How to Become an Interior Lighting Designer - Lighting Design Course


While Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb was a great achievement in history, modern creations and innovations in lighting design have resulted in more effective, more efficient and very economical lighting elements and components that far outshines Edison's crude tungsten bulb.

Interior lighting design is one of the lucrative and widespread industries that possess unlimited potentials for further transformation, future growth and creative solutions to interior design schemes.

 

Those with intentions to pursue a lighting design course are mostly creative arts students, interior designers or architects who wish to branch off into a specialised field in the study of creative arts and design. A course in lighting design is also and for those who want to achieve a career as a lighting designer or have a need to enhance their present lighting design career.

This course is also suitable for:
  • Those working as professionals in the electrical and lighting industry
  • Those who wish to work professionally as lighting designers
  • Those who desire to learn about design lighting schemes for their own homes 
  • Interior Designers 
  • Architects 
  • Designers for lighting showrooms and department stores 
  • Electrical wholesalers and retailers 
  • Electricians
  • Small building contractors
  • Site supervisors
The lighting design course is not really a "hobby course" like interior decoration, as many may start out to believe. It is a very technical and specialised course that combines some electrical engineering with design abilities or skills. There are many schools online that offer lighting classes and train students explicitly for interior lighting design.


The Importance of Interior Lighting


Studying to become lighting designers isn't just something of a necessity. Lighting design is a part of the overall design concepts that play essential roles in the human ability to understand our living environment and the habitat that we occupy.

It is an undisputed fact that the quality of interior lighting can affect safety and well-being. Light impacts our moods and influences the way we feel and behave within our enclosed spaces.


The Role of an Interior Lighting Designer


Studying lighting design will teach students how to identify the best use and effects of lighting and recreate it in a positive and creative way so that effective lighting design schemes can be successfully implemented for any residential or commercial design clientele.

A lighting designer must envision the lighting scheme and must design it during the initial phases of a building's design. This is to ensure that wiring works are implemented during the building process before interior decoration works commence. This is the role and challenges of the lighting designer.

An Exciting Niche in Interior Design


Lighting design is a challenging but exciting field in interior and exterior design, and for those who love diversity and the opportunity to be creative, this course is for them.

To be good lighting designers is to be great problem solvers. A lighting designer must know the most effective way to use lighting, determine where light is required in a space or area, and then design it with an economic but aesthetically pleasing and creative flair.


Lighting Effects


When interior lighting is conceptualised and skilfully designed, it can visually make an area or space appear larger or smaller, depending on what the lighting designer hopes to achieve. Lighting design can also be used to highlight decorative décor pieces or interior details, and if sited effectively in areas of importance, it can be made to draw the eye away from unwanted spaces.

And because different light bulbs can affect the way colour appears, the lighting fittings chosen will determine how light is diffused in a room. And whether the desired result is a soft glow or a glare, effective lighting design can be made to create or simulate a variety of moods, feelings and interesting interior atmospheres.


Why Should I Choose Home Study?


With home study, you can choose to study at a time and pace to suit you. The advantages of home study include:
  • You can work at a pace to suit your schedule
  • You never miss a class or lecture
  • You will save wasted travel time, which can be spent on coursework
  • Start dates are once a month, so you can begin anytime and don’t have to wait for the academic year
  • Not least, there is a considerable saving in choosing the Home Study method as the tuition costs and facility overheads are greatly reduced
There are many support tools in place to encourage you as a home study student, and our Home Study students consistently produce a high….

There are many support tools in place to encourage you as a home study student, and our Home Study students consistently produce a high standard of work. The course materials are all extremely clear and easy to understand, and the feedback you receive from your tutor is invaluable in helping you achieve your goals.

By the time you have completed this course, you will have built up a portfolio of work and business tools to help you get started in the industry, which will also act as a clear testament to your ability and your professionalism.



10 Kitchen Remodelling Ideas (Kitchen Makeovers)

They call kitchens the heart of the home, the family gathering spot at meal times, a room we spend a good number of hours ‘toiling’ in, preparing food for the household. This is an important room in the home and is known to serve the main purpose of preparing and cooking meals. Some kitchens include eating facilities like a dinette or breakfast counter, and in many homes it’s a place to oversee the kids whilst they do their homework.


Sometimes there comes a point in time when you take a look at your kitchen and find you are either tired of its current style, hate the colour scheme you loved so much ten years ago, or simply find that its layout isn’t so functional after all.
  • So what can you do to bring some ‘life’ back into your kitchen?
  • How much do you have to expend on a kitchen makeover?
  • Are you thinking of minor changes, a touch of colour here or there, something very affordable (cheap)?
  • Do you think it needs a total change of concept? 

