Do you prefer bright, cool-toned home lighting or soft, warm strip lights? The answer often depends on the intended use of the space and the mood you want it to emanate. In living rooms or areas for core activities, most people gravitate towards evenly-lit spaces, bright enough to see clearly but not harsh. For restful spaces like bedrooms or reading nooks, a softer, calmer ambience is usually preferred, with lighting focused on key areas to create a soothing atmosphere. And in areas with a strong emphasis on functionality, such as the study or the kitchen, it is highly recommended to have cool-toned task lights to illuminate details and colours accurately.
Proper lighting designing is essential. Beyond supporting our daily activities, the right lighting choice can elevate our quality of life, whether it’s for family gatherings, working, reading, or most importantly…sleeping.
In this article, BuildBuilt will share insights into our approach to selecting home lighting, drawing from years of experience in interior design here in Singapore.
The Right Lighting for the Right Ambience
A home isn’t just a place to spend time or check off chores. While functionality is essential, as Jane Austen wisely said, there’s nothing like staying at home for real comfort, a great home becomes a space for you and your family to rest, grow, and begin each day, laying the foundation for a brighter future for everyone under its roof.
One way to enhance your home’s comfort and promote well-being is by getting your lighting just right. The body thrives under the right type of light, warmer tones (around 3000K) create a welcoming atmosphere, while cooler tones (around 5000K) mimic natural daylight and are more energizing. Aligning your indoor and artificial lighting with natural light patterns can support both physical and mental health.
To guide your choices, BuildBuilt recommends tailoring lighting to each space’s purpose:
- Restful spaces: Use warm-toned lighting with a color temperature between 1900K and 4000K (accent lighting). The terms warm white and soft white usually fall within this range.
- Activity spaces: Opt for neutral to cool-toned lighting in the range of 5000K to 6500K for better focus and functionality (task lighting). The terms cool white or daylight usually fall within this range.
- Transitional spaces: To prevent the different lighting temperatures from clashing especially in an open concept space, you may also implement neutral white lights with a color temperature between 4000-5000K.
By thoughtfully integrating these elements, you can create a home that not only functions well but also feels like a space truly made for your lifestyle. Beyond temperature and brightness, the form and the placement of lighting play crucial roles in shaping how you feel about a space, a topic we’ll explore further in the next section.
Home Lighting Ideas to Create Personalised Beautiful Spaces
At BuildBuilt, we’re more than just your design and renovation consultant, we’re your partner in creating a home that makes you feel good and helps you achieve the vision you have for your ideal living environment. Choosing the right lighting is one of the most critical steps to consider when brainstorming with your interior designer during the renovation process.
Here are some home lighting ideas for different spaces, inspired by previous BuildBuilt projects.
1. Kitchen Lighting
The kitchen is one of the busiest spaces in a home. With the limited space in most apartments in Singapore, be it a new BTO or condo, kitchen counters often double as gathering spots and even work areas (as we’ve seen with projects like The Blue House). Because of this dual-purpose use, many homeowners prefer warmer-toned lighting for the kitchen, even though it’s considered a high-activity area.
One of the most popular kitchen lighting techniques today is cove lighting. Typically, cove lighting is used to illuminate hard-to-reach dark areas, such as under shelves or within glass display cabinets. Its linear form not only ensures better, equal visibility in these spots but also keeps the kitchen feeling spacious, especially coupled with natural daylight streaming in during the day.
Cove lighting can change the mood easily while serving its duty to illuminate the room (from Home by the Woods project)
2. Living Room
The living room is a place for relaxation that calls for warmer-toned lighting, though not as dim as in a bedroom. As the central and often largest space in a home, it’s where we express our personalities and where social activities happen. This makes lighting techniques a deeply personal choice, tailored to individual preferences.
Take a look at our project at House on Gardens, where we designed discreet cove lighting along the ceiling-wall junction. With large windows and a house orientation that offers ample natural light, this simple cove lighting choice serves as accent lighting while subtly highlights the high ceiling space.
Discreet cove lighting installed on this project brings warmer tone and more accent to the naturally bright room (from House on Gardens project)
3. Bedroom
As the primary space for rest, the bedroom naturally benefits from softer, more calming lighting with warmer color temperatures. While table lamps are a popular choice, you can also explore options like cove lighting along the headboard or dimmable downlights aimed at the walls. In our project Spanish Fusion, we integrated spotlights into a custom-built bedside nook, blending functionality with a touch of elegance.
