Lighting Your New Home
When you’re building your new home, one of the most important features to think about is how you’re going to use lighting in each room that’s functional, while also creating the perfect atmosphere to suit each space. Lighting can be an afterthought, but it’s an important factor to consider for a number of reasons, so take a look at our tips and tricks to getting the lighting right in each area of your home.
Open-Plan Lighting
In many new homes, open-plan areas that include the kitchen, dining, and living areas often already feature a lot of natural light thanks to large windows, which means you can be more strategic about how much lighting you use. It’s a great idea to include a statement piece of lighting over the kitchen island, such as pendant lights to create a visual divide between the kitchen and the rest of the space, and to add an element of style to a utilitarian area. If the kitchen isn’t receiving enough natural light, you might also like to include under-cabinet lighting to create an additional light source. A variety of light sources in the dining and lounge areas will create a softer feel to spaces that encourage more relaxation and family time. The dining area will benefit from soft overhead lights such as downlights to ensure the space is well-lit without being too bright, and you may even like to include a large pendant light or chandelier over your dining table to add an element of style. The lounge area can include much softer accent lighting such as floor and table lamps paired with minimal adjustable overhead lighting to create a quieter atmosphere.
Bedroom Lighting
No matter the age of the bedroom occupant, each room’s lighting should encourage feelings of calm, quiet, and restfulness. In children’s’ and teenagers’ rooms, soft overhead lighting that can be brightened or dimmed as needed will help promote different energies throughout the day. Brighter daytime overhead lights are perfect for playtime or homework duties, while softer hues will help kids wind down naturally as bedtime approaches. Strategically placed bedside table lamps or corner floor lamps with dim bulbs are helpful at encouraging quiet moods that suit story time for little ones, or a moment of chill out time for older kids. Master suites will also benefit from mood lighting in the form of adjustable lighting, which encourages adults to unwind peacefully before bed. The addition of wall-mounted sconces on either side of the bed, or on-trend pendant lights in place of bedside table lamps add a luxurious feel to the room while softly lighting the space as night approaches.
Bathroom Lighting
It’s important to have a decent natural light source in you bathroom as the space is often small, but when you’re designing the space you’ll also need to carefully consider how to light it when the outside light isn’t as bright. It’s best not to rely completely on overhead light as this can cast shadows on your face in the mirror. You can avoid this by installing lighting on either side of your mirror to help soften shadows and create a more muted feel, while still having sufficient light as you get ready in the morning or complete your evening routine. You might also like to include strip lighting under a floating vanity in the family bathroom to leave on as a visual guide for younger kids who need to get up in the night.
Outdoor Lighting
Getting the outdoor lighting right in your new home is important for two reasons: you’ll need to provide a light source for night time arrivals that safely guide your family and friends to the front door, and to promote a welcoming atmosphere that doesn’t create too much glare at the front and rear of your home. At the front of your home, subtle garden lights that illuminate paths up to the front door will help visitors and family members arrive safely at the front door. The front door itself should have one or two soft lights to gently brighten the entry to your home, and wall-mounted sconces on either side of the door are perfect for this. At the rear of your home, covered alfresco and outdoor dining areas will benefit from soft overhead downlights that are bright enough for meals and entertaining. If your outdoor entertaining area isn’t covered, strategically placed wall-mounted lighting that is directed slightly away from the wall paired with garden lighting will do wonders at creating a muted outdoor lighting setup perfect for night time, while also providing enough light for people to safely see where paving and decking ends and the garden begins.
Home lighting is an important part of the design phase of your new home, and ensuring you’re putting a careful amount of consideration into how you light each space within your home will create the right atmosphere in each room, no matter the time of day or night. For more home ideas and tips and tricks, visit the Hotondo Homes website today.
