Austin is truly blessed with spectacular weather. With almost year-round, constant sunshine, this lovely city appreciates all the light it can get. Homeowners are constantly looking for ways to increase natural light while maintaining curb appeal and functionality.
Artificial lighting is a key element in creating a safe and beautiful home. Through various lighting methods, you can recreate a sunrise, the noonday sun, or the sultry colors of dusk. You can evoke romantic emotions or illuminate any task at hand.
Homeowners today want layered, decorative lighting that suggests luxury and comfort. Add a few smart plugs, and you’ll also save energy (and you’ll never get up in the dark again). Here’s how to accomplish great lighting design…
Step 1: Install great ambient lighting
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Ambient lighting provides general overall lighting for a room. It often takes over when the natural lighting is not enough. Ambient lighting can be achieved in a number of ways: torchiere lamps, ceiling fixtures, fluorescent lighting, uplighting above cabinetry, etc. It is the most prevalent form of lighting or the one that generally lights a space.
Step 2: Be smart about task lighting
Task lighting is lighting that illuminates targeted areas for specific tasks. It also can be called a form of safety lighting, especially in rooms like the kitchen and bath. Task lighting could include options such as under cabinet lighting in the kitchen for meal preparation or reading lamps beside the bed. Install task lighting to make your life easier, like in walk-in closets, along the stairs, etc.
Step 3: Fill your home with layers of accent lights
Accent lighting is used to highlight a focal point in a room, such as a work of art or architectural detail. It is used to focus the eye and add visual interest. It is often the most overlooked type of lighting in the home. Sometimes the light itself is the focus, in the case of chandeliers, Edison fixtures, etc. Accent lights soften a room, add texture, and make a space look much less stark and hospital-like.
Step 4: Make your lighting smarter
In the past decade, there have been technological advances that allow you to program multiple lighting settings on the main computer. When you need lights, you simply choose the program you want and push a single button. You can program a room or an entire house for various activities, such as a romantic evening, family time, reading, entertaining, etc. Apps and smart plugs make it easy to program your lighting or control it from your phone. No more need for The Clapper!
Consider your lighting needs before you remodel. You may need to wire extra electrical outlets or fixtures to gain that extra bit of light–you don’t want to have to rip out walls later in order to get it. You must also realize that no two rooms will have the same lighting needs–there are too many variables that affect the effectiveness of lighting fixtures. For example, a black room will appear darker than a white room using the same lamp because of the lack of light being reflected back into the room. The black room will reflect only four percent of the light, whereas a white room reflects 80 percent.
You must take your interior decor into consideration when planning your lighting needs. The best place to start is to consider how you use the room, the types of moods you would like to create with your lighting, and how that lighting will reflect given your decorating scheme. Discuss your lighting desires with your remodeler or lighting designer before the work begins. Lighting can be an artistic addition to any home. It should be the main concern in your planning stage.
Source: National Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI)