Lighting does more than make art visible, it transforms how we experience it, and how it makes us feel. From paintings to ceramics, historical artefacts, textiles and so much more, the right light elevates pieces, draws attention, and if used correctly, helps preserve them over time. By choosing the right type and placement of light, you can highlight what matters most while enhancing the mood and ambience of the whole space.
Here we share some considerations:
- Choosing the Right Light Quality
The quality of light, specifically the colour rendering index (CRI) and colour temperature, matters greatly when illuminating artwork. A light with CRI 90+ ensures colours are shown as vividly and accurately as possible, while a warm white range of 2700K – 3000K enhances comfort without diminishing tones and textures.
Just as with general room lighting, the colour of light affects not only how artwork looks but also how it makes you feel. A calm, warm glow can elevate a traditional oil painting, while cool whites may be better suited to highlight more modern pieces.
- Spotlighting Individual Pieces
Some works deserve their own stage. Spotlights can help provide precision, allowing you to highlight textures, brushstrokes, or delicate details. For example, picture lighting above a portrait creates intimacy, while a directional spotlight on a sculpture enhances shadow and form. Track lighting can also be flexibly adjusted to showcase multiple works at once, making it a popular choice in gallery-style displays. This approach as shown in our recent Residential Project, showcases gallery-style display illumination perfectly.
- Creating Gallery Walls
A wall filled with prints, photos, or mixed pieces can feel flat without careful, considerate lighting. Using adjustable track systems allows you to direct separate beams to each piece of artwork -balancing light evenly across the collection. This technique prevents one piece from overwhelming the rest and gives the whole wall a curated, cohesive feel. In contrast, a single statement piece often benefits from its own central spotlight – anchoring the room and reinforcing its importance or potential worth.
- Protecting What You Treasure
Great lighting isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s also about preservation. By avoiding direct sunlight, which can fade pigments and weaken materials over time, it reduces the risk of artwork perishing. For especially valuable pieces, we would recommend that professional advice for UV-protective glazing and acid-free backing is also considered.
- Layers and Textures
Lighting adds depth and atmosphere by emphasising texture. Fabrics, mixed media, and 3D objects like ceramics come alive when light grazes their surface, revealing shadows and contours. Using layered lighting – mixing ambient light with targeted accents, helps the artwork feel like a natural part of the room rather than something just hung on the wall or placed on display. With our St Johns Wood project, this can be seen within several rooms inside the home, creating an overall dramatic effect.
- Mixing Mediums for Impact
Not all art is framed. Sculptures, textiles, collectibles, and other objects each interact with light differently. Combining media in a display cabinet helps enrich a space, but the lighting design must respond to those differences and consider glare from the chosen housing. Thoughtful artwork lighting is never just about visibility. It’s about balancing dramatics with subtlety, aesthetics with preservation, and individuality with unity. This allows artwork pieces and cherished possessions to not only be seen but felt, for years to come.
If you’re planning a project and want advice in creating a lighting scheme that highlights art and treasured possessions beautifully, while protecting them for the future contact Truly Lighting to see how we can assist.