The lighting of a room seems quite easy: Connect a lamp, turn a switch, and voilà! What was once dark now is bright. But some mistakes can make you feel uncomfortable in one place. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid:
1. You do not consider the layers of light.
It seems quite easy to install some luminaires in a room and make it bright, but this strategy will eventually disappoint you.
House owners tend to light the rooms as we light a room for a conference – excessive light, says Robert Gross, architect at Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design. This does not add warmth or character to a room.
A central luminaire in the middle of a room is a choice for many venues, but it is often not enough. If you skip additional lighting, such as floor lamps and table lamps, reading on your sofa or writing in your office, it will be difficult for your eyes. And if you just install a luminous pendant in your bedroom, you will not get the warm quality that table lamps can provide.
In addition, a variety of light sources makes spaces more flexible. Central ceiling lighting is useful when you host big parties, but you will look for the atmosphere of a table lamp when you just want to relax reading a book in the room.
Do you want a fancy effect? Wall spots that can illuminate artwork such as paintings, lights for the interior of a closet or wall lamps can add a luxury feeling.
2. You do not put dimmer switches.
Many of the designers we talked mentioned this mistake as a big secret for proper lighting. Dimmers are the biggest secret of lighting design, says interior designer Jeff Fiorito. They allow you to control your lighting 24 hours a day, for different events and depending on your mood. An atmospheric dinner will not be so successful if your dining room is lighted like a stadium.
3. Forget where the shadows will fall.
If you place a light at the wrong spot, you will create a bigger problem instead of a solution.
“In the bathroom, try putting wall lamps on each side of the mirror instead of just one light on top,” says Erin Davis, Mosaik Design & Remodeling. Plain light above and in front of your head can make shadows on your face. If you need to put lights just above the mirror, choose a long horizontal luminaire instead of a single lamp to fully illuminate your face.
Shades can also be a problem in your kitchen. If the kitchen lights are placed only in the center of the room, when you stand on the counter to cook, a shade will be thrown just where you need light, says Beehler Kitchens Christine Beehler. Solve this problem by installing lights under the kitchen cabinets.
Do you notice the same shadow problem in your office? Make sure your desk has a desktop lamp.
4. You choose the wrong size.
This is a common mistake I see homeowners make, says Abbe Fenimore, designer at Studio Ten 25. “A very small chandelier over a large table or large lamp on a table next to a sofa will make the room to seem disproportionate.
Try these design tricks to choose the right luminaire: Add together the height and width of the room in feet. This number, in inches, should be the approximate diameter of your luminaire. In the dining room, you should choose a lamp that is about 30 cm smaller than the narrowest width of the table.
And do not rely on glances when you arrive at the store. “Luminaires often look smaller in lighting showrooms, so take measurements,” says Kerrie Kelly, design specialist at Zillow Digs.
5. You do not place the luminaires at the correct height.
“The bottom of a pendant luminaire should be 76 to 91 cm above the kitchen counter,” says interior designer Noelle Miceck. “The bottom of a hanging luminaire should be 168cm from the floor in a dining room, and when you sit next to a table lamp, the bottom of the shadow should be at the shoulders. If the lamp is too high, the light will bother your eyes.”
6. You do not consider the color of your room important for your choice of luminaire.
No matter how many lights you put in a room, you will not get this light feeling if the walls are too dark. This seems obvious, but even slightly different shades of the same color can make a difference. “I’ve painted a gray color in my kitchen, so the room looks very dark,” says Decorator Jaquetta Turner. “Adding some totally black color will light it”.
7. You forget that the lights consume energy.
OK, you probably do not ignore this fact completely, but examining the kind of lamps we use is important. CFL and LED lamps may cost more, but they can save us money in the long run. Of course, they are not ideal in every room. For example, they often do not work with dimmers.