Lighting is a huge part of every room. It dominates the ambiance and mood, ranging from the stark white, shadowless lighting extreme to dark movie theatre-style rooms where it is difficult to make out any details at all.
While those two examples are extremes, any room can change its feel and theme by changing its lights. If there is a room in your house where the lighting just does not fit, this article is for you!
One nice thing about lighting is that there are so many options. There are a few categories, like lamps, overhead lights, and strip lights, and in each category, there’s almost an endless amount of styles and models to choose from.
Read on for ideas on general and specific lighting upgrades you can make, as well as how important it is to keep your lighting versatile.
When designing a room, there are a few things to always keep in mind. Naturally, there will be exceptions to all of the tips and projects in this article based on your specific situation, but keeping these general rules in mind is a good place to start.
Multiple light sources give you options. Options are awesome. In rooms with a single light, you have two options. The problem is, you may be in a mood where you want something else.
That’s where having multiple lights comes in. Filling a room with, say, an overhead light, a lamp, and some string lights on the wall gives the room a much nicer look than if there was only one light. Having multiple lights in your rooms lets you turn different combinations on for every and every situation.
Many light sources are easy to add to a room. Grabbing a lamp or string of lights is a great way to upgrade the lighting in your home.
Natural light is the king of lighting a room. It is warm and pleasant and brings a room to life. Rooms with windows have an automatic light source. Keeping your windows clean is an easy way to make sure your natural lighting is at its best.
That being said, windows do come with their difficulties. Having the sun shine right in your eyes through the window, or make a huge glare on your television or computer is rather annoying. Keep in mind how your natural light affects the room, and make sure you have nice shades if glares are common!
There are a lot of additions out there when it comes to lighting. This article will focus on how dimmers, sensors, and timers can upgrade the lighting in your home.
The addition of one of these into your room gives you more options when it comes to the mood and ambiance you are going for.
Dimmers are the bread and butter of adding versatility to your room’s lighting. Especially with LED’s, having them on full bright can wash out the color of your room, dominating any other light source you have.
Adding a dimmer lets you dial it way down, giving the room just the right amount of light for the occasion.
On top of that, dimming your lights saves electricity. Keeping lights around 75 percent also often drastically increases the look of your room, softening the lights from your bulbs.
Timers are a newer addition to the lighting game and they are amazing. Hooking up a timer to a light switch lets you program times for it to turn on and off during the day. For example, you may get up for work before the sun rises and then stumble your way to the far side of the kitchen to turn on the lights. Adding a timer, you could set the light to turn on right before you wake up and turn off right after your leave.
Timers don’t change the way rooms look, per se, but the ability to automate some of your homes’ lighting can be pretty cool.
Motion sensors are another fine addition to your home. These gadgets are perfect in the rooms where you always forget to turn off the light. Closets, bathrooms, and your garage can all benefit from a motion sensor. Just be wary of putting one in your office, or kitchen, or you may have to wave your arms in the middle of a call or during a meal to turn the light back on.
For the big-ticket rooms in your house — the living room, kitchen, and bedroom, here are some tips for figuring out how to upgrade the lighting in those rooms!
Your living room is one for all occasions. You may be eating, relaxing on the couch, or hanging out with a few friends after work. When planning out your living room’s lighting, think of what it is most often used for.
Adding a larger, decorative lamp can be a great move for adding light to your room. It can add a softer light to the room during the evening, and with all the lamps out there you can find one that fits perfectly with your room’s style.
Take a look at what your room looks like after the sun goes down. When there’s no natural light, see how the room looks when lit by your lights. If there are areas that seem dimmer than you want, consider adding a small lamp nearby to liven it up a little.
Having the right lighting in your kitchen is key when cooking, cleaning, and eating. Adding lights under your cabinets can work wonders to make sure your counters are always getting good light when you are cooking.
If you have an island, pendant lamps are a great option. There is usually a lot of space above your island, making it perfect for these lamps to illuminate the whole kitchen.
Also, your kitchen is beautiful! Make sure the light illuminates all of your shelves and cabinets, bringing out their color and style.
Your bedroom should be a place to greet the day in the morning and relax in the evening. It is important to have the right lights for those occasions! Burning a candle, while not providing the most light, is a great way to foster a relaxing ambiance.
A bedside lamp is a must! It is perfect for any reading you do before bed and makes sure you never have to stumble through a pitch-black room after turning the light switch off.
Changing the lights around in your home is a fun and exciting project, and you’ll see the results immediately. It is amazing how much the addition of a few well-placed lights, dimmers, and motion sensors can change your home. But when it comes to installing dimmers or any complicated lights, give the pros at Honest Renovators a call. Working with electricity is dangerous, but we know how to handle it!
