From morning to night, light has a bigger impact on your day (and mood) than you often realize. Thoughtfully installed lighting in a home enhances the purpose of each area, whether it be productivity or relaxation, and can truly uplift the mood of any room. If you’re ready to discover what the power of good lighting can do for your home, keep reading.
We Love LEDs, And You Will Too
We recommend LED lights for every area of your home. They’re extremely efficient, meaning they’ll not only save you money on electricity, but you may only need to replace them every 20 years. This is especially handy for lights in difficult-to-reach places. With dimmable options and flexible applications, they really can be used anywhere.
Start with the Kelvin Scale
When it comes to using lighting to set the mood of specific areas of your home, you’ll want to start with the Kelvin Scale. The Kelvin Scale is the way that we measure the color temperature of light. For residential uses, it typically falls between 2700K (classified as “warm white”) and 5000K (classified as “cool daylight”). The bulbs you use are entirely up to your preference, but typically lighting lower on the scale is used for more relaxing environments, while lighting higher on the scale is used for more task-oriented or productive areas of the home.
Living Area Lighting
Your living room is where you spend your downtime, so you probably want lighting that helps you relax. It’s appropriate to use bulbs that are within the 2000K-3000K range on the Kelvin Scale to provide a nice, warm glow. Popular lighting features for the living room area include feature lighting to make a statement, recessed lighting for a sleek look, or wall lighting to add a finishing touch.
Kitchen Lighting
There are at least two types of lighting that you want in your kitchen: ambient and task. Ambient light is going to be what fills in for natural light in the space, and it will come from recessed or feature lighting. You likely do a lot of detail-oriented work in your kitchen, so you’ll also want task lighting that illuminates the countertop and keeps you safe as you slice and dice. This can easily be accomplished with strip or puck LED lights under cabinetry. Since the kitchen is an area where visibility is so important, brighter lighting within the 3100K-4500K range on the Kelvin Scale is recommended.
Bathroom Lighting
Similarly to the kitchen, you’ll want ambient and task lighting in your bathroom. Ambient lighting coming from the ceiling will keep the space generally well-lit, while vanity lights and backlit mirrors ensure maximum visibility during your daily routine. In terms of the Kelvin Scale, ambient light can be kept on the lower, warmer side, while vanity light should be higher and cooler to assist with tasks like doing makeup. You can give your bathroom a functional and modern upgrade with dimmable LED mirrors that can be adjusted with just a tap. Browse more recent bathroom lighting trends in our recent blog.
Schedule Your Free Lighting Consultation
Whether you’re ready to DIY or are looking for a contractor to help you reimagine your home’s lighting, Straight Line Construction is here to help. Stop by one of our showrooms in Gainesville/ Alachua and Ocala to browse our wide selection of quality products, or schedule a free lighting consultation to discuss your project with an expert.