If you're building a new home or doing major renovation work, plan and cater for the lighting at the same time as the plumbing. Most of us have to work with fixtures that are already there, but with a little strategic thinking it's perfectly possible to get lighting that works for you.
Begin by going round the house with a notepad and pen. In each room, ask yourself...
What do I use this space for?
Think about all its possible uses - your lounge might have to double up as a study, the children might need to do their homework or music practice in there, you might knit or sew or use part of the room as a studio. Do you tend to eat in the kitchen or on your lap in front of the television?
What's on display in each room?
Do you have a specific picture or plant you want to make a feature of?
Note it all down, because this will determine your accent lighting.
Who uses this room?
A 60 year old uses 15 times more light for reading than a ten year old.
At what times of day will people be in this room?
Where does the natural light come in?

You might not realise you've got bad lighting but you'll recognise the symptoms: headaches and sore eyes, frustration in the kitchen at not being able to see what you're doing and arguments in the bedroom over whose turn it is to get up to switch out the light. Good lighting will make your home feel spacious, clean and welcoming.

North facing: cold and harsh rather than direct sunlight. Artists choose north-facing studios because the light gives truer colour rendition.
East facing: bright first thing in the morning followed by long shadows and no sun later in the day. Use artificial lighting to control glare and maximise the available natural light in north- and east-facing rooms.
South facing: warm light all day, although it changes throughout the day and year. The midday sun is usually so bright it flattens everything out. Choose south-facing rooms for the kitchen, main living areas and other rooms you spend a lot of time in.
West facing: sunlight at the hottest part of the day, which can cause glare. In the late afternoon, you'll get long shadows and softer light.

Blue
Associated with: calming and soothing; promotes intellectual thought; believed to keep hunger at bay; loyalty, serenity, authority, protection, contemplative, prevents nightmares
Best for: bedrooms, bathrooms, studies
Pitfalls: can look cold and unwelcoming. Make sure it doesn't look too chilly by choosing a blue with a warm undertone
Yellow
Associated with: sunshine and energy, stimulates the intellect
Best for: kitchens, dining rooms or north-facing rooms
Pitfalls: not very restful for a bedroom. Yellow is thought to enhance feelings of emotional distress
Lilac
Associated with: spiritual matters - suggests the misty area between the sky and heaven, feminine
Best for: bedrooms and bathrooms to create a stress-free sanctuary
Pitfalls: can be insipid. Liven it up with black or silver, or both
Purple
Associated with: creativity, fertility, joy, but also magic, evil, death and sex
Best for: bedrooms
Pitfalls: can be overpowering
Browen
Associated with: security, stability and very practical
Best for: living rooms
Pitfalls: introduce a livelier colour for mental stimulation such as green or blue
Black
Associated with: death, eccentricity, drama. It's a non-colour that absorbs colour and reflects nothing back
Best for: using in moderation
Pitfalls: depressing - think of all those angst-ridden teenage bedrooms. Use it to temper the sweetness of other sugary colours such as pink, but don't use it as a base colour

Colour has always been important - from natural warnings in primitive times to mood enhancers in modern homes.
Red
Associated with: danger, passion, energy, warmth, adventure, optimism
Best for: dining rooms as it promotes sociable and lively feelings, and stimulates the appetite Pitfalls: it can be overpowering and lead to headaches. Either vary the shade, paint one wall red, or use it for accessories only. Don't use red in a baby's room.
Pink
Associated with: love
Best for: bedrooms as it can be peaceful and restful. A hot fuchsia can introduce passion
Pitfalls: can be appear to be very girlie and sickly sweet. To counteract this, introduce hints of dark charcoal or black.
Orange
Associated with: stability, reassurance, warmth, and is thought to aid digestion
Best for: living and dining rooms
Pitfalls: might keep the occupant awake when used in a bedroom. It can make a room look smaller because it's an advancing colour, so make sure the room gets plenty of light.
Green
Associated with: nature and energy, calming and restful, balance (halfway between red and blue) security, stability
Best for: bedrooms, living rooms
Pitfalls: too much green is thought to make people too complacency or too laid back. Inject some red or orange to counteract these feelings.

Before decorating, spend time gathering together samples of your favourite materials and pictures of inspirational room designs. Spending time now planning a room should save time later on and help to avoid decorating mistakes.
Pictures of rooms you like
Cut out any pictures you like from magazines and books (not just interiors), and collect fabric and paint swatches. If you fall in love with a beautiful blue wall in a magazine picture, look at all the other elements that make up that particular room. Perhaps it has a beautiful oak floor or woodwork?
Arranging the mood board
Lay out your samples in the general order of the room - position the carpet at the bottom, soft furnishing samples in the middle, and curtain material near the top of the board. This will give you a much clearer idea than sticking samples randomly over the board.

Colour wheel
Use a colour wheel to help plan the overall scheme of a room.
Primary colours are three key colours - Red, Blue and Yellow. They cannot be made from any other colour.
Secondary colours
If you mix equal amounts of the primary colours, you get the Secondary colours - Purple, Green and Orange.
Red + Yellow = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple
Blue + Yellow = Green
Tertiary colours
If you mix a primary with a secondary colour, in a ratio of 2:1, you get a Tertiary colour. Red-Orange, Blue-Green etc.

To make a room appear cosier

Choose colours from the warm side of the colour wheel.
A sunny yellow will 'heat up' a room, but don't go overboard, complement it with a white ceiling and woodwork to keep it looking fresh.
A warmer shade used on the ceiling will bring the height of a room down and make it feel cosier.
When using bright colours such as orange and red, remember to maintain balance by keeping the floor and carpet neutral.

Other tricks

The far end of a long corridor will seem closer if painted in a darker shade.
In a long corridor-like room, paint the two, shorter end walls in a slightly darker shade to make the room appear squarer .