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Your home is your sanctuary.
After a long day’s work, you just want to put your feet up and spend time alone or with family. Your home is a place that should renew your spirits and rejuvenate you when your energy has been zapped from doing things outside.
The setting in your abode must then be perfect. It should give you a sense of calm, security and joy. There are many factors that contribute to this ideal environment, and one of these is proper home lighting.
See the light
Light, whether natural or artificial, has many benefits. Sunshine has restorative powers for the mind and body, over and beyond giving people a healthy dose of Vitamin D. Lighting fixtures beautify and add radiance to a home. It can also be a helping hand in providing security to your property.
It is only natural that you would want to maximize these advantages. Here are some tips to shed more light on how you can do so:
1. A sunny disposition
Architects and designers will most likely recommend that you incorporate lots of natural light in through windows, glass doors, skylights, or even sunrooms. This is because aside from aesthetics, it also has several other advantages.
Letting the sunshine in creates the illusion of space by making it appear larger. It also keeps mold and mildew growth at bay, keeping you and your family healthy.
When speaking of health benefits, regulated sunshine exposure has been found to lower the risk of depression among adults and children alike. Since it has also been found to help people become healthier, happier, calmer and more productive, sunshine has been used to regulate some conditions like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
2. Mirror, mirror
You might not use it to look into the future, but mirrors play a good role in enhancing your home’s interior lighting. Aside from checking if you still look good, mirrors also have functional and decorative purposes.
Hanging a mirror to reflect natural light in the sunroom, for instance, can make the room look brighter. You can also place a huge mirror at the end of a hallway, thereby creating an illusion of a wider, more spacious area.
Strategic placements of mirrors in the house can also be used to view another room. This is just like how they did it in the past, when smartly placed mirrors are used as a spyglass of sorts to check who’s at the front door.
3. Kaleidoscope
It is a common misconception to bathe your rooms in bright lights all throughout. Expert light consultants suggest utilizing multiple sources of lights in a room. You need to consider the various uses of an area so you can decide what types of lighting fixtures to fit.
Proper selection of light sources and knowing how to diffuse them can contribute to a well-lit room. Opt to layer and blend your light to improve the look and functionality of a home space.
As a basic guide, you can follow these recommendations:
- Ambient lighting: For general illumination (e.g. chandeliers or recessed canister lights)
- Task lighting: Designed for specific task at hand (e.g. LED strips for kitchen under-cabinets for easier food preparation or a lighted makeup mirror)
- Accent lighting: Focuses light on a specific area in a room to create drama or attract attention (e.g. sconces, track lights, flood lights, or LED downlights that may be used to highlight art and other artifacts or light a stairwell or hallway)
Fifty shades
Dimmers are a non-negotiable option, according to home lighting experts. Aside from helping with energy consumption, they are necessary to adjust the brightness of the light fixtures in a room.
Multi-purpose rooms benefit greatly with the use of lighting dimmers as it allows you to set the mood for a specific activity. You can turn it up when you’re sewing, for example. Then you can turn it down for a more subdued feel when you’re entertaining guests for dinner.
A light bulb moment
Not all bulbs are created equal. Understanding the different types of bulbs and their wattage will considerably help you decide where to use them.
Consider the function of the room and choose the corresponding lighting fixture. Is it your home office? A bathroom? Designers nowadays shun fluorescent lights, saying that they can lead to off colors and can cause fatigued eyes. Instead, they suggest using dimmable LED light bulbs or the like.
You can take note of the following color temperatures and lumens:
- 2700K and 3000K are warm white (yellow); 2700K is warmer (more yellow)
- 4000K – Tinge of yellow
- 5000K – Pure white
- 6000K – Tinge of blue
Note that:
- For general use at home, 3000K (warm white) is recommended while 4000K or 5000K are recommended for bathrooms and laundry rooms.
- If you’re looking for brightness, bulbs with around 600 lumens can give off light comparable to that of a 60-watt incandescent lamp.
Out of the dark
With a plethora of options in the market, choosing the appropriate light for your home is not a problem. Proper consultation with your interior designer or a home lighting advisor can do wonders for home illumination.
Impeccable lighting choices can literally light up your life, making your home the ultimate dwelling for rest and relaxation. It is time to step out of the shadows and embrace the positive vibes that good interior lighting can bring.
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