Improving your home’s lighting is a great way to make it more inviting for guests and family. These easy tips will help you make the most of your lighting and save money at the same time. Ideally, every room will have three types of light: ambient lighting for overall illumination, task lighting for activities like reading and cooking, and accent lighting to create ambiance.
Living Room
Nothing can make a room feel drab and unwelcoming as bad lighting. A well-designed furniture arrangement or brightly colored rugs and curtains can feel flat without the proper light.
You can create ambient and task lighting for your living room with a ceiling fan and light kit. Consider adding LED wall sconces for decorative accents for a final lighting layer.
Lighting is one of the most overlooked elements of a home. It can set a mood and transform a room into a cozy, relaxing or inviting entertaining space. Ideally, each room should have three different types of lighting: general illumination for large areas, task lighting for tasks like reading, and decorative accents to enhance ambiance.
Room by Room
Lighting is an important part of a room’s looks and feels, but people often forget it. It can change the atmosphere of a room. It can highlight features, create an atmosphere, and even help you feel more productive or relaxed. Aside from adding color through furniture, rugs, and art, lighting is one of the easiest ways to improve a space. With the right tweaks, you can brighten a room in the best possible way. Layered lighting uses ambient, task, and accent lighting to provide a well-lit, balanced room.
Kitchen
Lighting has a profound impact on the look and feel of your home. It can transform a space from drab to warm and inviting. Fortunately, you can improve your home’s lighting without a major remodel. A good starting point is to install more fixtures. A light fixture with a dimmer switch is helpful, as it allows you to control the amount of light in a room. Layered lighting is a technique that uses numerous types of light sources to achieve a well-lit and balanced room. The layers include ambient, task, and accent lighting. For example, undercabinet LED strips in the kitchen can make food prep easier, while picture lights above a framed painting add drama.
Bedroom
Adding more ambient lighting in your bedroom is one way to brighten it. However, it’s important to consider the size of your space and its color. The color of lighting can significantly affect your mental and physical state. Choosing the right lighting color is important to ensure a positive impact on your well-being. Warm shades such as orange and yellow set happy, lively ambiances, while cool colors like green and blue create balanced, restful atmospheres. Choosing the right type of light bulb is also crucial. Look for bulbs with the best energy efficiency and long life. Another option is recessed lighting with dimmer controls. It’s a great choice for smaller rooms, providing more ambient lighting without occupying floor or closet space.
Bathroom
Lighting is one of a home’s most important design elements, and it can be quite transformative. It can highlight a room’s best features and make it more inviting. It can even affect our moods, which is why it’s so important to get it right. The best lighting updates don’t require extensive electrical work but can breathe new life into a space with minimal effort. For example, swapping out incandescent bulbs for LEDs will modernize a home’s look while reducing energy use and saving money. Also, consider using accent lights to draw attention to decorative elements like artwork or decor tucked into nooks.
Hallway
Lighting is a huge consideration for any home, and hallways are no exception. Whether walking through to the bedroom or simply checking your hair and lippy before leaving the house, the right lights can make all the difference. Hallways can be tricky as they’re often long and narrow, but there are several ways to add lighting without overwhelming the space. Try hanging a series of pendants down a hallway, or go for wall sconces that work well on either side of a mirror.