Did you know that light determines the way our eyes perceive colors and objects? Well, apart from some physiological issues, of course, that can also have an impact.
However, few, if any, rooms offer enough sunlight for the eye to appreciate their benefits. This is where lighting fixtures come to the rescue. With a rich variety of light intensity, design and functionality they determine the atmosphere, the purpose and the class of a room.
Think about going to a fine dining restaurant and to the neighborhood diner. Does it feel different? The smell, the overall look. Colors, vibes - they don't feel alike at all, do they?
This, of course is due to many reasons – different furniture, different service but also different lighting. Even if we don't count it as a factor at first, it actually is one of the most important reasons for the different vibes of the different places.
Lighting creates and defines ambiance, and the same is true in your home. Proper lights can transform the whole place – make it feel like a classy restaurant or a cheap diner.
When I started working on one of my latest projects – a stunning 4-bed, 2.5 bath single-family home, I thought: what a great potential. It may look easy to improve such a property – spacious rooms, a lot of sunlight, gorgeous view to the backyard. But despite the obvious advantages, it is quite a demanding task.
Interior lighting is always incredibly important to the overall look of a home. But when it comes to a property with large premises like this one, it’s even more important. This house offered its future owners 1,950 sq. ft. of living space that needed to be properly illuminated. So I rolled up my sleeves and started looking for the most suitable lighting fixtures for the various corners.
Here’s what I did with the place and why.
01. Set the mood and the first impression
Starting from the beginning, I chose a neutral but stylish designed light fixture for the entrance ceiling. The first look, as I have always said, is quite important as the first impression lasts beyond the moment. Therefore, the lighting in those first square feets of living space had to be soft, welcoming and easy on eyes. Something that says: “Hello, you’re welcome to come in and feel comfortable.” The design is simple yet stylish – unobtrusiveness with moderate elegance are always a good choice for a first impression.
After the unpretentious start it’s time to catch the eye with something really attractive. See what comes next.
02. Don’t let spacious rooms look dark
To maximize the lighting effect and illuminate spacious rooms, you should definitely rely on intensive dispersed light. That’s why I chose a large and modern chandelier with three flexible and adjustable arms that is not only quite functional but also very classy. This iconic replica has a stylish black finish that makes it very distinctive and perfectly contrasts with the white ceiling. I’ll tell you more about this black and white combination and why light hues are almost always a good choice, but let’s leave it for next time and focus on bulbs right now. To enhance the effect of the airy area, I combined the intense but soft light with furniture and wooden flooring in light tones. By the way, as much as possible, opt for wood in light, warm tones when covering big surfaces like floors or walls. It softens the feel of the space and helps to open up the atmosphere.
In conclusion, talking about living rooms, my advice would be - when remodeling heavily trafficked areas of your home, definitely get proper lighting to get the most of the space.
03. Don’t underestimate task lighting
Both types of lighting are equally important: basic and task lighting that we use for reading, for an accent, for defining specific areas. That’s why I got a really attractive black starburst wall lamp with a vintage mid-century look to illuminate the stairs to the upper floor. Indeed, a great but not a glaring accent and one of the first things you see when you get through the front door. It’s a real piece of art with two bulbs that can’t stay unnoticed. And again - in perfect contrast with the light carpet on the stairs and in great harmony with the black banister.
04. Target specific areas
In addition to being an accent, task lighting can also be used as a means of defining a certain area. That is usually the case with dining room lights. Of course, the best choice here is to place the light fixture centrally above the dining table. And if we are talking about a big wooden table for six, as it was the case, you need a big chandelier that’s to scale with the furniture. A light with many globes further emits more light and contributes to a nice and friendly atmosphere. This was exactly the case in the formal dining room of this property so I got a real nice light fixture, composed of 8 milky white glass shades and black frosted metal rods. Both practical and stylish.
The rule for the lamp over the table applies to all tables in the individual zones, if any. In this case, the layout of the property allowed us to distinguish several seating areas, which, although performing different functions, needed individual lighting.
What I got was a very fashionable pendant chandelier with an elegant design. It looks just like an oversized French lady hat and it’s in great correspondence with the round table beneath. I wanted to give the family room a little sense of luxury and sophistication. Big rooms need proper decoration and this “hat” was a perfect choice to make the space glow. The whole family room along with the relaxing zone with the fireplace is actually a very well-lit area with a great amount of daylight so it didn’t need many light fixtures – just a few recessed lights.
05. Put gentle light in bedrooms
As we go further, we finally get to the second floor with the three bedrooms. When you choose light fixtures for relaxing zones at your home, it’s very important to avoid intensive lights or intrusive designs. In the bedroom your eye as well as youт mind should feel at peace and comfortable. So the best choice is to pick up a neutral lamp with warm light that promises to bring a sense of serene and calm to the room. But when it comes to selling your home instead of living there you need something else. You need a light that allows potential buyers to take a good look around and see every detail of the room. White light immediately brightens up the space. That’s why I decided to use a 12-inch LED ceiling light for all the bedroom as well as for the upstairs hallway.
Designing the lighting of your home builds the environment and usage of each space. So do not underestimate this process. You should always bet on high-quality lighting fixtures - not necessarily expensive, but made of good materials and with suitable qualities and vision. Unleash the designer in you and decorate your home but do it properly. Be careful to pair the designs that you choose with the style of the overall interior and the hues of the big surfaces. That’s the key to a beautiful home – complexity and compliance.
Property listed by: Mark Martinho, Vabrato Real Estate
