Create a welcoming atmosphere with decorative lighting For every mood we want to create, for every moment we want to make the most of, there is an ideal balance of darkness and light, of focused and ambient lighting, and of the light’s temperature and intensity. In settings in particular, where the ultimate goal is to bring memorable experiences to diverse groups of people with very different reasons for being in a given space, thoughtful illumination is essential. A lounge or reception area can be intimate and inviting when subtly and warmly lit; to maintain that ambience, it’s essential not to oversaturate the space with light. A futuristic sushi restaurant with a conveyor belt is joyful when the focused lighting on the food is bright enough to show off its rainbow of colours, but dim the lights too far and the food begins to look uniform and decidedly less appealing. A mirror in the hotel bathroom can either delight the guest as he or she prepares for an important dinner, or throw things off course with light that shows too much, too brightly. Imagine any space with different lighting, and it becomes clear why many architects and designers call lighting the fourth dimension of architecture. Here, we explore the ways in which lighting can enhance our everyday, and offer inspiration from interiors that perfectly shape the mood with illumination designed around the way people move, travel, eat, interact, work and play.
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