Lighting is often an underestimated and overlooked part of a decoration or refurbishment project, but updating your lighting in your home can significantly change the appearance of your home.
Here are a few tips on how to plan the perfect lighting for your home.
Wiring
Wiring must be carried out properly and legally within your home, and if you are having a major refurbishment of lighting it is advisable to get your wiring checked to ensure additional lights can be accommodated with your present electrical and wiring system.
Switches and Sockets
Consider where existing sockets and switches are. In older and period properties existing switches and sockets may not be adequate because of the increased importance of lighting and choice in light fittings available for the modern home today. If you need to add more switches and sockets in your home, call in an electrician who can advise you after you have decided what lighting you are going to install in your home.
There are also many modern light switches and dimmer switches that are available on the market to suit your home and that you can easily swap out with old switches to give your home an instant update.
Planning Your Lighting
Every light fitting should have a purpose in your home, whether it is functional and practical or to enhance a space in a room. The design and architecture of your home will also have an impact on the light fittings you can have and use. For instance if your home has high ceilings, this type of architecture will enable you to have a large, bold candelabra light fitting and larger lights as a whole because you have the space and height. In narrow and darker areas or alcoves, you will need lights that do not hang and are fitted and inset to brighten up narrow spaces adequately.
Look around your home during the day and evening and identify where lights will help to accentuate or brighten up a room, corner or passageway. Accent lighting is the type of lighting to do this and is used to enhance a particular area in a room or a feature such as a fireplace, display or painting. If you have an open-plan space, accent lighting is also ideal to create different lighted zones within one space. So for instance, you can create a bright dining area with halogen lighting and softer lighting for the lounge and seating area with lamps.
For offices and practical places where you need functional and targeted light, task lighting is used to create brighter light. Task lighting helps to give more light above and beyond your ordinary lighting that you already have. Desk lamps, reading lights, additional dressing table lighting in your bedroom and additional lighting in the bathroom around the mirror can all be fitted to give a brighter and functional light source.
Decorative lighting is additional lighting used primarily as decoration in the home. Decorative lighting can be all types of lights including lamps, light fittings and dining pendant lights that hang low over a dining table. You can use decorative lighting really cleverly and add an elegance and designer feel to your home in any room. Mix and match lamp bases and lamp shades for an eclectic and unusual look. Floor lamps are a great way to incorporate decorative lighting and these can be placed anywhere in a room.
Decorative lighting can also be inbuilt into your home’s structure to create special areas of lighting. LED lights in staircases and floors are becoming increasingly popular. Additional spot lights built into kitchen cabinets also add elegance and interest to a kitchen.
Consider the Type of Bulb
There are many types of light bulbs available on the market now that will create different moods of light in your home.
LED lighting is energy efficient and some LED lights can emit over 100 lumens per watt and with 80% of electricity used in light rather than heat. However LED lighting does not shine light in all directions and is more a directional light. Halogen lights are used in recessed lighting and have become very popular because of their bright, radiant and warm light. However they are not as energy efficient as LED light bulbs and give off a lot of heat. To save money and be more energy-efficient you can use energy saving halogen bulbs that are now available.
Fluorescent lighting is also seeing a comeback. Fluorescent lighting has been dramatically improved over the years and compact fluorescent lamp lighting is easy to buy in a choice of modern designs. Fluorescent lights provide a high quality light as well as being extremely energy efficient.