A Room By Room Guide to Perfecting Home Lighting

Let there be light! Did you know that many homes are actually very poorly lit? From the wrong types of bulbs to inadequate lighting, many peoples homes could do with a little lighting upgrade. Getting the balance right between a home that is too dimly lit and one that is overly blinding is sometimes a difficult task, but in this article, we present to you a room by room guide to perfect home lighting. If you’re looking to light up your life, read on to find out more!

1.Your Living Room

It would come as no surprise that the living room is probably the most important space in which you should ensure adequate lighting is present. This is the center of your home where you will spend most of your time, whether that is cosying up on the couch to your favourite movie or entertaining guests.
Popular choices for living room lighting these days are spotlights, free standing lamps and centrepiece lights such as modern chandeliers, if that is suited to the aesthetic you are going for. Soft white or warm white bulbs (2700 Kelvin) are ideal for the living room as they provide a warm and cosy feel. Pair these lights with some blackout curtains to avoid sunlight streaming in and you’ve got the ideal living room for entertaining and relaxing in!

2. Keep That Kitchen Bright

 
Poorly lit kitchens are a fantastic way to ensure you accidentally cut your thumb off when you’re chopping onions! A well lit kitchen is an absolute necessity. When you are cooking, dealing with sharp knives and appliances, you want and need to be able to see what you are doing. Avoid having too many downlights in your kitchen as you don’t want it to be glaringly bright in there as well.
A great option if you have a kitchen island are pendants, which offer a modern look and often give you the ability to dim the lights in accordance to the ambience you are trying to create. Pendant lighting is also softer and not as harsh as downlights, ensuring everything in your kitchen is well lit but not overly bright at the same time.

3. Home Office/Study

If you’re someone who uses the home office or study a lot, you’ll know how important it is that your workspace is well lit. For offices, task lighting is an essential. This is in the form of a desk lamp, and some additional lighting in the form of a secondary floor lamp.
Ideally, you want all your lighting in the study to be adjustable so you can set it to how bright or dim you want it, depending on what you are doing. Task lighting is ideal as it hones in focus on specific areas, making it easier for you to write, read or use the computer without straining your eyes.

4.Your Bedroom, The Sleep Sanctuary

 
There is nothing worse than a poorly lit bedroom. This is the room you’ll want to feel most relaxed and comfortable in at the end of a long day, so ensuring that you create the ambience you desire via lighting is essential. With most bedrooms, all you need is one adjustable central light. This provides flexibility and adjustable brightness can be handy when you’re watching television in bed or reading a book.
A small lamp on the nightstand is also advised, for times when you don’t want the entire room to be lit up. When it comes to what you should avoid, most experts would recommend you stay away from downlights as they can be too bright and glaring for the bedroom environment.

5. Backyard/Frontyard

 
Don’t forget that lighting doesn’t have to be limited to within your four walls! It is always advisable that your backyard and frontyard are well lit, for both aesthetic and safety purposes. Adequate lighting is actually one of the key factors that deter burglars, and a great way to ensure you can keep a lookout for anyone who is up to no good around your home. Look for outdoor lighting that highlights your garden and ensure you invest in high quality lights as they will be exposed to the harsh elements, unlike your indoor lighting.
We hope that this room by room guide to perfect home lighting has given you some inspiration to give your home a much needed lighting makeover!

Have you used indoor and outdoor lighting effectively at your house?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.