Say Goodbye to Bad Lighting
Do you love your home’s lighting? Chances are if you clicked on this blog, you don’t and are looking for solutions. We understand how frustrating bad lighting can be. From inhibiting your vision to making your home look cold and uninviting, bad lighting can significantly impact how you feel about your space. Some people even find certain types of lighting bad for their mental and physical health.
So, what can you do to fix it? Overhauling the lighting in your home can feel like a daunting task, but with a little help, it’s a project that is not only doable but can be a lot of fun! Below we’ve provided a helpful checklist you can use as your first steps in planning your new lighting project.
New lighting planning checklist:
- Go room by room and make notes identifying the things you like and the things you dislike about your current lighting setup
- As you go about your day, make notes every time you find yourself frustrated with your current lighting
- Build a lighting inspiration board on Pinterest to help you define the look and feel you want for your home
- Outline your lighting goals as well as a dream list of the different lighting fixtures and elements you would love to have in your home
- Schedule an electrical inspection with Lightning Bug Electric to get a sense of your current electrical system’s capacity and limitations
Once you have started to form an idea of how you want your new home to be lit, speak with one of our electricians about your goals. Review your current frustrations and share your Pinterest board or other inspiration with us. Together we can build a lighting system that makes you happy and excited to come home to.
Keep reading to learn more about some common types of residential lighting and how they can make your home more comfortable and inviting.
Task Lighting Upgrades
Task lighting is a type of lighting that is designed to provide lighting for a specific function or task. For example, under-cabinet lighting is meant to provide lighting for cooking or baking. Task lighting is common in kitchens and bathrooms but can be incredibly useful throughout your home. For example, a desk area can benefit from task lighting or the area around your favorite reading chair.
Examples of helpful task lighting that can make a huge difference in your day-to-day life:
- Pendant lighting
- Downlights
- Under-cabinet lighting
- Vanity lights
- Bedside lights
- Desk lighting
Task lighting is one of the best (and easiest) ways to upgrade your home’s lighting. Have you ever been working in the kitchen, reading a book, or trying to put on makeup and been frustrated by the lack of light? You may have an overhead light, but often overhead lighting doesn’t reach all the areas in which we need it. This can drive you crazy. However, task lighting can fix this problem.
Ambient Lighting Upgrades
Ambient lighting is the lighting most of us are familiar with. Lighting fixtures that provide a general wash of light throughout a room and which are generally the main source of light for an area are ambient lighting. Ambient lighting fixtures can come in the form of a network of recessed lighting, track lighting, or large overhead fixtures.
Common complaints about ambient lighting:
- Doesn’t provide enough light
- The color of the lighting is unpleasant
- Is installed in inconvenient locations
- Don’t point in the right direction
- Configuration doesn’t suit your needs
When recessed lighting became popular, many people switched from using lamps or large overhead fixtures to a network of recessed lighting. This lighting style allows multiple switches to create different lighting patterns depending on your activities. However, every family has different needs, and we often hear complaints from people who have moved into homes with inadequate or inconvenient recessed lighting.
Simple changes in your ambient lighting can make a huge difference to your home’s overall feel and look. Even something as small as changing the type of lightbulb you use (such as one that provides warmer light) can transform your space.
Accent Lighting Upgrades
Accent lighting is similar to task lighting in that it is meant to provide light to a specific area or object. However, instead of providing lighting for a task, it is used to add to the area aesthetically, such as gallery lighting showcasing a piece of artwork or lighting that highlights a specific architectural feature in your home. Accent lighting is a great solution for people looking to take their home design to the next level but have already taken care of their ambient and task lighting needs.
That said, incorporating accent lighting can be more challenging than task lighting, where you know exactly what you need and where you need it. At Lightning Bug Electric, we are your accent lighting experts. We love working with homeowners on their lighting design, and we can help you define and realize your lighting goals.
To learn more about how to make your home more inviting with improved lighting, call our office at (404) 471-3847 or send us a message online. Our electricians are always ready to help.