X

If the lighting in your [city] home appears to be all over the place, chances are you don’t enjoy spending time in your as you ought to. Lighting issues not only make a room look bad, things like glare and dim light can make you feel uncomfortable.

The good news is that these mistakes are reversible. Listed below are 4 common lighting issues and how you can fix them.

 

Uncomfortable Lighting

Whether you have too much (i.e. harsh) or too little light in your home, you’re likely going to end up squinting and getting headaches just from trying to see what you’re doing. The key to having balanced lighting is to layer your lights. This means having:

  • Ambient lighting as your general lighting
  • Task lights for specific areas and activities (i.e. reading, cooking, food preparation, or applying makeup in front of a mirror)
  • Accent lighting to eliminate dark corners and add to the aesthetic appeal of the room

You can also add dimming controllers so you can adjust the brightness of each layer of light.

Fixtures of the Wrong Size

Many homeowners make the mistake of choosing light fixtures that are either too small or too large for a room. Most people do this because they love the particular design of a fixture, but a fixture that’s too small or too large can actually throw off the entire balance of the room.

So, be sure to choose fixtures that don’t just match the décor of the room, but are also of the appropriate size relative to its square footage and ceiling height. If you have a large room with a high ceiling, for example, you can usually get away with a grand light fixture like a chandelier or a set of large pendants. On the other hand, for a smaller room, you can opt for something smaller like a mini chandelier or hanging fixtures that don’t hang too low.

Dim Bathrooms

The bathroom should be a place where you can relax and escape in your home, so it can’t be a cramped and dark space. A common mistake people make when lighting their bathrooms is having just one light source, which not only makes the bathroom look dark, but also makes tasks like shaving and applying makeup dangerous.

As always, you want to use a variety of lights in the bathroom. Task lights around the vanity area are important for grooming, while candles and smaller light fixtures like wall sconces can help set the mood by casting a warm light that still lets you see things.

Pro tip: get a dimmer to adjust the brightness of your bathroom lights.

Bad Kitchen Lighting

When you can hardly see what you’re cooking or preparing in the kitchen, you know you need to add more light fixtures. Adding under cabinet lights is perhaps the simplest way to make your kitchen look more attractive and more functional. These lights add much-needed illumination to your cooking and food prep area, and also act as accent lights for the entire kitchen.

Follow these simple tips to solve common lighting issues and turn your house or apartment into a place you genuinely want to come home to.

X