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Lighting is a key element in interior design, but it often gets overlooked by homeowners. This makes sense to us, because it’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when picturing your dream aesthetic for your home! That said, while lighting can be an afterthought compared to tangible design elements like furniture or accessories, it has the potential to make or break the feel of your home.
There are a few different ways good lighting makes a difference in the home. For starters, it can amp up the atmosphere. Think about it: while overhead fluorescent lighting at the office is great for productivity, it wouldn’t be very relaxing in a home environment. The right lighting is going to make all the difference when it comes to things like your home’s coziness factor, or contributing to the good vibes when you’re throwing a party.
Along those same lines, if your lighting is set up thoughtfully, you can change up your lighting to create different moods. Using dimmers or lights you can turn on in combination with one another, you’ll be able to accommodate the varying rhythms of your days!
Lighting also increases the functionality of your home. Can you imagine creating an awesome home library that lacks adequate light to read or find the book you’re looking for? Or designing an incredible kitchen for cooking 5-star quality meals, and then not being able to see what you’re doing? (That one also sounds dangerous.) With the right lighting, the awesome features of your home can truly *shine* the way they’re supposed to.
If you didn’t already know, there are three different categories of lighting: ambient, task, and accent. Here’s a quick flyover of what they do!
Ambient lighting is the main source of lighting in a room. Generally, it accounts for the main bulk of a room’s illumination. Accent lighting creates an even distribution of light through ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, and recessed lights. Task lighting, as its name suggests, is designed for tasks like reading, cooking, or working. Some examples include desk lamps, under-cabinet lighting, and vanity lights. And then, last but not least, accent lighting is used to highlight architectural features, artwork, or specific areas of a room. This can be accomplished through wall sconces, track lighting, spotlights, and more.
Each of these three types can be thoughtfully combined to create a balanced and layered lighting plan for your home.
As you’re considering lighting in your home, here are 5 things we recommend keeping in mind!
Maximize natural light. Natural light is your best friend. Not only does it provide beautiful, even light to a space, there are also many health benefits to experiencing natural light on the daily. Some ways to incorporate natural light in your home include using minimal window treatments, mirrors, and light-colored paint or wallpaper.
Create room-specific lighting plans. Each room in a house is going to be different in both look and purpose. You’ll want to consider both the aesthetic you’re going for and the purpose of each room, and then balance ambient, task, and accent lighting accordingly.
Use dimmers and smart lighting. We highly recommend incorporating these two kinds of lighting. Not only can you customize the intensity of lighting, allowing for a different vibe depending on your mood, your home can be more environmentally conscious. By setting lights to a timer or being able to control lights from devices while away from home, you can save valuable energy.
Experiment with light fixtures. This is where things get especially fun. By mixing and matching different decorative styles in your light fixtures, you can create an aesthetic that is completely unique to you and your home. You’ll just want to make sure they aren’t “too” mixed and matched: even if you’re combining styles, those styles should still be complementary to one another. Here’s where you can really show your home’s personality through lighting!
Illuminate outdoor spaces. It’s easy to forget about outdoor lighting, but this is an important one. Not only can lighting your outdoor spaces enhance curb appeal, you’ll make it safer for your family and your guests. To light up the night, use path lights, spotlights, and wall mounted fixtures.
We’d love to chat. Avec Interiors provides a range of options, delivering customized designs tailored to suit your needs.
Whether you’re looking to transform a single room or your entire home, Avec carefully plans, researches, and streamlines the vast array of interior choices.
Click here to book a free consultation today + be sure to tell us you’re interested in a cozy interior design feel – we’ll tailor the call just to you!
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