How To Choose Lighting Fixtures For Your Home

Good lighting is a very crucial part of every space. It be a home, office or any other building- bad lighting can have a severe influence on the inhabitants of the space. Bad lighting can cause mental stress, deterioration in vision and make the whole environment less appealing and largely unproductive.

Before we get into how to light your home, one must understand that there are basic three types of lighting- accent, ambient and task lighting. Accent lighting is used to light up an entire space. Tube lights, large CFLs etc serve this purpose. They provide uniform and pleasant lighting throughout. Every room should have at least one source of accent light. Ambient lighting is used to focus on a certain space. It is used to create a more dramatic effect and to highlight a certain point in the decor. You could use a focus light to focus on a painting or a sculpture, and this can be achieved by using wall mounted lights, track lights etc. Task lighting is used to enhance spaces that are devoted to certain activities. Spaces like study areas, kitchens, dressing areas etc must have lights dedicated to the task at hand. The light should neither be too strong, nor too dull. It should be pleasant and must encourage productivity. Task lights are ideally white lights as yellow lights create a more relaxing environment.

Keeping these three types in mind, each space in a home needs different types of lighting. A combination of the different types of lights can be used to achieve a harmonious and well lit space. Different lighting fixtures like chandeliers, wall mounted lights, pendant or drop lights, floor or ceiling mounted lights are different types of fixtures that one can use to light up a space.

Different parts of the home need different lighting types and fixtures; some of them are listed below:

Living Room:

Living room and foyer are the gateway to your lifestyle. Pick a chandelier that is proportionate to the size of the room and compliments your home’s decor. How to choose lighting for living room largely depends on the size and the decor of the space. Use a combination of accent and ambient lighting to create a pleasant ambiance. If you are hanging artwork, or have items that you wish to showcase, use sober focus lights to highlight the same. However, keep it in mind to not use too many lighting fixtures as they can make the space look gaudy and unpleasant.

You can use floor mounted lights as an optional means of lighting to create a relaxed and welcoming ambience. Opt for a dimmer to control the brightness of the lights to achieve different effects.

Dining Room:

The dining table is the focus in this room, you can use different types of accent lights to light up this space. It could be a simple chandelier or a set of drop lights to make the space appealing. If you have artwork or crockery that you wish to display, use subtle wall mounted focus lights to highlight the same.

Bedrooms:

Bedrooms need a combination of accent and task lighting. Dressing area requires task lighting, hence it is very important to have lights focusing on this area. Apart from this adjustable accent lighting is also essential to uniformly light up the space. If you have a study area in the room, task lighting is mandatory for the same too.

Floor mounted lights and bedside lamps have been an essential part of every bedroom. They help create a warm and romantic ambience and provide enough light without creating a harsh impact. Many new homes are seeing drop lights replacing floor mounted lights too, as they do not take up floor space and are easier to maintain and are child-friendly too.

Bathrooms:

Use simple light fixtures to completely illuminate this space. Apart from this, wall mounted focus lights can be used above mirrors to make the day to day tasks like shaving etc simpler. Make sure to position the lights in such a way that they do not cause harsh reflections and shadows in the room.

Kitchen:

The kitchen is one of the most important parts of the home. Choosing the right lighting is very important for this space. Use one source of accent lighting to completely light up the central space. Apart from this, install small focus lights like LEDs at various points as task lights. Chores like cutting, cooking, washing etc need extra lighting for efficiency. Have multiple control points so that you can only switch on those that are needed at any given point.

Apart from this, deep cabinets, pantry etc needs sufficient lighting too. Focal lights can be used for the bar area too, as they act as both ambient and task lights if the space is small.

Other parts of the Home

Other parts like balconies, staircases etc need sufficient ambient lighting to light up the space. Use simple ceiling mounted or drop lights to ensure that these spaces are well lit to avoid any accidents.

These are some simple tips on how to coordinate lighting fixtures to achieve pleasant and productive style of lighting for your home. Use a combination of chandeliers, floor mounted, ceiling mounted and wall mounted lights at different points to achieve a balance in the lighting style of your home. It will not only help you create a welcoming environment but will help you control the use of the same, further leading you to control the amount of electricity used. It is advisable to used CFLs and LEDs as they are more eco friendly and use less electricity.