Be your own light planner: lighting concepts made easy
It doesn't matter if you are looking to plan Indoor Lighting or Outdoor Lighting: Our various guides offer helpful hints and useful information on how to plan lighting concepts that work. Make your light dreams come true with our helpful and illuminating tips.
Choose a topic you would like to learn more about:
Indoor Lighting
Some pointers on choosing the right illumination for your living space.
You are looking for some general information about lighting design for your home or outdoor area? Then you should also read the Design Tips on this page.
When professional light planners put together a concept for a room, they distinguish between three types of illumination:
Basic lighting
Secondary lighting
Accent lighting
Ideally, the concept will combine all three types of light sources for a harmonious effect that also creates interesting visuals for the interior. Each individual type of illumination has its own function, achieved with different types of luminaires.
Basic Lighting
General, or 'basic lighting' forms the basis of all lighting design.This type of light is primarily used for orientation or as a work light for routine tasks like cleaning.
There are two possibilities for achieving good basic lighting: Choose luminaires that emit their light in all directions for a diffused effect. Or: choose indoor luminaires that emit their light indirectly from the ceiling back into the room. That is referred to as 'indirect lighting'.
Luminaires suitable for basic lighting include: panels ceiling uplights, pendant luminaires with translucent lampshades or high-output LED strips. These can be cleverly placed to emit their light upwards to the ceiling to create indirect lighting.
Secondary Lighting
The second step for light planners is secondary lighting. These light sources focus individual zones to support specific activities. Secondary lighting is therefore also referred to as 'zone lighting'.
Such light sources could be floor lamps or reading luminaires for the wall to light up dark corners and help prevent eye fatigue when reading. Also included in this category are spots directed at specific parts of the room or the traditional pendant luminaire above the dinner table.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting rounds off any custom lighting design. The aim here is not necessarily to light the room or a specific area. Instead, accent lighting creates a warm and welcoming ambiance. This type of lighting is primarily for decoration and is therefore also referred to as 'decorative illumination'.
Small table lamps or eye-catching light objects will create the accent lighting you are looking for. Picture luminaires or TV backlighting using LED strips will also produce attractive accent lighting.
Different rooms – different rules
Now that you know about the three types of lighting, you can get started with planning for each room. But: Although the combination of basic, secondary and accent lighting should ideally be a theme for your entire living space, there are other aspects to think about for each individual room and its purpose.
We have put together everything you need to know on our overview page for indoor lighting. Here you will learn about which type of light is right for each room, how to put together the perfect design and what to think about for each living space before you start.
There are other aspects to think about when you are planning illumination for your outdoor areas. While we distinguish between basic, secondary and accent lighting indoors, there are no such categories for outdoor lighting.
Instead, outdoor luminaires have just two basic functions: orientation and ambiance. It is, of course, hugely important to ensure that all outdoor lighting you choose has the required outdoor IP protection, as all your work would otherwise be ruined by rain or snow.
Orientation
So-called orientation lighting will ensure that you and your visitors get to your front door safely. That is why you should think about good lighting for your walkways and a properly illuminated front porch and entrance.
Bollard lights could be a good choice for orientation lighting, just like outdoor wall luminaires with motion sensors dotted along the front of the house.
Ambiance
Well-lit outdoor areas add beauty and warmth. The highly practical portable table lamps and floor luminaires are a great choice to fully illuminate your patio. They provide all the light you need for a barbecue on a warm summer night with friends and family, or whenever you have friends coming over.
Transform your garden into a magical fairytale forest at night with solar ground spikes or decorative outdoor luminaires dotted around your flower beds and trees.
Have a look at our Outdoor Lighting section for more information.
No mains power outlet outside? No problem! You can still ensure good illumination. Solar-powered lamps or portable battery-powered luminaires are the answer!
3. Smart and bright: intelligent light for your home
Transform your living room into a movie theatre at the push of a button. Choose light colours to match your mood. A smooth transition from work light to subdued feel-good lighting – smart illumination makes everything possible.
And while you are working on your lighting design, it may be a good idea to decide, whether or not smart control would be a feature you'd like to include. The future is already here! Thinking about making your home a Smart Home now will save to a lot of time and headache later. But whatever you decide: There are many options for retrofitting smart lighting later if you feel it isn't your time right now.
Light up your living space like a professional: your best bet is a combination of basic, secondary and accent lighting, as such a mix is beneficial for the human psyche. Different rooms mean different principles – our section on Indoor Lighting will give you an idea of what to look out for when planning your lighting concept. .
Provide sufficient orientation lighting for the walkway to your front door and create beautiful light accents in your garden. Have a look at our section Outdoor Lighting for more information and tips to bring light to your outdoor spaces.
Think about whether or not you want to introduce smart lighting to your home during the initial stages of your light concept creation. Retrofitting is no problem if you don't want to make a decision right now, or are looking for ways to upgrade your existing installation. Have a look at the tips we provide on the subject on the info pages for Smart Homes.
