You have a perfect home, perfect furniture, perfect wall colors…but what about the perfect lighting?
Lighting is transformative in creating a cozy home! Your home might be having a lot of light fixtures like the floor lamps, wall sconces already but you should also think over how to strategically place and combine these lights to achieve that perfect balance in your rooms!
In today's blog, we'll talk about how to master the art of layering lights using lights for ceilings, lamps for the floor, LED lighting, LED lights, spotlights, lighting for walls, table lamps, and chandelier lights.
Read on!
The Basics of Layering Light
To begin with, there are basically three purposes that lighting can be used for, which further divided the lighting into three main categories. Layering of light involves using these types of lights strategically for different purposes. We will now look into the different types of lights along with their practical usage with the help of examples. It will cover our basics of layering light.
Three types of lighting -
Ambient Lighting: For General Lighting
Ambient lighting is used as the primary source of lighting in a room to ensure the space has enough light and gives overall illumination. For example, ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures such as recessed lights, flush mounts, or central pendant lights ensure that the light is evenly distributed throughout the room. You can go for dimmable ambient lighting that lets you adjust the brightness as per your needs.
Task Lighting: For Focused Lighting
Tasks that require more lighting, like reading, working, cooking, grooming, etc, may need focussed illumination. For such tasks, you need to have task lighting like table lamps, floor lamps, or adjustable desk lamps. You need to position them strategically so that they can direct light exactly where you need it, minimize the shadows, and enhance the focused visibility.
Accent Lighting: For Enhanced Aesthetics
Adding depth and visual elements to your room is crucial for making your room aesthetically pleasing. Accent lighting fixtures like spotlights, wall-mounted fixtures, LED strips, etc, do the job by showcasing wall art, highlighting your home’s architectural features like columns or cloves, and even adding a soft glow to display areas or shelves. You can always experiment with different accent lights and create focal points. Spotlights with adjustable arms and dimmable LED strip lights offer enough flexibility.
How to Layer Light for Different Rooms
Let's tailor your lighting strategy room-by-room with real examples and expert tips.
Living Room
The living room is the life of the house! It is a multifunctional space where family and friends gather, share stories, watch television, and chill together after a long day.
For the general illumination of the living room, always go for ceiling lights like recessed lights or statement chandeliers. A handy tip is to look for dimmable ambient lights as they allow you to adjust the light intensity as per your mood or time of the day.
For task lighting, floor lamps are your best friend. Place them next to your sofas or other seating areas that can make you reading or other pass-times more comfortable. If your lamps have adjustable arms, it is even better to direct light where you need it.
To highlight your TV and other show pieces, choose accent lighting like spotlights, color-changing LED strip lights, and more to set moods for movie nights & gatherings.
Kitchen
There may be many bedrooms and bathrooms in a home, but there is only one kitchen! The kitchen is truly the heart of our homes and needs the perfect right layering of ambient, task, and accent lights for its smooth functioning.
Bright ceiling lights like a central pendant and some recessed lights can ensure the proper distribution of light. For eg- a stylish cluster of pendant lights right above your kitchen island. All you need to make sure is that they are hung at the right height.
You can install under-cabinet lights over countertops for focused lighting in work areas. High Color Rendering Index of LED strips may help you see the right colors of your food - no surprises when chopping veggies!
For decorative aspects, get accent lights like adjustable spotlights to highlight open shelves and other show pieces like your imported cutlery, beautiful backsplash, and a lot more.
Bedroom
After a tiresome day, nothing seems better than your own bed and bedroom. Hence, bedrooms should feel relaxing, and proper layering of light plays an important part in it.
Soft ceiling lights like dimmable chandeliers or fabric pendant lights can be used for general illumination. Use warm white bulbs to enhance the peace in your bedroom.
Place table lamps on the bedside to facilitate your reading sessions. Consider getting a pair of matching table lamps for each side of your bed to maintain symmetry and style. You can go for dimmable lamps to use your light for bedtime reading as well as winding down.
For accent lighting, you can try LED lights or wall lights behind the headboard or along the baseboards. It provides a gentle glow. Also, sconces with swing arms next to the bed can be very useful as well as stylish.
Bathroom
Whether you like to sing or cry in the shower, your bathroom is your own quiet place. To give this room into a relaxing spa-like feel, layered lighting is the best option.
Bright recessed ceiling lights or an overhead light can take care of the brightness that you'll need for grooming purposes, while spotlights or other accent lights can highlight the design features. You can use bathroom wall & mirror lights.
This will help reduce shadows and give you an even illumination. For shaving and makeup application, ideal lights are bright & 75 -100 watts equivalent.
Make sure to choose moisture-resistant fixtures designed for bathrooms, which means go for higher IP ratings.
Dining Room
A mix of ambient & accent lighting works best for dining rooms. Get a central chandelier that will act as a central light. These days, modern chandeliers have dimmable bulb options to set according to mood and occasion. The chandelier should hang around 30-35 inches above the dining table so that it doesn't obstruct the view.
Then, for accent lighting, you can choose spotlights to highlight the buffet and some soft wall lights for a warm glow. For example, candle-style wall sconces can be great for a romantic dinner.
Home Office
Task lighting is the most crucial for office spaces to boost productivity. So place high-quality table lamps on desks for focussed lighting. Go for lamps with adjustable arms, focus light exactly where you need. Look for the color temperature control feature to switch between warm & cool temperatures as per your mood.
To balance the task lighting and reduce eye-strain, go for recessed ceiling lights or track lighting and get an overall illumination. This ambient lighting needs not to be too harsh or else it may create glare on your screens.
Then comes the accent lighting that can help you make your space more organized and stylish. You can use spotlights to highlight book shelves. Under the shelves, you can use LED strip lights or added illumination & a more stylish look.
Make every corner of your home beautiful by experimenting with the art of layering lights. Shop the perfect ambient, task and accent lights at Comet Lighting now.
