The secret to every professional photographer’s and Instagram baddie’s success is understanding good lighting. If you want to up your Instagram story’s production value, understanding lighting and tones is key.
The tones of lighting play a huge role in curating your perfect space, with warm lighting creating a cozy, comforting atmosphere while cool lighting suggesting a classy, refreshing vibe in your home. Warm lighting is often associated with undertones of warm colors; think along the lines of red, orange, and yellow. Even a nice magenta can be classified as a warm color.
Cool lighting sits at the opposite end of the color wheel, with hues such as green, blue, and purple. Warm lighting often feels like a toasty fall night when you’re ready to wind down and relax in your bedroom, while cool lighting usually supports a productive mood when you’re ready to tackle your week’s assignments in one sitting. Now that you know the difference, let’s move on to which suits you!
What Lighting Suits You Best?
I want you to close your eyes and imagine your ideal space. Can you imagine the warm aroma of a cinnamon candle burning on your desk while the sunset filters in through your window, your orange-colored curtain painting your room a romantic orange? Or do you picture yourself emerging from your crisp sheets, your lamp flooding your room with a much-appreciated white light that makes you eager to start your day?
Ask yourself if you’re an autumn or winter, if you prefer storm clouds or a sun shower. Think of the clothing you wear, the items in your home, from the colors of your pillows to the wood grain of your desk. Are you maximalist and enjoy filling your space with as much decor and as many trinkets as you can? Or perhaps are you a minimalist and enjoy fulfilling the feng shui of your home? Can you think of the colors you want to fill this space with?
There are many ways to find what lighting works for you. My favorite supermodel secrets for beginners are avoiding fluorescent bulbs at all costs and using layered light fixtures to create a softer, more diffused, and flattering lighting.
Working Around Built-In Lights
I know for some people, the foreboding overhead lights of our home are the bane of our existence. Your lighting is essential to your home, but I often feel that it’s an afterthought until you move into your dorm and you switch on your overhead light and realize just how ugly it is. Evaluating your lighting environment is crucial for good photos.
It hardly does the job for any of us, so what can we do to avoid flipping that switch and flooding our room with terrible lighting reminiscent of a hospital ward? My best advice is lamps. Not just desk lamps, but standing lamps too.
How many times have you kept your light on for your roommate who’s staying out late, but can’t fall asleep because the overhead is just burning through your retinas? The bulbs of standing lamps can be changed out for your perfect toned light, but they also make a huge difference in your space late at night. I’d also recommend a nice candle to bring out warm lighting (and a nice scent, of course).
The natural flame not only makes your room look like it belongs on your friend’s Pinterest board, but it truly adds so much light to your space. Additionally, try adding a nice colored curtain to your room! It truly makes a difference while taking advantage of the sun’s natural lighting.
Is it Just Tones That Make a Difference?
In short, no. The color of your decor in your space, living room or bedroom, has a huge impact on the ambiance of your room. It does not matter how many cool-toned lights you have in your room if the entire space is decked out in warm colored pillows and blankets, and vice versa. If you truly want to curate your space to its fullest potential, you’ll need to focus on what type of tone is ever-present in your room.
Take the time to seek out decor that you resonate with. For instance, if you want a cool-toned room, maybe it’s time to switch out your bright yellow comforter for something a little more temperate, like a nice green or blue! A proper color scheme has the power to completely transform your college living space into your home, and when paired with a specifically toned light, it becomes a powerhouse that rivals an IKEA showroom.
So, Let’s Review
Warm-toned lighting is created by warm colors, whereas cool-toned lighting is created by cool colors. Pretty self-explanatory, right? The light in your room can be utilized in all spaces, whether it be in the corner of your bedroom or the tiny window in your bathroom.
You don’t have to sacrifice your childhood desk you brought with you when you moved away from home because it doesn’t fit the aesthetic of your room; you just need to find an aesthetic that meshes well with it.
An important step in finding that aesthetic is to find the right tone for your room. In creating your bedroom, you create an important part of yourself. Never forget that your room is a window into a young adult woman’s life; your space is yours alone, and you should be proud of it!
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