Great lighting happens to plan
All too often, homeowners overlook the importance of lighting when renovating or designing a new space. Yet lighting plays a central role in interior design as well as the functionality of your home. When lighting is done well, it can transform a space, highlighting architectural features and artwork, illuminating workspaces, providing essential task lighting and creating a wide range of moods, ranging from high energy to peaceful.
We are dependent on lighting for a variety of our basic needs and wants, which is why it’s paramount to take the time to develop an integrated lighting plan that will enhance the beauty, functionality, safety and energy efficiency of your living areas.
The first step is to mark up your floor plan to show fixed elements – doorways, windows, fireplaces, built-in cabinetry – as well as the placement of large pieces of furniture. If there are existing sockets, outlets and circuits in place, note them on the plan.
Think about each area of your home and how you utilize the space. You’ll then be better positioned to know where to place your most integral light sources – whether that’s overhead fixtures, accent lights, ambient lighting or a combination of all three. From there you can choose the light fixtures that are best suited to each individual space, in terms of type of both the light as well as design and bulb choice.
A lighting professional can play an invaluable role in helping you navigate this complicated process. They have the experience to know the best lighting choices for a particular space and can suggest fixtures that work with your home’s design aesthetic, advise you on the pros and cons of integrated LED fixtures, suggest areas to use a focused bean or a broad wash of light, and help you choose optimal illumination results for a given space.
Lighting designers also have an understanding of the impact of layering light. They’ll assess the natural light coming into a room during different times of the day and then build on the natural flow of light to create areas of light and shade, highlight or soften room elements, and add warmth or brightness as needed.
Technology has opened up a world of possibilities for smart home lighting systems. Your lighting professional can help create sophisticated lighting scenarios – for morning, evening, dining and more – that illuminate specific areas with programmed light intensities that can be activated using your phone, tablet or a simple voice command.
If you’re building a new house or carrying out a major renovation, consider hiring a lighting professional early on so they can get involved in the process from the very beginning. This will ensure your lighting is successfully and thoughtfully integrated with the architecture, functionality, and overall feel of your home. Your professional designer will advise on everything from the use of soffit, valance and cove lighting to dramatically illuminate spaces with a concealed light source to the style and placement of switches and outlets within a room. Defining your home through lighting doesn’t have to be a cumbersome or intimidating process when the right design build team is by your side.
Featured Partners
Aloha Light & Design (Hawaii)
Bonura Custom Homes (Naples, FL)
Elume Distinctive Lighting (Park City, UT)
Hammerton Lighting (National Partner)
Judith Norman (Palm Beach, FL)
Norburn Lighting & Bath (Vancouver | Whistler, BC)
Premier Lighting (Scottsdale, AZ)
Robinson Lighting (Okanagan, BC)
Source Lighting (Whitefish, MT)
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