When it comes to designing our homes, we are usually fine with choosing the paint colours, flooring and tiles. We also have strong ideas about our preferred type of furniture and the features for our kitchen. But there is one thing we often forget about … Lighting.

The lighting in your home can affect everything from how well you sleep, to your mood and emotions, your energy, and even your appetite! So it is important to know what sort of light you want - and need - to have in your home before you start choosing paint colours and tiles.

There are two main sources of light for every home - natural light and artificial light. We all know what natural light is - but artificial light comes in a number of confusing types so read on to learn about which type of light you prefer.

Even if your windows are relatively small, you can increase the amount of natural light that enters your home by using glass partitions and by painting the walls a bright white like in this Tampines Greenforest apartment.

Image Credits: Free Space Intent

The designers of this Maylea apartment made the most of the floor-to-ceiling windows to let natural light into the interior space; glass and white walls combined with sheer curtains ensure the light floods the space.

Images Credits: Adroit Interior Design

Artificial Light

Artificial light comes in three main types - warm white, cool white, and daylight. These are the terms used to define the different types of light bulbs you buy for your fixtures and lamps. 

1. Warm White (2700 Kelvin)

Warm white is the type you see most often in Singapore homes. It is a soft, yellowish light that is useful for setting the mood, and creating a relaxing, comfortable, traditionally warm and cozy feeling. Warm white is best used in living and dining areas and bedrooms. It helps create the optimal resting and sleeping environment.

You can see the cozy effect of warm white artificial light in this Fernvale Residences apartment.

Images Credits: The Interior Lab

This Tampines home mixes warm white with brighter lights in both the kitchen and bedroom spaces.

Warm white light is used to good effect in this Holland Road semi-detached home as it works well with medium and dark toned timber furniture.

Images Credits: Mr Shopper Studio

2. Cool white (4100 Kelvin)

Cool white artificial light is white, bright, vibrant and clear. It is great for creating a feeling of energy and focus making it good for spaces where you need to concentrate like kitchens, bathrooms and home offices. Cool white light is good for your eyes - especially if you are doing detailed work - and helps with productivity.

This Yung Kuang Road apartment’s kitchen makes the most of cool white light to create the right environment for specialised cooking.

Images Credits: Fifth Avenue Interior

Cool white light is perfect for bathrooms like the one in this Jalan Mutiara apartment; great for applying skincare and makeup. 

Images Credits: Fineline Design

3. Daylight (5000 – 6500 Kelvin)

Daylight artificial light is a bit of a misnomer as you would expect it to have the yellowish tones of a sunny day. However daylight is more of a blue-white light and best for bathrooms and work areas such as kitchens and home offices. It is  also great for lighting a display area, such as shelves holding books or collectibles. Daylight is also good for reading or any other detailed work.

Daylight artificial light has been used in this Jalan Lokam home to define different living areas and also highlight the feature wall.

Images Credits: De Style Interior

The home office in this Sun Natura apartment uses daylight bulbs to separate the functions of work and home.

Images Credits: The Interior Lab

Feature areas in this apartment in The Scala are highlighted by daylight bulbs in contrast to warmer tones in other parts of the space.