Lighting strips in space design: How to define functional areas
A well-planned functional layout of the interior is crucial not only for its aesthetics, but above all for the comfort of use. This is the foundation on which the comfort of everyday life is based. The same applies to proper lighting planning. Lighting strips in space design play an important role in defining and emphasizing various functional areas, combining both practical and aesthetic elements, which allows you to create a space that meets the needs and expectations of specific users.
The key to creating a perfectly lit and at the same time atmospheric and cozy interior lies in skillfully balancing the intensity and color of light so that the room is fully functional. Thoughtful design allows for precise lighting planning, allowing for the designation and highlighting of various functional zones without the risk of creating areas that are too dark or too bright. It is important to pay attention to what we expect from our lighting, what functions it should perform and how it interacts with the rest of the environment.
Functional space design
To begin with, it is worth expanding on the question of what functional space design really is? The functional layout of a given interior is nothing more than a well-thought-out arrangement of space and elements in each room in our house, which aims to increase ergonomics and facilitate everyday movement around the apartment. It is the foundation of interior finishing, which significantly affects the comfort of life and must be tailored to the individual needs and lifestyle of users. Each room is governed by different rules that should be adapted to its specific functions and tasks, and properly planned lighting plays a key role in this process.
In the context of lighting, the use of lighting strips is crucial, as they significantly emphasize the functionality of the space while influencing its aesthetics. Finishing the interior with LED strips allows not only to mark activity zones in a given interior, but also to create a unique atmosphere that favors relaxation and rest. Thanks to this, each element of the interior is not only beautifully exposed, but above all serves its inhabitants, adapting to their daily needs and habits.
What are zones in the apartment, why do they matter and how are LED lighting strips related to it?
Dividing the apartment into zones significantly increases the ergonomics of the interior, making everyday movement around it easier. Thanks to clearly separated zones, each space in the apartment has a specific function, which helps maintain order and facilitates the organization of everyday activities. Knowing where to hide things and then where to look for them makes it easy to find the items we need. Moreover, clearly defined zones facilitate the introduction of healthy habits and life patterns. For example, if we adopt the rule that we only sleep in bed and do not eat or watch TV, it will be easier for us to fall asleep. Similarly, working at a desk increases our ability to concentrate compared to sitting on the couch.
In the case of one-room apartments, so popular in modern construction, where the corridor, living room and kitchen are often one large room, the challenge is to preserve the open space while designating zones consistent with their purpose. Partition walls or other physical division methods, such as curtains or screens, may disturb the proportions of the interior, visually reducing it. To avoid such an effect, you can use decorative elements that maintain the openness of the space and at the same time introduce its functional division. This is where help comes from, among others: stucco, lamellas, various shades of walls or decorative wallpapers, furniture, but also light. The LED lighting strip is perfect for this role, allowing for precise planning and thoughtful lighting of a given space. Thanks to this, you can not only visually designate zones in the apartment, but also create the appropriate atmosphere conducive to carrying out various activities in designated areas.
The role of lighting strips in creating space
The popularity of LED lighting is increasing day by day, mainly due to its numerous advantages. They are an energy-saving source of LED light, and by choosing them, users gain not only savings related to low electricity consumption, but also longevity and resistance to changing weather conditions and external factors. LED lighting strips, which are one of the most popular solutions among lighting systems, perfectly fit the needs of modern interior design. Their use allows for precise and aesthetic finishing of any room, offering protection against mechanical damage and almost unlimited arrangement possibilities.
The glare effect is an important aspect to pay attention to when designing lighting. Too dark interiors can be tiring and negatively affect our well-being in the long run, but too much strong, direct light is also not good for our health and comfort. Often, LED strips are mounted around the perimeter of a given room alone. This is not a healthy or aesthetic solution – the light needs to be dispersed. A stucco ceiling strip will work well for this purpose. The Mardom Decor LED lighting strip, thanks to the LightGuard® technology, allows for evenly dispersed light inside the room. Additionally, the material from which the lamp dedicated to lighting is made is characterized by high density and resistance to mechanical damage, and the diodes on the LED strip are not transparent, which will positively affect the aesthetics of the interior. This helps avoid creating too bright or too dark corners and creates a cozy atmosphere without tiring your eyesight.
