When embarking on a DIY lighting project at home, it's best to know what kind of effect you want to achieve before you start ripping out the switches and sockets.

According to interiors journalist Ellie Tenant, DIYers need to play around with light and shadow with a mix of lights until they come up with an illumination system that is both practical and atmospheric.

"It's important to have a main light in the middle of your room that's really bright - preferably on a dimmer switch so you can change the mood," she advised.

"I've made the mistake in the past where I've put little romantic table lamps giving cosy glows in various corners, but it's just not practical."

Ms Tenant pointed out that when you want to do something that requires light - such as reading, doing the laundry or fixing a hole in the wall - you need something that emits a lot of brightness.

"You also need smaller, romantic ones that are flattering and will make you feel cosy on a cold winter's night. Make sure you have a good mixture of lighting, not just one or the other," she added.

Meanwhile, LED lighting developer Cree has launched a new product that uses up to half as much energy as linear fluorescents.

The CS Series LED Linear Luminaire is "poised to revolutionise low and mid bay lighting applications just like the CR Series did for Troffers", commented David Elien, vice president at the lighting company.

"With Cree's MicroMixing Optics, the CS Series offers a combination of performance, aesthetics, optimal light distribution and affordability to situations such as grocery stores, retail, showrooms, schools, offices, warehouses and light industrial environments."

As well as saving a significant amount of energy, the new LED product emits up to 120 lumens per watt and has an average lifetime of 75,000 hours - ideal for homeowners and businesses that want to install a new lighting system but do not want the hassle of maintaining it regularly.