Lighting is a key part of interior design yet it is also one of the easiest to overlook. Ideally right from the start you need to consider the best way to use the light available. There is a huge range of factors you need to think about when lighting a room, far too many for this article to cover. But hopefully we can give you an overview of how to make the best of natural lighting for your home.

One of the first things you have to consider is the direction from which the light is coming from. If you live in the northern hemisphere then the light in rooms will often have the following features.



•    North: Light in north facing rooms tends to colder and harsher than from other directions. This is largely because these rooms will never get direct sunlight.
•    East: In east facing rooms you will get a bright light in the morning but as the day goes by it will get darker as the sun moves to the west.
•    South: South facing rooms will have the sun on them for most of the day giving you a nice warming light.
•    West: West facing room will be dark in the morning but brighten up throughout the day. They often get the most heat as the early afternoon sun tends to be the warmest.

You should take the factors above into consideration when considering the purpose of a room. For example east facing rooms are a good choice for bedrooms as they will be light when you want to wake up and dark when you go to sleep.

For working rooms like the kitchen and the study you will want large windows so as to let in as much light as possible. Large windows, either without window treatments or with blinds will let in the most light possible. In rooms where you want to relax smaller windows will give you a more relaxing atmosphere and privacy.

Window treatments such as curtains or wooden venetian blinds will help your privacy and ensure you can control the level of light.

Natural light will also have a huge effect on the colours that you paint your walls. You can choose your colours to either emphasise or counteract the effects of the lighting. For example dark colours in a north facing room will create an intimate effect whereas an orange or yellow pastel colouring will help to warm and brighten the room. Similarly south facing rooms will want to avoid bright colours so because they can be overwhelming due to the amount of light they receive. Neutral and pastel colours will take the light far better.

East and west facing rooms though are the ones that will need the most consideration as the amount of light in these rooms will change dramatically through the day. In general you will want to use east facing rooms in the morning and west facing in the evening. Therefore I would recommend that you use bright colours in the eastern rooms to help you wake up and warm or darker colours in the west to help you relax.

Author Bio: Daniel is a UK blogger and copywriter with an interest in interior design.