Lighten The Mood

Good lighting is essential in a home.  It’s more than an overhead fixture or a lamp set next to your favorite chair!  Not only that, it will influence how you feel.  You will feel more comfortable and at ease in a well-lit room.

Effective lighting creates a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home and keeps you safe. In view of this, the quality of light in your environment can influence task performance, comfort, and well-being.

Light also has an emotional impact.  On the whole, a sunny day makes you energetic and a cloudy day makes you feel dull and dreary.  With this in mind, bring your sun inside and brighten your day.

“Even when I’m looking at a piece of furniture like a table, I always think about how I can turn to a light fixture.  Lighting is such an important part of living at home—it really adds depth to your environment and centers the mood.” – Kelly Wearstler

Some Basics

Let’s start with these basics:

General lighting

This is often provided by recessed fixtures and literally bounces off the walls and ceiling to provide background illumination.  We typically calculate the amount of light needed in a room by multiplying the room’s length by the room’s width – in feet. Then, that number is again multiplied by 1.5. We find that this gives us the number of watts required to provide adequate ambient lighting for a room.

Task lighting

This is the light needed for specific duties such as reading, writing, or cooking.  It is usually provided by table lamps, pendant lights, or under-cabinet lights.  A good rule of thumb is to multiply the room’s square footage by 2.5 instead of 1.5 to find the proper wattage.

Accent lighting

This category provides focus and shape. It is decorative and can also be used to gently brighten a dark and dreary space like a hallway.  Wall sconces, up-lights, and spotlights can be a source of accent light.  Place sconces 6 to 8 feet apart and 60 inches above the floor.

Putting it all together

Ideally, you want to have a mix of general, task, and accent lighting in each room. Having only overhead sources can result in a cold, harsh feel to your space.  The nuances of layered lighting add warmth and personality to your home.

Additionally, mood lighting generally comes from flexible sources.  Flexibility can be achieved with dimmer switches that can soften the beam or articulated fixtures that allow you to alter the direction of the beam.  LED lights can many times be adjusted for color temperature offering another level of flexibility.

Let’s add some jewelry

Lighting is the jewelry that gives a room attitude. It can add interest and drama and it can contribute to the ambiance of a space.

Above, a large white and gold leaf petal chandelier brightens the space, along with gold end tables and gold leaf sconces flanking the wine cabinet.  A glass table lamp adds functional lighting and beauty to the room. This room is actually a space in a remodeled basement.

The crown jewel in the room above is the extra-large chrome and white “sputnik” style chandelier.  The client wanted a very clean, white, contemporary feeling so even the LED lights needed to be daylight bulbs instead of soft white.  This beautiful chandelier also shows how lighting can be art.

Don’t be afraid to be bold. Making a statement with this room was key for this client since it’s one of the first things you see from the entry.  This contemporary piece adds beauty and drama to this wonderfully unexpected dining area.

The single best tip to ensure a successful lighting plan is to work with an interior design professional. That way all the decisions you make the first time will be the right decisions for your home and your room.

Contact us to make an appointment to see how you can lighten up.