Finish a room with lighting accessories

One thing I already look back on with our renovation (which we only did 2.5 years ago) and regret not spending more time on, is lighting accessories. I never really took the time to fully design each room, right to the point of how we’d finish a room with lighting accessories (bulbs, switches, lamps etc). I’m now working back through each room, readdressing the lighting and finishing touches that are so important to make a room feel complete…

{Ad: this is a paid collaboration with RS electrical suppliers, all thoughts and experiences are my own.}

Finish a room with lighting accessories

I remember standing with our builders, in a house with walls ripped back to the bare bones, structural steel exposed, plaster mixed and ready to go. They asked what lighting we wanted in each room, where we wanted plug sockets installed, did we want spot lights or pendant? All of this to be decided in a matter of days. All of this I hadn’t taken more than a few moments thought. I’d never really considered that far ahead – where furniture would sit, radiators etc. and where we’d want charging points or free-standing lamps.

I was influenced at the time by people going for clean lines, open-plan white-walled spaces and spot lights. Modern and fresh. But my love for interiors originates in period properties, with unique features and design. I hadn’t considered how I could marry the two in our renovation.

The impact of lighting accessories

What comes up time and time again, is that we don’t have many lighting options in our rooms. We have either on or off, because we went for spot lights in every room and not even on dimmer switches. We don’t always have the space for free-standing lamps to plug-in and so I’ve had to reconsider just how I can add different lighting levels into our rooms retrospectively.

Most recently, we purchased a globe pendant chandelier to complete our dining space and I’m so glad we did. We had to have it wired-in, but this only took a couple of hours work from our builders and means a quick repaint job on one of our walls. It has totally transformed the space and the way we use it. In the evenings, we turn off the overhead spots which feel too bright and just have this light on, which is controlled by a dimmer switch…

Switches and Sockets

Now I know the impact of lighting a room effectively, what about the use of lighting accessories, such as switches and sockets? Are you like me and didn’t really think much further than the usual white plastic? Perhaps chrome for the kitchen? Why oh why did I not realise that there is nothing to stop you incorporating switches and sockets into your lighting design?!

I am now planning an overhaul of all the switches and sockets in the house, in order to finish each room – brass in my home office, and stainless steel in the open plan living space (to match what is already in the kitchen). I’m even going to play around in the bedrooms too and you know what? I never knew such a small lighting accessory could bring me so much joy 🙂