Tips For Choosing The Right Laminate Flooring by Light And Lighting

Floors covered with laminate flooring gives warmth, unique texture and natural look to homes and offices.  With the right lighting solutions, one can highlight the perfect appearance of such flooring products further. We have prepared some tips that will help you achieve a perfect look in your interiors by combining your laminate flooring with the subtleties of lighting.

1. Make More Use of Daylight

• Windows and Curtains: Let the natural light into your interiors as much as possible to stress the natural color and texture of floors covered with laminate flooring. For this, you can select light filtering lightweight curtains and blinds.
• Mirror Use: You can use mirrors that will enhance the depth of your interiors to increase the reflection of natural light. While mirrors make your home look larger than it is, you can also get a brighter atmosphere in the room with the light reflected by the mirrors on the laminate flooring.

2. Create Layers of Lighting

• Ceiling Lighting: The relationship between laminate flooring and ceiling lighting plays a critical role in setting the overall tone and aesthetics of a home. Using these two elements in harmony, you can make both your laminate flooring and ceiling lighting stand out optimally. If you opt for an intense and strong ceiling lighting, the Thames oak laminate flooring from Kastamonu Entegre's River series, providing water resistance for 72 hours, would be an ideal choice. The rich dark tones of the Thames laminate flooring will become much more distinct with strong lighting. For spaces that you prefer with less intense lighting, you can get an effective look with the Alaçatı laminate flooring from our Sun series.
• Table-Countertop Lighting: You can use table lamps, reading lamps or kitchen counter lighting to highlight specific areas. Such lighting options are the ideal solution to increase the visibility of decorative objects you want to highlight.
• Spot Lighting: You can place spotlights or LED strips to highlight the texture and patterns of laminate flooring. Spotlights are also useful for enhancing the visibility of your paintings on the walls.

3. Balance Color Temperature

• Warm White Light: Use warm white light to highlight the natural tones and warmth of floors covered with laminate flooring. This can be especially effective on floors covered with dark laminate flooring. You can get this unique look thanks to the Harbour laminate flooring from Kastamonu Entegre’s Prime series.
• Cold White Light: Cold white light can be preferred for a more modern and sophisticated look. However, this type of lighting may undermine the warmth of wood. So, it should be used cautiously.

4. Color and Tone Harmony

• Light Fittings: Light fittings in bronze, copper or gold tones blend beautifully with wood floors. Stainless steel or chrome fittings can be preferred for a modern look.
• Bulb Selection: Energy efficient LED bulbs with different color temperatures allow you to create the atmosphere you want in your home.

5. Shadow and Light Plays

• Light Direction: You can highlight the floor texture and patterns by directing light onto laminate flooring. For example, a lamp placed in the corner can make the natural patterns and shadows of the floor more distinct.
• Dimmer Switches: Using dimmer switches, you can adjust the light intensity in any way you like. This will provide ideal lighting for different activities at different times of the day.

6. Decorative Lighting Elements

• Floor Lamps and Decorative Candelabras: You can get both an aesthetic touch and soft lighting by adding floor lamps or decorative candelabras in areas covered with laminate flooring.
• Foot Lights: Small foot lights or LED strips placed on laminate flooring are a great way to highlight the beauty of the floor.

7. Consider Laminate Flooring Colors and Patterns

• Light Colored Laminate Flooring: Usually, light-colored laminate flooring reflects more light, making the room look larger and more spacious. So, softer and warm toned lighting is preferable. If you prefer lighting elements in soft tones, you can go for the Grey Walnut laminate flooring from Kastamonu Entegre's Sunex series.
• Dark Colored Laminate Flooring: Dark laminate flooring creates a rich and luxurious atmosphere. Bright and strong lighting elements can be used to contrast with dark floors. You can see the Robin laminate flooring from Kastamonu Entegre's Wings series to reflect this splendid look in your interiors.

How to Assess Lighting Conditions of Your Interiors

It is very important to assess the lighting conditions in your home or office before choosing laminate flooring patterns and colors. You can experience dozens of laminate flooring options and make the ideal choices for yourself, using the “Apply Your Room” feature in Kastamonu Entegre's “Let’s Design” application.

You can also consider the following conditions when assessing the decorative lighting conditions of your interiors:

• Natural light: Assess the amount of natural light let in each room, taking into account the size and orientation of windows as well as environmental factors that may block light. While rooms with abundant natural light highlight true colors of laminate flooring, rooms with limited natural light can make laminate flooring appear darker or paler.
• Artificial light: Determine the types of artificial light sources in your home, including halogen, LED or fluorescent bulbs. Each light source has its own color temperature, which can affect the appearance of your laminate flooring. Warm toned lights can make warm tones in the floor more distinct, while cool toned lights can highlight gray or blue subtones.
• Light intensity: Consider the light intensity in each room, because the light intensity may affect the appearance of your laminate flooring. Brighter lights can make floors appear more spacious, while dimmer lights can create a more friendly and cozy atmosphere.

Consider Your Furniture and Functionality of the Rooms!

When choosing your laminate flooring, it is important to consider the decoration of your interiors and the function of each room. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind:

• Match your laminate flooring with your furniture: Make sure that the color tone of your laminate flooring complements the furniture and decorative elements in a room. You can choose a contrasting or complementary color, depending on your personal style and preferences.
• Consider the intended use of the room: Choose the color tones of your laminate flooring based on the intended use of each room. For a children's playroom that needs to be bright, you can, for example, prefer the Alize laminate flooring from Kastamonu Entegre's light toned Fix series with hygiene plus feature. For a formal dining room that is expected to be in darker tones, the Akita from the Sunex series is an ideal laminate flooring product that provides elegance and coherence with the setting.
• Plan for possible changes: When choosing laminate flooring color tones, consider if the laminate flooring will remain in harmony with your current decoration by taking into account the possible changes you will make to the interior design of your home.

When choosing the optimal laminate flooring shade for your interiors, you need to consider various factors, e.g. lighting conditions, decors and room function. Taking into account the effect of lighting and proper use of light on laminate flooring and using the “Apply Your Room” feature of Kastamonu Entegre's “Let’s Design” application, you can not only make more conscious decisions by testing the appearance of laminate flooring alternatives in different colors and tones in your room, but also make your laminate flooring look as impressive and stylish indoors as in stores.