Tips for choosing the right lighting for your home
Lighting plays an important role in every room in a home. Lighting has the power to completely change the aesthetics of living spaces as well as make sure that rooms are being used at peak functionality.
Whether you are designing a new space or updating an existing one, selecting the right lighting can transform your home and improve your quality of life. Here are some essential tips to help you choose the best lighting for your home.
Understand different types of lighting
Ambient Lighting
Also known as general lighting, this type provides illumination to all of a room. Common sources include ceiling-mounted fixtures, recessed lighting in the ceiling, and chandeliers.
Task Lighting
This type of lighting focuses on specific areas where activities like reading, cooking, or working take place. Desk lamps, under-cabinet lights, and pendant lights over kitchen islands are some examples of how you can implement task lighting.
Accent Lighting
This form of lighting is used only for very specific purposes, like highlighting architectural features, artwork, or decorations. Accent lighting includes track lights, wall sconces, and picture lights.
Think about the room’s purpose
Living Room
A mix of ambient and accent lighting works best in this space because it is often used for many reasons, from watching a movie as a family to hosting a friendly gathering to setting up a laptop in the corner to get some work done.
A central ceiling fixture is a must in this space, but you should also combine it with floor lamps and table lamps, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. With both types of lighting in this room, you can easily transition from daytime with the overhead fixture on to evening with only the lamps on.
Kitchen
Bright ambient lighting, coupled with task lighting under cabinets and above counters, makes it easy to see what you are doing in the kitchen, no matter what time of day it is. A well-lit workspace means that you can cook with ease and also eat in the kitchen afterward under some hanging pendant lights.
Bedroom
Soft, warm lighting enhances relaxation and gets you ready to go to bed each night. Bedside table lamps, dimmable overhead lights, and wall sconces give you lots of options when it comes to setting the right tone, no matter what you are doing in the bedroom.
Bathroom
Bright, shadow-free lighting around the mirror is a top priority for grooming, while ambient lighting adds a soothing effect for things like bathtime or morning showers. Having one main overhead light and investing in a lighted bathroom mirror will give you peak brightness for all of your bathroom tasks.
Dining Room
For this room, a statement chandelier or pendant light above the dining table gives an immediate sense of elegance to the space. These can be complemented by wall sconces or recessed lighting, giving you lots of lighting options for when you host dinner parties.
Examine the impact of lamp shades on ambiance
When people think of lamp shades, they often think of just the fabric kind with crazy patterns and hanging decorations, but they are so much more than that. Different kinds of light coverings like Lamps Plus lamp shades come in all kinds of smooth and versatile looks that can completely change the mood of a room. The material, color, and shape of a lamp shade determine how light is diffused and directed.
Besides fabric lamp shades, there are also glass and metal options that cater to your home’s unique style. Fabric shades provide a warm, diffused glow, creating a cozy ambiance. These are ideal for bedrooms and living rooms as they help soften the light for a more relaxing atmosphere. Glass lamp shades, on the other hand, can come in frosted or colored glass shades. The frosted glass is good for small light fixtures in bathrooms as it offers a softer light, while clear glass shades allow maximum brightness, making them great for task lighting.
Metal lamp shades have a specific purpose as they direct light downward, making them ideal for focused illumination in workspaces or reading areas. If you have a workspace in your garage and you need a fixture that concentrates all of the light in one place, a lamp with a metal shade is your best option.
Choose the right bulbs
Different bulbs impact the quality and appearance of light. When selecting bulbs, you should consider brightness, color temperature, and energy efficiency. When shopping for bulbs, look on the box for the lumens number. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light.
Different lightbulbs also give off different temperatures depending on their color, which is measured in Kelvins. If you want to light a cozy space, look for bulbs with a lower value in kelvins, and if you want a bright, cool light for areas like the kitchen, look for higher values.
If you are worried about your energy consumption, energy-efficient LED bulbs are just as common as regular bulbs and can be found in any hardware store. They will last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and will consume less electricity.
Make use of dimmers
Sometimes, you want a lot of light, and other times you want less. This used to be an issue for people looking for a middle ground until the dimmer was invented. Dimmers allow you to adjust the brightness of your lighting, offering flexibility to create the desired mood. Installing dimmer switches in living rooms, bedrooms, and dining areas lets you transition from bright task lighting to a softer ambiance as needed.
Avoid these lighting mistakes
Overlooking Layering
Relying on a single light source can make a space feel flat and uninviting. Use multiple layers of light to get that sense of depth and dimension.
Using Harsh Lighting
Extremely bright or cool-toned lighting can make a space feel sterile. Try leaning more towards warm, dimmable lights in places other than the bathroom.
Ignoring Scale and Proportion
Make sure that the light fixtures you buy are appropriately sized for the rooms they are going in. Oversized fixtures can overwhelm a space, while undersized ones may not provide sufficient illumination.
Neglecting Placement
Poorly placed lighting can result in shadows and uneven illumination. Position lights strategically so that you have balanced coverage in every room.
The lighting you choose for your home will be present every day, so make sure that you think each fixture through before making a final decision.
