Lighting for Your Home: Everything You Need to Know

Changing the lighting in your home can be quite a chore. It may take more than just simply taking out the old and putting in the new. The previous owners of your home may not have had the greatest of taste, and you may want to not only change the style but possibly the type and placement as well. If you aren't sure what you're doing, you could end up making it all much worse than when you started. Read on for everything you need to know about lighting design in your home.

Kitchen

In your kitchen, you want it brighter so you can see what you're doing when you prepare meals, and you want it to be more inviting when you have guests to entertain. If you have an island, you may want to consider pendant lights over the island. When you install pendant lighting, you need to be sure they are not too low that they become tiny specks of light that only shine in one spot, but you also need to be sure they aren't too high that they become a spotlight. Other lights in the kitchen, such as under the cabinet lighting can be a nice addition, as they add extra lighting in areas that are typically dark. 

Living Room

In a living room, you want it to be inviting as well, but you want options. For example, you may want the room to be bright or dim, depending on what you're doing in the living room. If you have recessed lighting, consider having a dimmer switch added to the room. If you can't have a dimmer switch installed, lamps are also a nice touch. They can give you the ambiance you are looking for, and add some decorative elements to the room as well. Consider a few different lamps so that you have lots of options when you don't want to use the brighter lights.

Dining Room

The dining room is another area where you want it to be inviting for entertaining but you may still want the ability to dim the lights when you want. The type of light you choose depends on your style. You can install a pendant light, a chandelier, or another type of light fixture for your dining room. Make sure it adds enough light to fill the room and can be dimmed if possible. The light should go over your dining room table so your table is well lit.

If you are changing the lighting design of your home, there are a number of things to consider and to know. Hire an interior designer near you for lighting design services in your home.