Have you ever entered a place and were instantly seduced by its atmosphere, without knowing why? The lighting was probably the reason.
When the lighting is flawlessly executed, you will not notice it as such, but you will appreciate the ambiance that the room provides.
A well-lit home must have a variety of lighting sources of varying intensity. Here are 5 tips for lighting your rooms with accuracy.
1. Consider the use of the room
Before buying your chandeliers, wall sconces, and suspensions, first, consider the use you will make of each piece.
For example, a chandelier with a dimmer is favorable in the dining room while in the kitchen, suspensions above the worktop and recessed around the room help in the preparation of meals.
In the room, table lamps or wall sconces on each side of the bed are to be considered for reading, and a suspension is suitable for the general lighting of the room.
In the bathroom, a combination of recessed and wall sconces on both sides of the mirror make the morning and evening ritual more enjoyable.
2. Locate your dimmers strategically
The dimmers, commonly called dimmer, offer great versatility on the illumination intensity. They allow adapting the room to all the occasions, activities, and hours of the day.
Multifunctional rooms such as the family room, the living room, and the dining room are those where it is necessary to prioritize the installation of a dimmer.
The dimmers will, however, also be practical in the rooms and the bathroom to sift the lighting at night.
3. Know your bulbs
Different bulbs are used for different purposes:
- Fluorescent tubes: It is advisable to avoid them in a residential context since their very bright light can tire the eyes. That said, they can find their place at home if they are installed with dimmer.
- Incandescent bulbs: They are bound to disappear because their energy efficiency has been largely surpassed by LED, halogen, and compact fluorescent bulbs.
- LED bulbs: They are growing fast, given that they have an unmatched lifespan, multiple aspects (like LED ribbons to stick under cabinets), and lighting that does not heat up. However, their price is still high, and their light beam is sometimes considered too white or almost bluish.
- Compact fluorescent bulbs: These are miniaturized fluorescent tubes, folded in two, in three, in four or rolled up, and which have a regular bulb base. They are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, but they also have several drawbacks: the increase in light is often slow after power on, and they pollute the environment in case of uncontrolled discharge or in case breakage, because of the mercury they contain.
- Halogen bulbs: As the incandescents, they are destined to extinction, being quietly replaced by other options less energy and especially more economical. By cons, several types of recessed still use them exclusively. You will have to find some to replace them.
4. Think about localized lighting
The popular belief is that a room is usually lit with recessed or track lighting. It is a mistake.
A well-lit room must have areas with localized lighting to create separate areas or to highlight certain points of interest in the room: a canvas on the wall, the living room fireplace, the kitchen work surface, the reading corner of the living room, etc.
5. Finalize with accent lighting
Accent lighting enhances an object or architectural detail of the room, isolating it throughout the space.
For objects laid flat, such as works of art, it is recommended to use projectors of unidirectional type (directed beam).
In return, relief objects can not be satisfied with unidirectional lighting; instead opt for multidirectional lights, which will cut the object into space.
Table lamps and floor lamps also have the effect of highlighting a small area of the room. They manage to create an intimate space dedicated to a single activity set back from the rest of the room.