That said, don’t hesitate to infuse your personal taste into your bedroom lighting, this is, after all, your private sanctuary. Take inspiration from our other projects like Colourful Terrazzo where the homeowner opted for a hanging pendant as their main bedroom light.
Hanging pendants from Colourful Terrazzo project
Or take a look at Modern Oriental, where we designed symmetrical bedside pendant lamps that hang from the high ceiling, against a rock textured backdrop illuminated by soft strip lighting. As long as they don’t obstruct mobility within the room, bolder options like pendants or standing lamps can beautifully complement your space while adding to the ambience.
These minimalist hanging downlights complement the textured feature wall, balancing the vibe of the bedroom from Modern Oriental project
4. Study/Work Office
To stay focused and productive, you need lighting that provides an extra boost of energy. Neutral-toned or daylight lighting are ideal for this purpose. Cooler lighting not only helps you concentrate better but also keeps you feeling energized and alert, preventing drowsiness while working or studying. The type of the light matters, as we recommend adjustable table lamps or wall sconces that can strategically light up your desk and documents instead of casting unnecessary shadows. Nobody wants to feel like they are working in a 90s office with rows of glaring ceiling lights!
For your study or home office, consider using a reading lamp or adjustable downlights with neutral tones to create a well-lit, productive environment, without getting too much of the glare into your eyes.
A cosy study/work room is best using neutral-tone lighting, to maintain the focus (from Cosy Sleek Home project)
5. Bathroom
Bathroom lighting should strike a balance between functionality, safety, and aesthetics, creating a practical yet comfortable atmosphere. As we often frequent bathrooms at different times of the day, the choice of lighting tone should harmonize with your circadian rhythm. You may want bright, even lighting during bathroom cleaning days, but when it comes to midnight bathroom runs, you might want to have the option of dimmer and warmer lights so that you can quickly get back to sleep without waking up your brain entirely. Warm and soft bathroom lighting may also help to ease into morning routines before work, and give you a less stressful start to your day.
Whether you are a fan of cool or warm lighting, we recommend having at least 2 different light settings in your bathroom for the various functions required. The most common and affordable solution is to get a 3 tone ceiling light, or keep the ceiling light cool toned and add a warm cove lighting along the walls. Other options include having a dimmer switch for temperature and intensity adjustments, or even going with smart lights where you can set different routines for various times of the day.
A serene bathroom vibe from Timeless Warmth project
Smart Lighting for Smarter Homes, for Smarter You
Smart homes are no longer just a futuristic concept for the tech-savvy, as they have become an integral part of our modern lifestyles.
This trend extends to smart lighting, which goes beyond aesthetics to make home lighting more adjustable and personalized for every inhabitant. Additionally, smart lighting promotes energy efficiency, potentially lowering your monthly electricity bills while maintaining comfort and functionality.
When it comes to smart lighting, BuildBuilt offers curated product recommendations from our trusted partner, Homesmart. These selections not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home but also boost productivity and efficiency, creating a space that works smarter for you.
1. Aqara Smart Downlights T1
Our first recommendation is the Aqara Smart surface mounted spotlight T1. These smart spotlights are designed for surface installations on ceilings, offering precise control over brightness and white color temperatures. With support for Apple Home Adaptive Lighting, they seamlessly adjust color temperature throughout the day to create a balanced and comfortable ambiance.
2. Wireless Mini Switch
With this mini switch, you can control your home lighting system effortlessly from anywhere within the house. Despite its compact size and relatively affordable price, this technology significantly enhances the flexibility of managing your lighting to suit your needs anytime, all with minimal hassle.
***
As part of the partnership between BuildBuilt and HomeSmart, we’re excited to offer a special Smart Home Essentials Bundle Promotion exclusively for BuildBuilt customers! Alongside personalized consultations on smart home integration from our interior designers and HomeSmart team, you’ll also receive a complimentary smart home bundle worth $899 when you choose BuildBuilt as your renovation partner.
The bundle includes:
- 1 x Hub M3
- 1 x Wireless Mini Switch T1
- 8 x Surface Mounted Downlights T1
- 2 x Wireless Knob Switch H1
Check out the full details of this promotion on this link.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our extensive article on home lighting! No matter your aesthetic preferences or personal taste, a good interior designer can turn these technical lighting concepts into a harmonious and stunning interior, helping you achieve the ambience you desire for your home.
Interested in making BuildBuilt your renovation partner? Book an appointment with our interior designers today by filing up the form below, and we’ll be in touch shortly!
