More Electrician Lighting Layout Tips
In our previous blog, we addressed how to begin laying out your lighting before working with our local electricians to rough in the wiring that will support that vision; today, we’ll give you more tools to better achieve that goal by going a bit more into the specifics of different lighting types, styles, and effects that you have to consider.
Planning Light Fixtures
Uplighting vs. Downlighting
Your lighting’s effect depends on a few key factors, not least of which is the orientation or angle of the light; simply put, positioning the same amount of light upward or downward has dramatically different effects. When planning a room, you don’t want to only have upward or downward lighting, although we tend to often see the latter. Plan your living space to use upward lighting to create a comforting, cool atmosphere and contrast that with more vivid, discerning ceiling, or otherwise downward, lighting.
Ceiling Size
With the diminished size these lights enjoy with today’s technology, recessed can lighting has become an increasingly popular option for today’s homeowners. Unfortunately, however, these convenient and useful lights are used as a one-size-fits-all option for just about every room in the house, much to the homeowner’s detriment. Since recessed lighting is shining from within the ceiling, it has a far distance to travel, which causes the light to disperse throughout the room. This positive quality requires the recessed lighting to shine at a blinding level to properly illuminate the room’s ground-level details in tall rooms, which can be unpleasant. Accent your ceiling lighting with sconces, wall lights, lamps, or hanging light fixtures to keep this feature as a strength.
Using Levels
Whenever possible, take advantage of the levels created by your home’s architectural features and permanent fixtures. By using these surfaces to stagger lighting throughout the room, you create incredible depth. Perhaps the most common example is the impactful use of under-cabinet lighting to illuminate countertops, show off tile backsplashes, and make kitchens more usable and visually appealing. Other examples can be uplighting set above fireplaces, highlighting artwork, or set from balconies or lower-than-ceiling-height walls. All of these require foresight to complete, and there is no better time to do so than when your local electrician is laying out your lighting.
Impactful Novelties
Sometimes the simplest solutions elicit the biggest responses. One fantastic example of this is automatic lighting. Automatic lighting is a simple novelty that prompts a huge response from those using your home; whether your hallway lights are set to a motion-activated switch or pressure switches activate lights in commonly used areas, these simple switches make a huge difference in your family’s lives and your guests’ impressions of your home. Nothing wows a visitor like a pantry light that kicks on the moment the door is opened and then turns off when the door is closed. This simple innovation only requires a small wire to be fished through when installing a switch next to the door frame, but requires you to have that vision before calling in the electrician.
Get In Touch
Contact Divine Electric today to get started with our professional local electricians; we’re more than happy to visit your home to plan out the optimal lighting for your next project.
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