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Lighting is a crucial part of any home. Perhaps you want to change different lighting aspects in your home and you need some lighting tips or ideas. Remember that the lighting you select can make your property appear attractive or dull. Lighting typically has a direct impact on the energy and mood of a house. When looking for lighting tips and ideas, here is the best place to be. Below, 5 interior designers share their lighting ideas and tips.

1. Approach lighting in a layered way

According to Shelley Little of Fresh Home, many people overlook lighting when it comes to designing the interiors of their homes. She says that many people automatically think about furnishings, colors, and flooring, but low lighting can ruin the most luxurious room. Shelly says that the most significant mistake people make is thinking that they only need some ceiling lights.

Shelly’s idea is that you should approach lighting in a layered manner. This means that lighting should highlight all the design and architectural features of a room- from the ceiling to the floor. This strategy of layered lighting creates a welcoming, warm room where all the design features are easily visible.

You can accomplish this by embracing the entire range of available lighting sources, such as recessed lights, pendant lights, track lighting, chandeliers, small table lamps, tall floor lamps, art lighting, under cabinet lighting, wall sconces, and other spot lighting. Shelly recommends taking an image of the finished room to easily see the dark areas in your design that require more lighting.

2. Add a dimmer switch

In the opinion of Martyn Lawrence Bullard of martynlawrencebullard.com, the first rule in lighting for any space, regardless of its size, scale or a person’s budget, is the dimmer switch. This simple device can transform the feeling and appearance of a space instantly. It adds atmosphere, mood, and transition to every room. Dimmers have an added benefit of increasing lamp life, ensuring that various kinds of light can be controlled separately and minimizing energy consumption.

3. Contemplate on contrast

Even though a room might have a strictly neutral color palette, there could be a lot of dimension and intrigue in it because of all the contrasting materials and interesting textures. For instance, in a living room with linen furniture, light floors and white walls, a black iron can add the needed contrast to the space. The black iron can pair well with the atrial elements in the room and add depth as well as drama simultaneously. This is the idea of Anissa Zajac, the lead designer and CEO of House Seven Design.

4. Consider the way you use the room

Torie Wilkinson, an interior designer with Klaus and Heidi advises property owners to consider how they intend to use a particular room at different times of the day or for different purposes when choosing lighting. For example, a family meal and an intimate dinner require entirely different atmospheres. Wilkinson recommends laying the lighting so that you can take away or add easily to give a room maximum flexibility throughout the year.

5. Get lights that are proportional to a room

Gwen Hefner, an interior designer at The Makerista, advises property owners to get lights that are neither too large nor too small for the room and furniture in a particular space. You can use infographics on Pinterest as a guide or talk to an interior designer to find the perfect sized fixture for your space.

Choosing the right lighting for your home or business requires planning and thoughtfulness. If you are a beginner who needs some advice or you are in the process of transforming various aspects of lighting in your property, the tips and ideas above will be useful.

Credit Guest Article: Holly Clark

Author bio:

Holly Clark is a freelance writer currently curating content for Apex Electric. When Holly is not researching and writing she loves nothing more than heading out into the country for some downtime.