Home Lighting

While we might think home lighting design is as easy as turning on a switch, it does take a bit of planning and thought to create the best interior and exterior lighting plan for your home, especially if you want to get the most out of your budget.

Interior Lighting

Bedroom lighting is a good example. You can use the simple overhead light fixture that is usually pre-installed, but does that create the atmosphere and usefulness you want in that room?

A beautiful ceiling fixture, mixed with appropriate lamp lighting, can create a romantic escape as well as provide useful reading light.

Track lighting is a popular and effective way of providing targeted lighting that highlights those areas you want to draw attention to, such as a fine piece of furniture or a piece of wall art.

Track lighting is also effective as task lighting in a kitchen, casting light in the various areas where food preparation takes place.

Movable track lights, dimmer switches and other forms of lighting control increase the beauty and usefulness of your lighting design.

Recessed lighting or track lights can add drama by creating light and shadow areas in corners or against a wall.

These design elements are sometimes enhanced by using colored lights, creating a soft golden glow for example.

Exterior Lighting

Both esthetic and functional factors come into play in planning your exterior lighting as well.

Exterior decorative lights now come in almost as much variety of style and finish as interiior lighting. Careful selection of the right style of exterior lights for your home can make a dramatic difference in its overall curb appeal.

Effective home security lighting may require careful placement using an assortment of lighting options, such as motion sensors.

Deck lighting can make the difference between a deck that gets some use and one that becomes an outdoor entertaining hub because it is such an inviting place to spend a summer evening. Post lights, recessed lighting and many other options are available to give your deck or patio just the right illumination for the ways you use it.

Outdoor lighting is also useful for providing a safe walk around the garden, or a decorative glow along the path to the pool. With the choices available now, you can create a stellar look in what may have been a very ordinary area.

In planning your home lighting design it is helpful to learn about the various kinds of lights available and their most effective uses. Mixing incandescent lights, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), LEDs, halogens and other types of lighting can help you get the look and function you want within your budget. And don't forget the importance of going green.

It is also useful to learn just a little bit about lighting and electrical terminology. If you think only wattage determines how bright your light is, read about lumens and color temperature.

Home lighting design is a very do-able DIY project and can be one of the smallest, but most effective home renovation projects you can undertake.

A good eye for what looks good, combined with some basic information, can be all you need to create the atmosphere you want in your home.

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