It is said that there are two kinds of light: The glow that illuminates and the glare that obscures. House makers are definitely keeping this in mind when it comes to adding the most resolute part of the décor – lighting. Be it an elegant drawing area or a bejewelled dining hall, no space is perfect without illumination.

The play of light not only adds to the aesthetics of an area but also helps build an aura that could uplift ones personality. This is seen by way of mood enhancing lighting fixtures. Contemporary designs throw more importance on the effect of lighting, while traditionally, the design of the fixtures took precedence.

“Today many are going for contemporary styling, which involves varied lighting techniques with minimal focus on fixtures. For instance, it not necessary to light up the entire room if you want to curl up and read in a corner. Instead, fixtures like arc lights and flexi LEDs are used so that a pool of light could be directed to a particular corner. Similarly, fixtures can be used for specific locations like kitchen top, corner shelf and coffee tables. The usage is based on need, but the effective lighting is not necessarily supported by heavy fixtures these days,” says architect Raj Siddamsetty.

Gone are the days of extensive use of tube lights, thanks to false ceilings. LED, CFL and mini halogen lamps give consumers plenty of choices. “Automated lighting, which is the most in thing now, gives a lot of freedom to consumers. It is being widely used for wardrobes, kitchen cabinets and washrooms. But not many are comfortable yet to use it for the entire house and are more comfortable to switch on and off manually,” says Mitika Vazir a Bangalore based interior consultant.

Most homes are seen these days with coloured lights known as mood lighters as well. “The lighting has to be functional yet effective in mood play. Before getting hold of fixtures, it is important to design the technique in that area. Too much of light is not good either. Where direct sunlight is accessible during day, light is also played around by way of large french windows and subtly highlighted in the evening by outdoor lights,” says Vazir.

For traditional users, there are always the time-tested choices -- from chandeliers to tiffany, ceramic, glass and art paper. Even if you are into minimalistic décor, spaces like the pooja room or may be an open-air passage could do well with traditional lamps.

“Most of the mid and top end clients who chose to have contemporary houses, would like to allot at least one space for such traditional lighting. In such spaces, fretwork lights can also be used. But an innovative concept, which is newer to India, is illusion lighting and shadow play. This generally creates a 3D illusion thus creating an illusion of more space. Illusion lighting was used in commercial buildings before but now it is entering residential segment as well. This form is expensive and exclusive,” says Anusha Pyata, an architect.

Another aspect of lighting that has evolved these days is the light thrown from bottom to top instead of top to bottom, known as uplifts. Typically from five feet above the ground level, lighting fixtures are placed that throw light up creating a particular ambience.

So most home décor enthusiasts these days choose a lighting mode first, which is then followed by lamps and other fixtures, unlike earlier.