Tips for Lighting Your Home
The lamps, bulbs, chandeliers, pendants, and other lighting solutions found throughout your home not only serve to light your days, but also set the mood. Interior lighting choices can literally make your day easier (task lighting in the kitchen that makes it easier to read recipes and chop vegetables), keep you safe (spotlights on stairs to limit tripping and accidents), and set the tone for your family dinners and date nights at home (chandeliers on a dimmer that can set the right mood for the occasion).
Maison&Co. in Miami, FL is lucky to have so many talented experts, including lighting professionals, on the team to ensure our clients get the lighting results they want. We work with Miami homeowners, leading designers, architects and builders every single day and have a few tips on how to light your home.
Consider home lighting in terms of “layers”. There are three layers to consider when lighting your home: ambient, task, and accent. Every single room and/or dedicated space (i.e. a dining section of a large open room), should have ambient lighting, which is typically an overhead lighting structure in the center of the space that provides all the foundational light you need on a day-to-day basis. If your space or budget doesn’t allow for installing a ceiling light, you can use arched floor lamps to achieve your ambient lighting goals.
Task lighting is exactly what it sounds like: lighting that is present for specific jobs. Task
lighting can be the reading lamp next to your bed or couch, spotlights under kitchen
cabinets to illuminate countertops, or wall sconces next to your bathroom vanity.
Accent lighting is also exactly what it sounds like! This layer of lighting in your home is
more stylistic than the other two layers. You can use accent lighting to highlight a piece
of art or a mantle piece. You can also use accent lights to simply bring a little touch of
style to any room, like stylish table lamps.
Don’t forget the dimmers. Dimmers or smart bulbs that offer dimming can really change the entire lighting game in your home without much effort. The brightness level you want out of a lighting fixture is likely to change throughout the day and according to occasion. During bright, sunny days, a bright ambient light is no problem. But during gloomy winter evenings, a softer and dimmer light may be more comfortable on the eyes. Dimmers can also set the tone for dinner parties and movie nights!
Be sure your fixture choice is the right size for its intended placement.Measure, measure, measure. Then measure again! This is especially important when choosing ambient light fixtures, which are typically larger and close to the ceiling. If you are choosing a new lighting solution for above your dining table, measure the space you are working with. And be sure to measure on both planes (horizontally and vertically). Can the lighting fixture fit and/or fill the space horizontally above your dining table? And do you have enough room vertically, from the bottom of that light fixture to the floor? If you’re putting a chandelier above your table, you’ll want five to six feet of vertical space. If using pendant lights above a kitchen island, you’ll want around three to four feet of vertical space.
Keep your bulb choices consistent.There are so many bulb options out there these days. Some bulbs provide brighter, bluer light that mimics the sun, while others provide a softer, warmer illumination more similar to candle light. When lighting a room or space in your home, keep the bulb choice consistent throughout to avoid a harsh visual experience.
Not every budget or project has the physical space or financial budget for overhauling lighting. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t fit that giant chandelier into your life. Remember, lamps are your friend! Lamps can be a super simple lighting update for your home that can make a big difference, especially if you are renting.
Looking to update the lighting fixtures in your home? Maison&Co. is proud to offer some of the highest quality lighting brands available in our Miami, FL showroom. If you are local to Miami, come into our showroom to see the lighting options we have for your next project. If you can’t make it into our showroom, schedule a complimentary virtual consultation with one of our experts!