Firstly you have to decide on a theme, style, or look you desire.

Secondly you’ll need to have and draw up a budget . . . are you aiming to spend a little or are you willing to spend a lot?

Thirdly, you’ll have to decide if it’s a task that you can carry out yourself (DIY) or one that you’ll need to call in the experts.

Now you can work towards having layouts (floor plan at the least) prepared to bring your idea to ‘life’.

Ten Ways to Re-model Your Kitchen 


If you plan to remodel your kitchen, what do you require of the space, what design or style are you looking for, and how functional and versatile do you wish the room to be?

Here are ten ways to give your kitchen a makeover, some are simple and affordable but others may require some minor construction works. Some of these concepts may open up your mind to other ideas and a number of them can be achieved without you ‘breaking the bank’.

1. Change kitchen cabinet doors and drawer face - If you want your kitchen to have a new look you can replace the doors and drawer faces with new ones. The body of the cabinets is basic and it’s really the doors and drawers that make kitchen cabinets look appealing (or not). For instance, a country style kitchen can be made to look totally modern by just changing these components while keeping the cabinet's body intact.


2. Change your countertop material - A change from an old style laminated countertop to a natural material such as marble, slate, or granite will transform any dull lacklustre kitchen. If you kitchen's colour scheme is monochromatic, use coloured marble or granite. And if you have purely white cabinets, a black marble or granite top will modernize the room.


3. Change the wall finish - Though a great number of homeowners have their kitchen walls tiled, many have theirs painted or wallpapered. If your kitchen walls are painted and you are tired of its look, jazz it up with some decorative wallpaper. Fresh looking walls really brighten up a room and shows evidence there's been a makeover done. On the other hand, if you have wallpapered walls have them removed and prepare the walls to receive a fresh coat of colour co-ordinated paint.


And for previously tiled walls, if you are not ready to go the lengths of removing (hacking off) wall tiles, install decorative wall decals (stickers) right onto the tiles (if plain) to create a specific theme. For example, flowers, herbs, and fruits for a country look; black or white circles for a dominoes effect which is quite modern, or something nice and geometric

4. Change handles and knobs - A simple inexpensive way to upgrade your kitchen cabinets is by changing the knobs and handles. For a more traditional theme, change plain boring hardware to more ornate pieces and if you wish to make your kitchen look modern, change them to shiny chrome, ceramic, stainless steel, or crystal types. Cabinet hardware, are known as the "jewelry" of kitchen cabinet and changing them will make your units and the whole kitchen very decorative.


5. Additional cabinets? - If you have the space, add a breakfast counter in your kitchen. The size and shape of your kitchen will determine if you can have one installed, or not. Ensure the countertop is higher than the base cabinet’s 90cm (3ft) standard height. Add two or three counter stools with seats made in colours that match the kitchen's colour scheme. You can add a dropped ceiling over the breakfast countertop with recessed or beautiful pendant lights.


6. Enhance the kitchen windows - Beautiful window treatments enhance kitchens in remarkable ways and can make them look pretty. Opt for nice prints with lots of colour and bold patterns, especially for wide or bay windows. For a dramatic look, add a stationary valance or cornice. For smaller windows, Roman blinds, roller shades, or a swagger of chintz draped over the window will add texture and pattern to the room.

7. Add a colourful backsplash and/or kicker - Add an energizing colour to your existing cabinets. For an all white scheme (or gloomy hues), make the room look bright and modern by adding backsplash and kicker in a bold colour like spicy orange, an eye catching neon, a rich sapphire blue hue, or a welcoming sunny yellow. Adding bands of colour to a plain kitchen this way peps up the room considerably. Add a set of cooking pots (on a rack), utensils, and a couple of appliances in same colour.


8. Glaze hanging unit's doors - Changing the top cabinet’s doors to glazed panel doors is a great kitchen makeover idea. Glass panel materials you can use include clear, beveled, tinted, frosted, coloured, or beautiful stained glass that comes in hundreds of patterns. Designs range from the Victorian to the contemporary, depending on the kitchen's theme.


9. Change your standalone cooker - If you want a sophisticated and stylish look, a very modern built-in integrated cooker is what you require. They possess a streamlined aesthetic look that's very modern and pleasing to the eye.


