VIDEO - Help with Lighting for Your Home
Help! I need help with my Lighting for my Home!
Hey there! Welcome to this week’s design video! I am really excited to share this content with you today, because I know the dramatic impact getting your lighting right can have on your space.
One of THE biggest frustrations for just about every designer I know, is that proper lighting on either a new home build project, a renovation or a decorating job NEVER gets the attention OR budget that it needs. Having someone on your team who TRULY understands all the confusing lighting terms out there and knows how to get it just right will set you and your project up for success.
Over the years, as a designer, I have seen where projects failed in terms of lighting and where they hit a home run. I am going to share with you today, what made those more successful projects different from the rest.
Now, some of the terms I am going to use, may sound like I am speaking a different language, but don’t panic. There will be no quiz after the video. But these are terms that any lighting professional should be able to use comfortably if they are going to be a good fit to help you with your lighting plan. So, using these terms can help you find a good fit if and when you need more help.
Selecting the right Light Bulbs (Lamps) - LED
I am going to first discuss how to select the right light bulbs and some key terms you need to know to make the right choice for you.
Now, I know light bulbs are not the sexy part of selecting lighting for your home, but getting them right can make or break your lighting, so bear with me. I KNOW you are going to thank me in the end.
I am not going to waste your time by discussing incandescent or halogen bulbs – we should all be using LED bulbs in 100% of our fixtures now. They have come so far since their early days, that there is no excuse for not using LED’s. Besides, nobody I know loves changing light bulbs, so why not go with a bulb that should outlast, well, maybe even you?!
When selecting your bulb, I want you to look at a few things. Kelvin temperature, CRI (or colour rating index) and your lumen output.
Kelvin Temperature
Kelvin temperature is all about the colour of the light that the bulb emits. A 2700 Kelvin will give you a warm yellow glow, similar to a traditional incandescent bulb. You might want this for a bedroom or a space you want to feel warm and cozy, but I don’t use this kelvin very often anymore. I tend to opt for between 3000 and 4000 as it is a bit fresher and feels a bit more like natural day light. Once you start to move your way closer to the 5000 Kelvin, you are going to get more of a blue light – which can work in office spaces, but rarely do people want to go this blue in their homes.
CRI - Colour Rendering Index
The next thing I asked you to look at is the bulbs CRI or colour rating index. This determines the ability of the bulb to translate true colour. Things will look more vivid and vibrant with a higher CRI. I recommend a CRI of 90 or higher. You are not going to find that in a bulb from your typical big box store – so you are going to shop for these bulbs at a lighting supplier.
Light Output
Lastly, I want you to make sure you are actually going to get the AMOUNT of light you require for the space your new lighting is going. This can be tricky. Experience has shown me, that usually the prettiest or coolest light fixtures out there, so of course the ones that my clients always have to have, actually give off very little light. So if you learn nothing else from this video, know that most pendants and chandeliers are just accent lighting at best. Never rely on them for 100% of your lighting in a room. But…I might be digressing a bit here. Back to your bulbs. Every bulb, whether in a fixture or a recessed can or pot light, will give off a certain amount of light and that amount of light can be greatly affected by what the light is hitting – so paint colours or dark cabinets vs. white cabinets. The position of your lights, how close they are to your walls or how high from the floor also affects light output. This is some seriously complicated stuff, that home owners are trying to figure out everyday without all the information! And this is why a lighting expert, who really cares about getting your lighting plan right is key.
Still with me? If so, let’s talk about what you probably thought you were clicking on this blog post (video) to learn about, how to select the right light fixtures for your space!
So, I am going to give you some insight into how I select lights for my clients.
There are three key attributes that will help me narrow my search for that perfect light. Here they are: Scale, # of Bulbs or Light Output and Style.
Scale
Let’s start with scale. Understanding the size of the space that your light fixture will be going is key. For a dining table, you typically want a light that is around 2/3rds the width of the table. Much less and it will feel too tiny and insignificant and much bigger and it will overwhelm the space. Also think of the vertical space. So, in a typical foyer, you want a light that is going to be both tall enough AND wide enough to create some drama and fill the space – again maybe filling half to 2/3rd of the space. I know it can be tempting to go with a smaller size to help the budget, but this isn’t where you want to save – you need to get this right.
2. Light Output
Ok, back to the light output. So maybe I don’t have the option of adding pot lights to my dining room. In that case, I NEED my dining fixture to be able to function for completing home work or paying my bills and also to function for hosting an intimate dinner party. So we need a fixture that is going to provide lots of light output, usually with multiple bulbs and be dimmable. If you fall in love with a light that has one bulb, then you will need to have some pot lights added in to support that fixture – for sure, no option there.
3. Style
And you might be surprised to find that style is last on my list. Although I think your lights should flow with the rest of your space, I think of lighting a bit like art. It can be whimsical and fun. Your fixtures don’t have to all match, in fact, they shouldn’t all match. Just make sure if you have a very traditional home, you are not selecting an industrial dining light. Or if you have a modern farmhouse kitchen, you aren’t choosing uber modern pendants to go over your island, as a general rule of thumb.
So hopefully I have given you a bit of insight into what goes into making the best lighting choices for a home. Just remember, there ARE experts out there that can help.
Stay tuned for next weeks video or take a look at our FREE downloadable “My Top 10 Favourite Paint Colours for the Home” in the link above.