6 Awesome tips to improve your home lighting

When you walk into your home after a long day, you would want to be welcomed by the warm hues of the tasteful ambient lighting at home. But when you are trying to get the kids’ homework done or a DIY project completed, you would much rather have the brightness of white light to illuminate all the tiny details. The right kind of interior design lighting tips can really elevate the look and feel of your home. So how do you decide on the best home lighting techniques and make sure you are creating a pleasing, welcoming and efficient lighting system at home? Let’s take a look at some of the important home lighting design tips to make your house appear better and brighter.

One thing to be aware of before adopting any of these home lighting tips is the colour temperature of different kinds of light. If you are drawn to rich, warm colours, or your home is designed along the traditional lines or with shabby chic influences, lighting that mimics incandescent or even candlelight may be desirable. A modern or contemporary home might look better with cooler-temperature (whiter) lighting.

• 2,700 K: Warm, similar to soft candlelight
• 2,900 K to 3,200 K: Warm but brighter than a candlelight
• 3,500 K: Neutral
• 4,000K: Cool. Mimicking natural daylight starts here; the light gets colder depending on the time of day
• 5,000 K: Cold

1. Evaluate how much natural light your home is getting first

Before filling your house with floor lamps, overhead lights and LED bulbs, take stock of how much natural light is coming into your home. Maximise the use of this natural sunlight, as not only is it great from a psychological standpoint, it also helps if you’re wondering how to  how to save electricity bill in Dubai if you choose to turn off the lights and rely on the ray streaming into your house during the morning hours. In rooms which have access to natural sunlight, you could consider using floor lamps with warm lighting for the evening as this tends to create a soothing ambience which you will be bound to appreciate after a long day at work. On the flipside, if a room is getting too much sunlight and interferes with your sleep, invest in blackout curtains or blinds to create a more relaxing environment.

2. Choose the right type of lighting based on what the room is used for

It’s important to evaluate what kind of lighting will suit the needs of the house best. If it is your children’s study, for instance, you may want to look at using cool white light as this illuminates the details more clearly making tasks such as reading and writing easier. There is no right or wrong when it comes to chooses the right home lighting techniques, but most homes appear to use cool white lights in bathrooms, kitchens and studies. But if you prefer warm tones, you could mix it up and use cool white lights for task lighting over work areas.

3. Use a mix of light sources to change the mood of the room

Lighting has a significant impact on one’s mood. In fact in some countries which have to go without sunlight for a long period of time, people often suffer from depression related to the seasonal affective disorder. When you are deciding on how to light your home, one important lighting tip to adhere to is the use of different sources so that you can manage the dilemma of what kind of lighting to use: warm or cool lights. For instance, an important living room lighting tip is to have cool white tube lights, and floor lamps or table lamps with warm light, so that you can use the right source to create the right mood. When you are working on a project together as a family, you could use the white light and when you are entertaining guests you could revert to the warm lights.

4. Make sure the furniture compliments your home lighting techniques

One of the biggest home lighting design tips is surprisingly not about the actual lighting, but the interior decor of your home. Your furniture plays a big role in maximising the effects created by these home lighting tips, so make sure everything in the room complements each other. If you are going for a more cosy look, you could use darker furniture, but if you are looking at creating a clean, minimalistic look for your home, focus on lighter tones as it’s one of the best ways to make the room look brighter. Even the colours you choose for your curtains, wall paint, carpets and flooring have an impact on the overall lighting in your home. In rooms where you want to sunlight to stream in, use lighter fabrics and colours for your curtains and where you want to create a more intimate setting, use blackout curtains or darker shades.

5. Use reflective elements and mirrors to make your home brighter

An important interior decor tip for home lighting is the use of mirrors and reflective surfaces to maximise the amount of light distributed in the room. Mirrors tend to also make small rooms appear bigger, meaning rooms will automatically appear more bright and airy. A well-placed mirror can help you make the most of a room’s natural light, it can enhance the appeal of some of the key highlights in your home decor and add oomph to the room. Placing mirrors on adjacent walls or facing windows can maximise the clever use of lighting techniques for your home. Similarly, reflective wall art and tables can add depth and make a brighter home.

6. Make sure your windows are clean to create the perfect lighting

Clean windows will naturally let more natural light stream through into your home. So make sure you keep them clean so the light is not dispersed in a hazy fashion.

Which kind of lighting do you prefer, cool or warm? Let us know in the comments section below and be sure to check out our MyHome section for more home decor tips and DIY tricks.