Tuesday, April 2, 2013

How to Best Light the Rooms in Your Home

Most of us think of wall colors and flooring when we consider remodeling our homes. Yet, the lighting you choose can make or break the mood you wish to display. After all, night-fall does come and exhibiting the right ambiance in your home is essential. The best way to choose lighting for your home is to do it room by room, because each room and hallway displays its own personality. Of course, you will want to accomplish this task with your overall home theme in mind. Consider the following 5 lighting tips.

To properly light a hall way you must know the length and width of the area to ensure there is ample illumination. If you intend to use a chandelier in a hallway make sure the ceiling is at least 7 feet tall, otherwise people will hit their heads on it. If the foyer has a window you can add additional appeal to your home by placing the light so that it can be seen outside the house. If the hallway is unusually large you must strategically place wall sconces at least 60 inches from a door and 6 to 8 feet apart for maximum benefit.

Of course, the dining room is important to set the proper dinner mood, especially when entertaining. Many people install a grand chandelier in the dining area, which sets a profound and elegant temperament. If you go down this route, assuming you have an 8 foot ceiling, you must ensure the fixture is at least 30 inches above the table top and the chandelier should be no more than 12 inches less than the width of the table. You can also add wall and table lamps to the dining area which ensures you have ample lighting, or to change the room’s ambiance on the fly.

Since we all must eat in order to survive, lighting in the kitchen is important, but often overlooked. The best kitchen lighting uses a combination of ambient along with task lighting. Pendant lighting is an excellent source for providing task illuminating, such as over a cutting board or the kitchen island. This is because this type of lighting is lowered to the task being performed. A good light combination is to use a decorative fixture along with several pennants.

Most people prefer to light their bedrooms in a way that promotes a quiet and relaxed mood. However, many people also read in the bedroom, so a good wall or desk lamp is useful. Recessed ceiling lights, and perhaps a wall and floor lamp will provide a quiet setting, and allow for reading or studying at the same time.

No discussion of lighting is complete without mentioning the bathroom. Grooming necessitates that bright task lighting be used, after all, nobody wants to cut themselves shaving because they couldn’t see. Yet, some modern bathrooms act like a retreat off the master bedroom, so some accent lighting works well here. Conventional bathrooms can get by with only task lighting, unless you want to amplify a particular mood or home theme. Arrow lighting has all the lighting your home will ever need.