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A beautiful home is all about the interplay of light and shade. Good designs are about recognizing an element in a space and accentuating it. But what happens when this design element also happens to be source of light. It becomes a very bright business idea.

Jewellery designer, Mamta Malhotra told CNBC-TV18, "I think I have been quite selective as far as my lighting goes because it is a very important element of design for me. The major lighting I have used, is over my dining table, in the lobby and in the bedroom and in my TV room. Looking at the way our house has been designed, it is very contemporary."

Malhotra settled for Flos, an Italian brand which is sometimes called the Rolls Royce for   home lighting. It is when you see what these pieces can do for your home, that you realise Flos lighting should be lighting of choice for a well designed space. Obviously, style doesn't really come cheap. You can expect to spend anywhere from Rs 15,000 to   Rs 10 lakhs and there is plenty of others to choose from, in high-end lighting.

Keeping your eye on your competition is important and Maurizio Mussati of Flos says, "Our brand awareness is pretty good and also the awareness of other important brand names, I think is pretty good."

You don't like the Flos' looks, then you can also take a look at Lui Paulson and Lighting from Denmark. A personally signed lamp from the late Paul Henningson is actually a rare masterpiece that costs Rs 6 lakhs. The lamp has been layered 72 times in copper with a 500 watt bulb at the centre giving a soft warm glow. But try spotting the bulb if you can.

Senior Light Designer, Amit Gupta explains, "Good lighting is all about quality of light, not quantity of light. It is all about glare, colour of angle, it is about the comfort level a person needs to get, when he is moving in and out of the house. These lights provide you no glare."

You won't be blamed for assuming that most of the light fixtures are for the elite, but the market does have offerings for the middle class. The current favourite happens to be crystal chandeliers, which are held together with brass wire and finished with 24 carat gold. Most of these are svarovski crystal, or special pieces imported from Egypt or the Czech Republic.

Starting prices can be as low as couple of thousands. Places like Kapoor Lamp houses have been catering to the middle class for decades. So, the next time when you see a breathtakingly designed light, don't wait for inspirations to light up. Just go ahead and grab it. You can convince your accountant later.