Let There Be Light

Have fun with accent lighting. Finding just the right lighting is one of the most difficult things for me as an interior designer, but when it happens it is magic. I think of the room as the perfect little black dress with the perfect cut, the one that dresses up or down according to the occasion, and the perfect lighting fixture is the jewelry that finishes off and compliments the little black dress.

I have written an article for West Coast Homes and Design, a supplement in the Vancouver Sun Newspaper,on how the right lighting is one of the most important aspects in achieving atmosphere in a home. Lighting is a discipline all to itself and often is one of the most important parts of an interior. Bad lighting can ruin a good interior: good lighting can almost salvage a bad one. For example….. (more)

In kitchens it is particularly important to get the lighting right as food preparation along with the eating and social aspects that go on in this room are a vital part of our lives and involve all of our senses. Kitchens need to be well lit with good overall ambient lighting and task lighting over islands and countertops. Add a little fun and pizazz with accent lighting as I did over this island.


Lighting in a bathroom and bedroom needs to make you feel refreshed and energetic in the morning, ready to face the challenges of the day ahead, but at night should engender a feeling of relaxation and harmony. In a bathroom, good lighting for putting on make-up should come evenly from either side of the mirror so shadows are not cast on the face. The rest of the room needs to be lit evenly from overhead, but be careful of placing recessed pot lights that are directly over your head when standing in front of a mirror or else you will have shadows under your eyes. I put the lights for the make-up lights and the overhead lights on different switches to further enhance the options to create different moods.


Left: Wall mounted LED swing-arm lamps were used in this bedroom for task light.
Right: Candles can add to the mood and ambience in a room and make a dramatic statement.
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PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm in Vancouver. Here we write about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel. 2012 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Category › Design is in the Details , In the News , Lifestyle , Lighting , Patricia Gray , West Coast Homes and Design , What's Hot

Luxury Lighting Design Ideas

There is a fundamental change in the way people light up their living rooms and kitchens. Over the past five years the decorative trend in kitchens is orientated more towards cherry and mahogany furniture and moved away from the oak as the preferred material. To emphasize vision requires light red tones.

People use built as the main lighting source, directed lighting to illuminate areas of active action, such as the area for cooking, lighting and high and low levels of drawers in the room with ambient light, which stresses them. Lamp added as decorative accents and often correspond to the stress or the chandelier in the living room, especially if the premises are located close to each other.

Recognizing the emergence of new markets, manufacturers of lighting fixtures adapt their most popular products for external use, such as materials used for elements that can resist the external impact.

Lighting industry has directed attention to the external lighting this year. Nowadays, people spend more of their time out of their balconies, decking, patios, and since they are a continuation of the house must be properly illuminated.

Chandeliers, wall bracket lamps and desktop tables are made of cast aluminum, which is more durable, not corosion not rust and it can make any shapes, sizes and colors. Portable lamps and table lamps that need to be included are a special system which is not sufficient to make a short circuit or cause a fire in wetting.

Landscape lighting is also becoming more decorative. Until recently, the lighting, which led to your house, and was generally unattractive.Luxury With all the decorative possibilities today we can use it to demonstrate the exquisite taste of the guests or their neighbors before they have passed our threshold.

We must not forget energy efficiency! Industry as a whole, the particular emphasis at the moment. Many companies have new decorative chandeliers, Pendants and table lamps, which work with fluorescent bulbs instead of electric. Fluorescent bulbs are more durable and are regulated so that use less energy than electric.

Category › Lighting

Living Room Lighting Design Trends

Living Room Lighting Design Trends

Living Room Lighting Design Trends

Living Room Lighting Design Trends

Category › interior design , Lighting , Living Room

Kitchen Lighting Decoration

Kitchen Lighting Decoration

Kitchen Lighting Decoration

Whenever the talk is about decorating the kitchen, one of the aspects that most of the people tend to overlook comprises of the lighting. However, since a person, more specifically the woman of the house, spends quite a lot of his/her time in the kitchen, good lighting becomes one of the most important features of the overall decor. When it comes to kitchen lighting, it is vital to ensure that not only is it enough, but also that it is not too excessive. At the same time, it should go well with the architectural details and overall decoration theme of the kitchen. Let us explore some ideas on kitchen lighting.

Category › Decoration , Kitchen , Lighting

Bathroom Interior Design With Lighting Fixtures

Bathroom Interior Design With Lighting Fixtures

Luxurious bathroom lighting fixtures and furniture design. The project are Complete gutting of existing bathroom; Shower amenities include a hand-held, body sprays and a steam unit; The tub features an Ultra Thermo-Masseur air injection system. Extensive, custom cherry cabinetry from a local manufacturer. A tubular skylight was installed right over a custom limestone floor medallion. The walk-in closet was reconfigured and refitted. Scope of work also includes new, larger windows, pocket doors, electric radiant heat floors, and many other smaller, but still great features Elegant bathroom interior design with elegant lighting fixtures and furniture.

Category › Bathroom , interior design , Lighting