Think, for a moment, about what lightbulbs mean to you. Let's take a moment out to thank lightbulbs. Thanks, lightbulbs.
Because as interior designer and director of Jaimie K Designs Jaimie Kendry notes, lightbulbs provide more than just, well, lighting. The proper use of fixtures and fittings can instantly create mood and atmosphere, as well as making any room in your home more practical by making it more accommodating for up-close tasks such as sewing or reading.
And as Jaimie notes, creating banks of flexible lighting is a great way to make your home both more welcoming and practical.
"Lighting overall is very important to any home and needs to fulfil different tasks throughout the house," she says. "Where you need good lighting go for the bright white bulbs as they give the cleanest whitest light, such as the overhead lighting, bathrooms and for reading.
"Use soft white bulbs in side lamps and uplighters for the softer mood lighting as these bulbs have a more yellow tinge to them."
Obviously, overhead lighting is a must in any room - flush ceiling lights especially create clean, white light, that basically stop you from bumping into the furniture at night.
But when the evening draws in and you fancy watching a film or curling up with a book, low lighting is generally easier on your eyes and on your mood. In interior design circles, that's known as task lighting - and it's about as important as the pendant ceiling lights up top.
If you want the practicality of ceiling lights and the home-y comfort of task lighting, you needn't litter your room with lamps and candles. With the right bulbs and switches, the same fixtures can fulfil both jobs.
A dimmer switch will allow you to bring the lighting down to something softer when you need it, and to really control the lighting, fit banks of spotlights in the ceiling in three rows, each controlled by an independent switch.
