LEDs: Lighting Up The World Of Design

Lighting is an important aspect of any design. The source of lighting will alter the feeling and effectiveness of a room. Lighting comes from many sources including natural direct or indirect light, tungsten lighting, fluorescent lighting and LED lighting. LED light bulbs have advanced a long way. LED bulbs were once too expensive to be considered part of interior design options for the basic consumer. Advances in technology has changed the cost of producing usable white light for the home. Light Emmitting Diodes offers many advantages and are a more environmentally sustainable choice for lighting.

{LED|The initials LED lights are light emitting diodes. LEDs are solid state lighting sources that can convert an electrical impulse into light. LEDs last much longer then tungsten bulbs and because of the solid state, handle shocks and jolts better. The lights are small and sturdy. LEDs run the range of the color spectrum into non-visible light like infrared and ultraviolet not needing gels or coating to create color. These traits make LED lighting a great choice for many projects.

LED lights send a narrow beam that is excellent for task lighting, like workbench lighting or kitchen work station lighting. The illumination of a wider area can be carried out with reflectors and strip lighting. Stair cases and cupboards are great examples of places these lights can be used. LED’s are very useful for safety lighting and are used in airplanes, theaters and other places where lights can help illuminate passage ways without spilling into other areas. This same concept can be used in home lighting for stair cases, walkways and closets.

A major benefit of these lights is the ability to train light in defined locations with a variety of colors. Using LEDs in interior design for space lighting is becoming less expensive and more adaptive. Similar to track lighting these lights can isolate small sections. In addition, some LED lights can actually shift color according to the need and desire of the home owner. A room can have walls that change color depending on the resident’s mood. With neutral walls the lights can alter the hue of the room. Matching the colors of paint and lighttakes a bit of experimentation and foresight. The room needs to be able to stand up to natural light as well as artificial light. Areas of the wall can also be lit or shaded. Light sculpting creates a sense of texture and depth onto a one dimensional wall.

LEDs can also be employed special decorative purposes. Door knobs can illuminate to indicate occupancy or vacancy, faucets and shower heads can be lit up creating an attractive stream of water. The color can even broadcast whether the water is hot or cold. These lights can be sensitive to the temperature of a room, shifting the color to help create a better ambiance. In a cool space, the lighting can shift to warmer colors and in a warm space the lights can shift to color tones. There are a lot of uses for light emitting diodes and the possibilities are endless. Interior designers will use LEDs more as the cost continues to decline and applications increase.

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