We all want a home that’s comfortable, stylish and cozy to us. While individuals might differ in their personal interior design tastes, everyone wants a home that’s well-suited to their personal style. When designing your home, you obviously think about key design points like flooring, furniture and paint colors. However, you might neglect to realize how important lighting can be to achieving your ideal space.
The wrong lighting can make your space feel uninviting, whereas the right lighting can take your interior design to the next level. Here’s everything you need to know about how to make your home more enjoyable with proper lighting.
The Different Types of Lighting Styles
When we think about lighting, we typically break the types of lighting into three categories. The first category is ambient lighting, an example of which would be overhead lighting. Ambient lighting is, simply put, the lighting we use to actually light a room. While it might not be bright enough for some tasks, it ensures we can see. Ambient lighting typically refers to permanent light fixtures and does not apply to lamps.
Task lighting is the lighting that we put in specific areas to help us to better see when we’re completing specific tasks. Task lighting can be a built-in fixture, such as the track lighting we install in kitchens to see what we’re doing while we cook, or it can refer to something like a desk lamp, which we use to better see what we’re writing and reading.
The final type of lighting is accent lighting. Accent lighting would genuinely be the type of lighting that people consider the most “fun.” Unlike ambient or task lighting, accent lighting isn’t utilitarian. It’s the lighting we use to set a mood and achieve a certain lighting scheme or aesthetic goal. Permanent gallery lights used to draw the eye to a painting and the string of fairy lights your daughter puts above her bed would both be examples of accent lighting.
The Right Lighting Is a Balance of the Three
When you understand the different types of lighting, you can better plan the right lighting scheme for your space. It’s best to begin by considering what kind of ambient lighting would be right for a room. Many people shy away from overhead lighting for style reasons and it’s true that overhead lighting can be quite harsh. However, it’s typically a good idea to have some sort of ambient lighting permanently installed in each room. Even if it’s not ideal mood lighting, it’s convenient to have.
Considering the right task lighting is essential, as this is the lighting you need to live your life and go through the motions of your day. Neglecting task lighting can make life more difficult than it needs to be. For example, let’s say you dream of a bathroom that has the low-lit quality of a pricy spa. While the mood might be right, you’re going to regret not having some task lighting around the mirror when it comes time to shave. Much like ambient lighting, it’s better to have task lighting than to not have task lighting.
The final type of lighting, accent lighting, is where you as a homeowner get to have the most fun. This is the type of lighting where your personal style plays a huge role in deciding the fixtures and pieces you have installed or purchase. A great way to determine what kind of accent lighting you’d like in your home is by looking at pictures online or in design magazines for inspiration. Websites like Pinterest and Instagram can be great for finding style inspiration.
Turning Your Vision Into Your Reality
The right lighting installation specialists can help you to determine which type of lighting and which style of lighting is right for your home. When it comes to lighting installation, always choose to work with a professional company instead of trying to do the installations on your own. Beyond the fact that doing electrical work on your own is risky, no one will make sure that everything looks its best better than the professionals.
At Putnam Mechanical, we pride ourselves in ensuring that every customer we serve gets the exact type of lighting they want for their home. In addition to lighting installation, we offer other electrical services, such as ceiling fan installation and whole-home wiring. You can also look to us for any HVAC services. Contact us today to find out more or to schedule an appointment.
