5 Things to Consider When Picking Out Your Lighting

“God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light”

Genesis 1:3

Focal Point

The focal point is significant in any design, including lighting. Interesting lighting fixtures can give a room a unique signature look. But you can’t just have one lighting source for every room, it’s important to spread out your wattage. Use the chandelier or ceiling fan as the focal point of your lighting in a room. Choose something that has personality and will make the design pop. Go bold and edgy even if the design is soft and elegant. Then, use the smaller lighting fixtures to draw attention to other elements placed throughout the room. I do this all the time!

Proportion/Scale

Ever heard of the Rule of Threes or Rule of Fours? Well, you’re about too! It’s my go-to answer whenever I get asked about how high or low you should be hanging your lights. Personally, I always want the room to appear taller and larger to the eye, so I prefer higher hanging lights. I divide the height of the room in 4, then hang the lights in the top quarter of the room. Now, you may be wondering if that rule applies to rooms like kitchens. It doesn’t! Kitchens are different if you’re working with an island and want to use hanging pendants rather than a single chandelier. This is where I’ll use the Rule of Three’s, I’ll take the height of the room, divide it by 3, then place 3 pendants in the top third of the room.

Layering

Every room in the house needs lighting, and the function should always come before anything else. So, it’s important to know each kind of lighting so you can determine how and where you want to use it. First, there’s ambient lighting. This includes indirect, natural, pendants, and overhead fixtures. Then, there’s Task Lighting. This includes spotlight, reading, and under-counter lights. Next comes Accent Lighting, which includes track and adjustable lights. And finally, Decorative Lighting, which includes chandeliers and table lamps!  

Although you can’t add light fixtures to every form of lighting, it’s important to take advantage when you can. Take a ceiling fan for example. Adding a simple light fixture to it can really make a difference. Maybe throw in some can/recessed lighting too! At the end of the day, lighting is key to the feeling of the room. A lot of light is refreshing and uplifting, and it’s always better to be overprepared than underprepared. You can always turn lights off, you never want to find yourself wishing you could brighten up a room but not having enough lights. This leads me to my next point…

Dimmers

Dimmers can instantly change the atmosphere of a room by balancing between artificial light and natural light. Not to mention, they can help you save a ton on your electricity. So, I definitely recommend adding dimmers to every room of the house or wherever you see fit!

Time to GET SMART

Since we’re on the topic of saving money, Smart Lighting is definitely paving the way on this front. Nowadays, you can be in complete control of your house’s lighting from anywhere in the world. With the help of your handy mobile device you can determine when the lights in your home turn on and off. This is a big help for those of you that travel a lot or just want to keep tabs on how much energy you’re using!

Thanks for reading! Come back next Sunday to read my next blog post! 

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