A kitchen remodeling project that includes built-in cooking units as opposed to freestanding units will cost much more because the cooker, refrigerator, dishwasher, and the washing machine (if in the kitchen) will all have fitted cabinets doors as well so that every unit is perfectly built-in. But then, for a traditional theme, a fireplace or a standalone cast iron stove (like an Aga cooker) will be nice not only for cooking, but for heating the kitchen . . . saves energy costs too.

10. Introduce new light fittings and fixtures - Choosing the perfect type of lighting when you remodel can have a major effect in the room and complement the overall design of the kitchen. A good choice of kitchen lighting can make a modest space look grand and a larger space absolutely stunning. For a great effect, use a combination of different lights.... general, task, accent, and ambient. This can apply in both large and modest sized kitchens. General lights are the main lighting fixed on the ceiling that will light up the whole room. Task lights are usually under-cabinet lights over the work area, the cooking area, and food preparation area.


Accent light will accentuate a particular part or object in the kitchen - highlighting certain features you want to stand out. And what most people overlook - ambient lights. Ambient lights are those that have the source of light concealed. A good example of ambient lighting is strip lights installed on the cabinet tops and shining directly onto the ceiling or cove lights fitted within pickets on cornices that illuminate without seeing the light fixtures.

Bathroom Style Idea – Contemporary-Chic Design


Bathrooms are meant to be a private and quiet retreat within your home where you start off the day, and a room to indulge yourself at the end of the day.

Bathroom design ideas are many and varied, but whatever your choice may be, its décor must perfectly match a style that not only suits your mood, but one that also takes your household needs into consideration.

You’ll want to create a bathroom that's efficient, elegant and restful and planning it beforehand is not so difficult, as long as you know your desired theme.

One great bathroom remodelling idea is the contemporary chic style. Popular in the 80's and the 90's, contemporary chic bathrooms are noted for their clean lines and attractive orderliness. It is around this time proper planning and creative bathroom design began to take an important position in home building projects.



Contemporary-Chic Bathroom Features


The contemporary chic style is architecturally designed in such a way that it is almost plain and ambiguous in appearance, designed with a total lack of fuss and clutter. If you are a homeowner with a sense of clear orderliness, you’ll find this theme quite appealing. It is especially popular among career focused people who can neither afford the time nor effort to waste on a bathroom décor that’s neither easy to maintain nor functional to use.

  • Wares - Sophisticated but simple, bathroom wares are sleek, bearing all the hallmarks of good Italian bathrooms style and design. Designed with concealed plumbing works (a big thing back then!), and clean crisp walls, there is nothing that detracts the eye from the pleasant streamlined look of the bathroom wares.

  • Fittings – Bathroom fittings are either pure brilliant white or they possess masculine shades of colours such as greys, champagne or terracotta including almost futuristic lever taps and other fittings in white, chrome or stainless steel.

  • Furniture - The bathroom base and wall cabinetry accommodates all the plumbing pipes whilst providing valuable storage for bath towels, toiletries, medications, first-aid kits, bathroom cleaning supplies, etc., including appliances like hair dryers, massagers, foot bath, and curling irons. They are designed along the lines of a fitted kitchen in a choice of laminated finishes.

  • Walls - With a no-nonsense interior spatial design, the walls are either tiled with contrasting colours, or finished in colours matching the sanitary wares, for a monochromatic colour scheme.

  • Windows - The bathroom windows are treated with unobtrusive and efficient blinds (Venetian) in monochrome colours or metallic shades, but if a softer look is desired, tailored Roman blinds (or modern roller blinds) with geometric patterns look equally great. 

A great looking bathroom will only look wonderful if it’s been planned well from the start. It doesn’t matter if it’s a brand new bathroom, a remodelling job, or a simple makeover. The principle behind having a thought-out plan remains the same. Remember, few things are as frustrating as an ill-conceived bathroom design.


20th Century Bathroom Theme with a Touch of the 21st Century


Today, bathrooms, whatever its shape or size represents a space that’s much more than a place to have a quick shower and brush up. It’s a space to linger and relax if time permits, a room to have a good soak in luxurious suds, read an interesting magazine, or even have a workout if you have the space.




If you like the contemporary-chic bathroom style and wish to implement it in your home, you can give it a 21st century ‘touch’. Make it a transitional design by introducing some colour (or not) in form of décor items – light fixtures, wallpaper, or colourful bathroom mats, Mason jars of coloured bath salts, shower curtains, tub caddies, prints, decals, colour co-ordinated towels and washcloths, decorative dispensers, and basket of coloured soaps.

Give your bathroom remodelling project some thoughtful plan and attention and make it a divine room to linger in privacy after the bedroom.



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