How to Light Your Home

You might never have considered home lighting as something you would ever have to seek advice about, but it can be a surprisingly complicated matter. Lighting is all about ambience and setting the right tone at different times of the day. And just like other non-physical aspects of a home’s appearance, it is always a surprise to appreciate just how much lighting can make a difference to how a home look. It is well-known, for example, that modern home lighting can add a surprising amount of a value to a home when it is on the market for sale.

Just as we might make use of air fresheners and shoe deodorizer sprays, such as ShoeFresh, to freshen the air in our home and completely change the effect it has on visitors without actually physically moving anything, we use lighting to completely overhaul the appearance of an indoor space. The right way to think about lighting is as something that comes as an end of room decoration that works with the objects it is illuminating to create a distinct effect.

Environmental Concerns

Of course, it isn’t just about appearances. Lighting solutions – much like anything else – have had to adapt to the environmental concerns that have only become more urgent in recent times. Light bulbs themselves do not use up a particularly large amount of energy. In fact, as far as energy-consuming devices go, they are pretty far down the list. However, we must remember that we use many light bulbs to illuminate an entire house or apartment, and we use some of them consistently and for hours on end, especially in the darker, winter months.

Nevertheless, even while lighting is unlikely to exceed around 7% of your electricity bill, many sustainable solutions have been adapted in order to make lighting more environmentally friendly. Chief among these has been the energy-saving light bulb, but there are also a range of good practices and habits to consider. Things such as turning off lights when you leave a room and using lighter-colored shades so that you don’t need use the brightest light bulbs to achieve the desired effect.

Tips for Lighting a Home

Lighting your home will depend a great deal upon what type of furnishings you have inside your home and what color these are. Modern trends seem to prioritize bright colors and a liberal use of white in-home décor. Accordingly, complimentary lighting should aim to work with this and make rooms brightly lit while also leaving much of the work to good old-fashioned daylight. It can be difficult to be specific here (because every home is different) but there are some useful general tips that follow:

Use Omni-Directional Bulbs

What this really means is that, to achieve an even effect, you should spread light as far and as evenly as possible. The best way to do this is with omni-directional light bulbs. However, …

Incorporate Lighting for Tasks

Smaller lamps and downlights have their place too. Specifically, these should be used wherever lighting for tasks such as reading, working, or cooking is needed.

Balance Warm and Cool Light

These terms refer to how much of the red spectrum is included in the light you use. Generally speaking, warm light (more of the red spectrum) is good for creating a homely effect in living rooms. Cooler light might be more appropriate in kitchens and garages.

With a little close attention, you should be able to intuitively decide upon a lighting solution that feels right for a room. And if you are still having trouble, it might be time to get on to the interior designers.