge, to a bedroom from a space-age fantasy.