Lighting for Comfort
The right lighting helps make your house a home. When selecting lighting, don’t just think about how the chandelier or lamp looks; think about how comfortable it will be to live with.
Does your home have comfortable lighting?
Your home should have the right balance of lighting in every room.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting is general area lighting.
It may seem obvious, but does every room have a switch in an obvious and convenient location? What happens when you flip it? There are a lot of options.
- Ceiling fixture
There are a lot of options here. And don’t forget about a lighted ceiling fan. - Wall fixture
Wall sconces are an excellent way to add ambient lighting to a room.
A series of wall sconces lighting your way down a hallway.
Wall sconces provide good ambient lighting if you have a very high ceiling. - Track lighting
Track lighting can put light where you want it, providing ambient lighting as well as task and accent lighting - Concealed lights
Recessed lights, cove lighting or can lights from the floor. - Switched outlet with a floor or table lamp
Consider having a switched outlet put in the floor in a large room so that you can arrange the furniture away from the walls. - Kitchen
Good overall light for the kitchen that does not create shadows where you are working.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is light directed to a particular area for a specific task.
- You should have good reading light in a variety of locations.
Good reading light lands on the page, not in your eyes. When you select lamps for by the sofa or by the bed, consider the height of the surface it will be on and your height when sitting next to it. - Table, desk or floor lamps
Again, the shade or diffuser should protect you from glare. They should either be adjustable or the right height so that the light is not right in your eyes. - Kitchen
Counter Lights help you have the light you need right where you want it. - Bathroom
The right light over or around the mirror for shaving and putting on makeup
Downlights over the bath or sink
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is directional lighting to emphasize a particular object or draw attention to something.
- Picture Lights
- Light that brings out the texture in a wall.
Last, if you want your home to be comfortable. Avoid uncomfortable lighting.
Take a look around your home. Are any of your fixtures providing glare? Are they too bright? Or are there areas of your home where too little light creates problems?
