Light Your Home in Style and Comfort

Lighting the rooms in your home based on each particular design and use is a very important consideration in creating special ambiance in each room. There's no better way to add drama, style, and atmosphere.

The right lighting can create a light, open feeling in a smaller room and add a more intimate feeling in a larger area. You can create a soft, relaxing mood or an exciting atmosphere for entertaining friends and family.

Develop a Lighting Plan

Just as you consider furnishings, flooring and other important elements of your home remodeling or building, don't forget to place a high priority on developing a lighting plan.

The basic starting point is to think about the important elements you want to accentuate in each room, who will use the room most often, and what activities will likely occur there.

Many rooms will, of course, serve multiple purposes and will require more than one type of lighting for optimal illumination.

Consider Room Color

Choose lighting that will reflect and bring more light to a light colored room. In a darker colored room, your light can be absorbed which will make your room feel even darker. So it's important to choose lighting that will enhance your spaces.

A fresh coat of paint and well-placed lighting can do wonders to change the overall feel of any room. A new room color can bring new light into a room. You can either complement your lighting fixtures or provide a new opportunity to update fixtures and lighting accessories for your room.

Three Major Lighting Categories:

The best lighting plans will blend all three kinds of lighting using appropriate types for functionality as well as complementing your individual style and taste.

Accent Lighting

Using accent lighting such as track lighting, recessed lighting, or wall mounted sconces creates interest and adds a dramatic effect in your rooms. Spotlight paintings, sculptures, or collections. For the best effect, accent lighting requires at least three times as much light to be effective as the general lighting of the room.

Task Lighting

Task lighting provides specific lighting for activities - reading, writing, arts and crafts, homework, and playing games. Task lighting can include recessed lighting, track lighting, pendant lighting or lamps. The object of task lighting is to cut down on eyestrain by avoiding shadows and glares.

General or Ambient Lighting

The optimal general lighting will provide a nice comfort level of lighting in your rooms. Methods of general lighting include ceiling mounted fixtures, wall mounted fixtures, recessed or track lighting, and chandeliers.

Choosing the right level of lighting can have a dramatic effect on the comfort level in your room.

Lighting Controls

One of the greatest options for today's lighting is a number of different types of controls that provide flexibility for lighting levels within each room of your home.

With just the touch of a button you can do a number of great things for your room:

Change the whole mood of a room

Lower the light level to conserve energy and release less heat when the weather is warm

Change the brightness level to suit the activities of the moment

Choosing to incorporate lighting controls in each room is a very wise decision in today's homes.

Making wise lighting choices in the planning stages of your building or remodeling project can save energy and money in the future. It can also provide a much higher level of comfort and efficiency you will be proud of when your project is complete.