Your lighting choices can make or break the design and mood of an entire room. A simple and efficient way to increase the value of your home is with upgrades to lighting. Interior or exterior, there’s no shortage of options available for the intrepid home DIY technician. Here are a few of our favorite tips and tricks to improve the lighting around your home.
Pay Attention to the Scale of Your Lighting Elements
Scale seriously matters when choosing the placement and type of lighting to use in your home. There’s a thin line between tasteful lighting and a fixture that dominates a space. A classic rule to follow is to match the diameter of a chandelier (in inches) to the length plus width of a room (in feet). So, for example, a 5-by-5-foot room would require a fixture about 10 inches in diameter.
If the fixture is for a dining room, an additional rule is to ensure the bottom of the chandelier is about 30 inches from the top of your table. This will help the space shine without having your chandelier in the way of your next dinner party.
Use Light as a Tool to Guide Attention
Pay attention to the areas of a room that are highlighted by your light fixtures. Where are the shadows cast? Are there any areas that should be highlighted but aren’t? Or vice versa? If the lighting in a room doesn’t flow together and provide visual clarity, then adding additional lighting elements may be prudent. A statement piece like a vintage table lamp or sconce will add an artistic flair while providing a more malleable lighting situation in a room.
Ensure different sizes of lights are used throughout your space, allowing the size of a light fixture to guide its eventual placement. Cast the visual clarity upon a statement piece, like a statue or painting, using the size of the lighting elements to guide the eye.
Dimmers, Wireless Switches, and New Lighting Hardware
Dimmers give you the ability to control the atmosphere of a room while saving money on electricity bills. Balance the artificial and natural light throughout the day without constantly switching your lights on and off again.
In the same vein, technology now allows homeowners to control lighting from anywhere in the world. It’s not limited to lighting, either. Window treatments, home temperature control, alarms that turn on the lights in your house—the list of technological improvements to home hardware over the last 20 years could be its own article. Take advantage of these advancements by upgrading the lighting fixtures in your home with new smart bulbs and switches.
Thinking about upgrading the lighting in your home? Contact Minnesota Home Improvements for professional home remodeling services
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