Can lights, track lights, dome lights, chandeliers, the list of types of Lighting for your home goes on and on. As you start thinking about the light in your home and the feeling you want to emit with your light fixtures, keep in mind all of the different ways your lighting will be used, and all of your family’s needs when it applies to lighting in the home. We can talk on and on about the types of light, but one thing to remember when getting started is that there are levels of lighting for your home. Think of it like painting on a canvas. You paint the base color to give the sky a beautiful bright color. But as the piece comes together, you add details, highlights, and contrast to make the image come to life. The same applies to your home.
Layer one: Ambient Light
Ambient light is your base layer. This is typically light from the ceiling that creates a soft, welcoming light perfect for living rooms and bedrooms. Ambient light will likely be in most, if not every, room of your home. Recessed lighting and track lighting are often good options for creating ambient light that blankets the room. Be sure to consider using more ambient light in the places in your home that do not get natural light and will not have any other type of lighting, think hallways, closets, stairways, etc.
Layer Two: Task Lighting
Kind of like trying to read small print without glasses, insufficient lighting in the areas of your home where you perform tasks can make performing those tasks much more difficult. Task lighting is great for places like the kitchen, laundry room or above the workbench in the garage. When you need additional light for tasks around the house, consider adding hanging lights, under cabinets, luminaries, swing arm lamps, and strategically placed recess lights.
Layer Three: Feature Lighting
The third layer of lighting in your home are the fixtures that elevate the lighting. Feature lighting acts as the accents and highlights in a piece of artwork, it adds depth and interest in the piece of art. Your home lighting is the same way. Add feature lighting above works of art like paintings, sculptures, or family photos. Spotlights or track lights are great for adding interest throughout the home.
Additional Features
While these three levels light up the home and add great visual interest and depth, there are other features you can add to make the lighting in your home supremely functional. Imagine getting up in the middle of the night and wandering to the bathroom or kitchen. Your hand taps across the wall looking for the light switch and when you hit it, you’re met with a blindingly bright light that takes a few seconds to adjust to. Instead of going through all of that, consider adding a small light on your light switch that guides you to the switch. And instead of one bright, blinding light, add an adjustable switch to bring the lights up gradually.
Another popular feature in lighting is automatic lighting. A few common places for auto on/off lighting is the pantry, in closets, and the laundry room. Each of these are typically in the interior of the home, which makes it even more difficult to get sufficient lighting. Coming in and out of the garage typically happens with arms full of groceries, so automatic lighting would be perfect for getting in and out easier. The same can be said of the laundry room, and you don’t have to go back in to turn off the light when you’re finished.
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