One of the most versatile and dynamic features in our households is often unfortunately one of the most underused – I am of course referring to lighting. While very functional in their typical use as a simple on/off means of providing light for rooms, what you might not realize is your lights and lighting appliances can also be used to aesthetically benefit your home.

From highlighting areas to creating different moods and atmospheres, there are lots of great ideas for using lighting in your home. So if this sounds like something you’d like to try, in this post you’ll find some creative examples which could really make your home even more interesting.

Crafting and Recycling

Your reels of Christmas lights might only get used once a year, but they can make for great centre pieces or for use as ornaments. Empty bottles can be turned into candelabras, by simply draping the lights in and around them. Similarly, old vases (particularly coloured ones) can be used in the same way to great effect.

Making the Most of Your Space

As obvious as it sounds, dark spaces can make your home seem gloomy and smaller. Carefully placed lamps and smaller lights can be put next to, or behind, furniture and cabinets in these dark corners to emphasis them and essentially brighten them up. At the same time, this can make your respective rooms feel larger and more complete as these lights illuminate them.

Moods and Atmospheres

Building on the previous idea, careful use of lighting is a brilliant way to create different moods and atmospheres. LED strips are particularly effective for doing this, as they come in a variety of colours, which can be naturally associated with different moods. Running strips along alcoves, hearths and doorways can immediately set the tone in a room, just make sure they don’t clash too much with the colour of your walls.

Garden Space

It’s not just about the indoors though, there’s nothing to stop you using some of the above features in your garden. This can see you get even more out of your own green space, even during the colder winter months.

Naturally, some of these lights require a great deal of care when setting them up, and in some cases will need to be sourced from specialist firms like Scotlight Direct for instance. Once you’ve got the materials though, all that’s left to do is simple try a few of these different ways and enjoy the unique and interesting feel you bring to your home.