Lighting is an area that can be a big question mark for many homeowners. While it is easy to visualize furniture, paint colors, and appliances, lighting is more difficult to visualize and is more complicated. While the look of a lamp or fixture may be great, it is often difficult to image how the light will work in a particular space. A trio of interior design experts spoke with AP News to offer advice on choosing the best lighting for particular rooms and on navigating the range of new lightbulb and LED technology.
Get Glowing
Although many people worry about having enough light, the biggest challenge is usually avoiding glare, says Jennifer Bunsa of Bunsa Studio Interiors and co-founder of WorkRoom Miami. Many houses have can lights in the ceiling which flood a room with light. Make sure those are on a dimmer, and then add other fixtures and lamps that offer a softer glow.
Rather than choosing a fixture that functions like a spotlight, Bunsa says, “I always try to shop for things that are more like glowing globes that are a little bit warmer.”
Frame One Area
Lighting can draw attention to your favorite art or furnishings, says Maggie Griffin of Atlanta-based Maggie Griffin Design, and create a strategic pool of light in one part of a room.
For a client in Atlanta, she added sconces to the sides of kitchen cabinets to give light both practical and beautiful around the kitchen sink. She also suggests hard-wiring some light fixtures into bookcases to showcase items on the shelves and bring an extra glow.
Consider Curb Appeal
How does a home’s lighting appear to those approaching your front door? Although many people focus on privacy and might add plantation shutters or blinds to front windows, it’s important to step outside and consider the effect, says Griffin.
Injecting a Change of Style
Using a mix of vintage and modern light fixtures and lamps can make a room more appealing and shake up its style, Caitlin Murray, founder of Los Angeles' Black Lacquer Design, says.
A vintage lamp or fixture “adds character and soul and makes it feel not so cookie-cutter,” she says, and rewiring an old piece is more environmentally sustainable than buying new.
Griffin agrees: “Don’t get hung up on matching your lights,” she says, “especially if you’re doing a renovation or new build.” A blend of styles, she says, “is far more interesting than the way they used to do it, where they picked out the matching set.”
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