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Give Every Room A Lighting It Deserves

(Photo Source: certified-lighting.com)

The lighting choices should reflect the intent of the room. You don’t put the same furniture or the same plants in each room, and you shouldn’t put the same lighting as well. Some places need to be lit, while others can be darker and more intimate. Here are some of the basics regarding lighting in each room. It may seem like a trivial matter, but we will give you short explanations based on the room’s purpose.

Bigger kitchens require adequate illumination, meaning they need several sources of light. You need one ambient light that will spread across the room. Then, you’ll need extra light on the working area. Pendants that should hang about 35-40 inches above a surface are a popular lighting option over an island, and undercabinet bulbs are great for food prep areas.

The dining room is a place for conversations, so you need to make it lit. Apart from excellent overall brightness, which is a must, other solutions include ceiling fixtures. A statement chandelier is going to bring more light into the room, as well as a certain charm. Remember that a chandelier should hang about 33 inches above the table in a dining room with 8-foot ceilings. For every foot above 8 feet, add 3 inches to the above-table measurement. For the lightbulbs, aim to supply about 30-40 lumens per square foot.

Living rooms are places where you hang out as a family, watch TV, entertain guests, so it’s best to have flexible track lighting. Adjustable beams allow you to create a desired pattern or wash of light without changing bulbs. Since it’s usually a place where you watch TV, try to use lights which won’t cause shadows or glare. Dimmable scones, track lights, and about 10-20 lumens per square foot are usually suitable for living rooms.

Like any other room, a bedroom needs general lighting. Build your lighting foundation with ambient lighting or general lighting. For reading, working, or doing your makeup, consider layering on top of your general lighting with task lights. Consider table lamps, low hanging pendants on either side of the bed, sconces, wall fixed task lights on both sides of the headboard, or other directional lighting placed above it. Balancing and layering the light is more important than symmetry, not just in the bedroom, but when it comes to learning about adequately lighting every room.

In bathrooms, avoid light which points down at the mirror, to avoid creating unwanted shadows. Place pendants on each side of the mirror to get more balanced lighting solutions. It’s essential to have a lit bathroom, but just like in other rooms, in all comes down to the size of it.

Lighting shouldn’t overpower a room, but at the same time living with wrong lighting is not healthy. Aim for at least three sources of light in every space and use dimmers whenever you can. Smart lighting can solve many problems, but if you can’t afford it yet, test out your current sources of light and see where you need to add a colorful lamp or maybe lit a bookshelf. Think outside the box and use what feels more natural to you.