We Love… Orangery Lighting

As winter nights draw in, we take a look at some interesting ways to light your orangery.

Lighting is an integral element of every room and can have a profound effect on how a space feels and how we use it. With large amounts of glazing, orangeries and conservatories are uplifting, light and bright spaces to spend time during summer – perfect for entertaining guests late into the evening. However, come wintertime, when the nights start drawing in it’s important to have your orangery lighting sorted out so that you retain the room’s same light and bright feel.

Ideally, you should ensure that you have a good mixture of types of lighting, so that you can either illuminate the whole room, sections or particular spots, depending on whether you’re throwing a party, an intimate dinner, or focusing on a task like cooking.

Ceiling lights should provide the most of the light, and be able to illuminate the whole room if required. A mixture of pendant lighting and recessed ceiling lights can be used to get full room coverage yet enable highlighting of key areas such as a dining table whilst dining, as long as they work independently, on different switches. If all your ceiling lights are on the same switch, you could risk the room being too bright, unless you use a dimmer switch.

In addition to the standard ceiling lights, there are lots of other types of orangery lighting which, when used in combination, will ensure that your room can be lit adequately for any situation.

For example, wall lights can be used in certain parts of the room to avoid overhead glare whilst still giving off plenty of light. Lots of wall lights project the light towards the ceiling, however there are also those that project light downwards, and those that project both up and down, which makes for a striking effect as well as extra light. Under counter lighting provides a contemporary feel to the room and provides a nice subtle light to the kitchen, although you’ll usually have to use it in conjunction with other lights at the same time to get enough illumination. In this case, lamps are a good option – strategically placed they can light individual areas whilst the under counter lighting prevents the rest of room from being in darkness.

Consider where you have chosen to focus the natural daylight – for example, if you have a roof lantern you’ll want to make sure that you have adequate electrical lighting in the same spot. A chandelier suspended in the centre of the roof lantern will do the trick, and will also act as a focal point in the room, adding a real ‘wow’ factor to the space.

On top of everything else, make sure you have adequate task lighting in the food preparation and cooking areas, so that you can see what you’re doing – imperative when using sharp knives! Lighting underneath cupboards provide a subtle yet effective form of task lighting. Alternatively ceiling or wall lights which you can angle to the required position are good alternatives, depending on the layout of your kitchen and the amount of workspace available.

Lastly, if you already have all your electric lighting complete, consider adding candles to a dining table if you’re entertaining. As well as adding an additional source of light, they provide lovely ambience, especially with the nights drawing in earlier and earlier.

If you would like some expert garden room extension or orangery lighting advice, please just get in touch.