The color of light is also important in creating the atmosphere of the interior. LED lighting, offering the option to choose between warmer and cooler light colors, affects the mood of the rooms and the well-being of the residents. In spaces intended for relaxation, warm light colors are ideal, supporting relaxation and gentle falling asleep. However, for tasks requiring concentration, light with a slightly cooler color is recommended, which favors mental activity.
LED strips dividing the interior into zones: How to define functional areas with light?
When designing interior lighting, a key aspect is to precisely determine what activities each part of the space will be used for. Rooms in the house usually have different functions – for example, the kitchen requires both general lighting and precise lighting, e.g. above the countertop, which will help us prepare meals without any problems. In the living room, daytime lighting will be useful, auxiliary lighting if there is also an office zone there, or additional, much more delicate lighting to be turned on in the background when we watch our favorite series.
Interior lighting can be effectively divided into three main zones: general, functional and decorative. LED strips are an excellent tool for creating such zones, enabling precise definition of functional areas using light. Thanks to their flexibility and the ability to adapt to any shape, LED strips allow you to subtly designate and highlight individual parts of the space, not only through the intensity of light, but also its color and direction. LED lighting offers countless arrangement possibilities, enabling the creation of a multi-dimensional design that meets the needs of all users, providing them with comfort and functionality at the highest level.
General lighting, daylight
General lighting, also called daylight, plays a key role in every room, providing even lighting that allows comfortable functioning after dark. Hanging wall lamps, chandeliers, ceiling lamps and, nowadays, most often ceiling lighting strips, are often used in this role. Designing general lighting involves the challenge of appropriately arranging light sources to avoid the problem of too weak lighting resulting from placing a single lamp in the center of the room. The appropriate lighting power is also important, as it affects the comfort of work and rest, as well as eye protection. Indicative health and safety standards indicate the need to provide approximately 300 lux in a room, which can be achieved by summing the power (in lumens) of all light sources and dividing this value by the number of square meters of the interior.
The arrangement of light points is another aspect that should be paid attention to. To ensure even interior lighting, LED ceiling strips should be installed at a distance of approximately 1.2 meters in rooms with a standard ceiling height of approximately 2.5 meters. This is why the tapes are often installed only around the perimeter of the room – the small dimensions of a room in blocks of flats often allow for such installation, ensuring an aesthetic finish. However, please remember that in the case of interiors with unusual heights, such as lofts or tenement houses, an individual approach to lighting design may be required. The LED ceiling strip is supposed to look aesthetically pleasing, but above all it has to fulfill its lighting functions.
The LED ceiling strip combined with decorative stucco has the advantage that you can easily adapt its shape and form to the style and character of the interior. Mardom Decor ceiling strips come in many shapes and sizes, which allows you to match them to the selected architectural style and room dimensions.
LED strips in functional lighting
The LED strip in functional lighting plays a key role, being a work light focused on a specific function, e.g. above a desk or at a computer, as well as in spaces requiring precise lighting, such as above a kitchen counter or next to a bathroom mirror. The LED strip, thanks to its flexibility and the ability to precisely direct the light, is perfect as task lighting, allowing you to focus on the activities you are performing. It is not only a practical solution for the bathroom, where the light above the shower or mirror facilitates daily hygiene, but also perfect under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen and more. LED strips, skillfully installed above the dining table, bedside lamps or spotlights above the wardrobe doors, can significantly increase the comfort of using the space, while introducing a decorative element into the interior.
Decorative and atmospheric lighting
Decorative lighting serves as an additional light source in the home, creating a background that subtly highlights the interior design and atmosphere. Its purpose is not to dominate or provide full visibility, but rather to provide a relaxing and calming effect. Decorative lighting is often ignored at the design stage. Despite its name and function, additional lighting is important for our comfort, because we do not always need full visibility. To create a romantic atmosphere or an atmosphere of relaxation, only a delicate, subdued glow will be perfect – it is not without reason that dinner or a relaxing bath only by candlelight is so appreciated. Therefore, it is worth choosing LED strips with adjustable brightness, which allows for effective lighting and easy adaptation to current needs and mood. In this context, it is also worth choosing wall lighting strips – a subtle effect at the height we choose, e.g. behind a shelf or around the TV wall.
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