One of the most important decisions you can make when interior decorating is the lighting. Lighting needs to be tailored to each room.
Lighting helps set the mood of your room. It can make the same space feel cozy or expansive and highlight certain interior details that you want to display. Lighting is also important for practical reasons: you want to have adequate light to move around and go about your activities.
Keeping all of these concerns in mind can be difficult, so here is a quick guide to how you can find the best lighting solution for every room of your house.
Keep the Size of the Room in Mind
One of the first things that you need to think about when choosing lighting for each room is its size. A big room will need more light fixtures to be illuminated, while a small room will only need a few lights to glow.
Besides the square footage of the room, another important dimension to keep in mind is the height of the ceiling. For low ceilings, a flush mount ceiling light or other recessed lighting fixture is the best choice. Big, dangling lighting fixtures will make the room feel even smaller—and pose a hazard to tall people.
Besides practical concerns, the size of your room should factor into your choice of lighting because of the ambient that you create. For small rooms, the right lighting choice can mean the difference between making the space feel cozy or cramped. Use soft lighting and creative light options such as lamps and sconces to bring light to every corner.
For big rooms, be careful not to use lights that are too bright or cold because then you risk the room looking like a warehouse space. Use different light fixtures to illuminate different sections of the room so there are no shadowy corners, and opt for warmer bulbs.
Work With the Natural Light That You Have On Hand
When you’re deciding on the lighting arrangement for your room, keep in mind that there is one source of light that you can’t control—the sun.
The natural light you receive will depend on the situation of your living space. Different rooms of your house will receive sunlight at different times of day. If you live in a high-rise building, you may only get natural light on one side of your apartment or struggle to get natural light.
Once you analyze your natural lighting situation, you are better prepared to find the perfect lighting solution. Work with the natural light that you have, instead of against it. A room that receives plenty of natural light won’t need very bright light fixtures. You can opt for lamps and sconces to strategically enhance the natural light in dim corners and small overhead fixtures.
If you have a room that doesn’t receive a lot of natural lighting, you will need to have brighter lighting fixtures to compensate for the lack of sunlight. On the other hand, you may want to embrace the cozy feeling. If your bedroom is not very bright, moody lighting solutions such as lamps and sconces can make it feel like a restful cave where you hide away from the world.
Keep the Functionality of the Room in Mind
Depending on the room that you are working with, you may need different lighting solutions. In some cases, you need plenty of light for practical reasons.
The kitchen is one area of the house where you cannot have dim lights, no matter how much you like the mood. It needs to be well-illuminated so that you can see what you are doing while you cook and wash up. Otherwise, you may chop a finger off while cutting vegetables!
Besides bright overhead lighting, there are a few additional solutions you can incorporate into your kitchen lighting. Range lights that go right over the stove can give you additional light while cooking, especially since stoves tend to be shadowed by range elements. Pendant lighting or work lighting right over kitchen islands or counters where you usually prepare food is also helpful.
The bathroom is another area of the house where you usually want brighter lighting for tasks such as brushing your teeth, shaving, and applying makeup. Besides overhead lighting, think about sconces or track lighting alongside bathroom cabinets and mirrors.
Use Different Lighting Sources for Different Tasks
Using multiple lighting sources in one room allows you to combine practicality with the mood you want to set. It also allows you to transition the room from one activity to another. A living room can be the place where you work on important projects and later a cozy space where you entertain friends.
Start with overhead lighting or ambient lighting. This dictates the overall appearance and mood of the room. Bright lights are great for practical settings, while dimmer ambient lighting is better for rooms that are used for entertaining.
Then, add accent or mood lighting. These are smaller fixtures that emphasize certain features within your room. For example, a living room that doubles as a place where you entertain guests can have a few lamps around the couch that you turn on for parties.
If there are areas of the room where you need extra light, add task lighting. These are smaller fixtures that illuminate one piece of furniture or one corner to make it easier to work. Put a lamp on a work desk or pendant lighting along a cabinet or bar, wherever you need extra light for practical reasons.
Making Every Room in Your House Feel Perfect
Lighting is one of the most important choices that you can make when designing your home. Good lighting is the difference between a practical kitchen and an unusable dark corner, and the difference between a cozy bedroom and a place that doesn’t feel restful.
For that reason, your lighting solutions cannot be the same throughout your home. You have to take the design of the room, purpose, and natural light in mind when coming up with lighting solutions.
The most important thing to remember is that every room will have different lighting combinations that allow it to shine. If you’re not sure what to do, talk with the professionals for advice.Â
