The Home Of Occultissimo

Professional interior designers are expertly trained in the use of lighting features to create breathtaking results. In this four-part series which I call “Colour Me Brightly: Understanding Light in Interior Design,” I draw on my experience in London’s interior design community to explain this fascinating subject. This fourth article concludes my series.

Linear light patterns can focus on either the horizontal or the vertical metrics of a room. A given wall-light technique can create an immersing halo effect, if the interior designer uses concentrated super-bright light at high level that gradually fades out towards the base. Some London Interior Design consultancies specialise in choosing continuous sources, such as a miniature tungsten rack for a soft light or overlapping fluorescents for a cooler light. This is an effect that works very well in contemporary interior designs, where light can be concealed between the wall and the ceiling in a crevice in order to take the place of the traditional cornice.

The best method of illumination for interior designers to use when creating patterns will depend on the interior, and also on the direction of windows (natural light in London can be very seasonal). A smoothly plastered wall can jump into existence with a dappled arc wave from closed-offset down-lighters but if the interior design feature lies in the texture and in the structure or hue of the wall, then a more uniform spray of light will emphasise the wall’s best perspectives. A splashback tile solution at the rear of a shower or bath is a good interior design choice for the arc wave effect, as is a Venetian blind in a London kitchen. A wood-panelled hall or study is often a compelling interior design feature, and accordingly it would be better lit with an even light that does not detract from the feel of the wood.

Many people are choosing to work from home these days. As companies look for ways to save money, allowing employees to work from home makes a lot of sense. It means smaller offices and lower utility bills for the company. For the employee, it means less money spent on transportation and wardrobe. However, working from home isn’t as easy as just sitting on your sofa with your laptop and phone nearby. You are going to need a quiet space that you can work from, and if there is a chance clients or co-workers could stop by, it needs to look professional.

People who work from home who have larger houses will often convert a spare bedroom into a home office. This is an ideal situation but not one that will work for everyone. If you live in a small house or apartment or your family is big, you might not have a spare room. The good news is that you can easily convert part of a living space into a home office by using an office partition.

A large living room is the perfect place to make a home office. Choose a part of the room that gets little traffic, ideally in a corner. The space only needs to be slightly larger than your desk. Then surround the space with a divider. While any type of divider will do, the office variety will lend a professional feel to the area and also help you to mentally get yourself into working mode.