Lighting up a bright new look for your home
Replacing a bulb or fixture can rejuvenate the look and feel of any room
In the arena of home renovations, knocking down walls, laying new flooring and customizing modern kitchens and bathrooms rank high on many homeowners’ to-do list. But what if there was a simpler way to dramatically overhaul your space?
“When it comes to updating your home, lighting is an area commonly overlooked during the renovation and redesign process, but it’s one of the most important updates a home can have,” says Alykhan Velji, principal designer at Alykhan Velji Designs in Calgary.
“The key is layering light with multiple levels and intensities of illumination so light can filter throughout a space. Most people just live with the fixtures that came with their home, or the ones that are ‘builder basic,’ but replacing them can play a huge role in changing the look of your home’s interior.”
Here’s how to give your abode a lighting facelift, room by room:
For the kitchen Good function necessitates good lighting — especially in a task-oriented kitchen, says Velji. Once proper general, ambient lighting above the sink, oven, island and anywhere else requiring extra brightness has been established, focus on incorporating task and accent lighting fixtures to add warmth and style into the space.
Under-cabinet options are great for illuminating areas prone to minimal light and bold pendants over islands or tables boost brightness while highlighting these areas of interest.
Want to dial up your kitchen lighting prowess? Velji suggests pairing decorative lighting, such as wallmounted sconces, with open shelving or placing a statement-making pendant light above your sink.
For the dining and living room While recessed lights remain the fix- tures of choice in many homes, alternative options abound. Modern track lighting can be customized to act as a flood light, spotlight or down light and is available in a variety of contemporary styles and finishes.
Pendant lights and decorative chandeliers are chic and offer sweeping illumination to a room, while sconces help fill a space with warm accent lighting and look lovely over a mantel or while flanking a fireplace.
Floor and table lamps create a warm ambience, sending light up, down and out while acting as an accessory. A skylight offers a dramatic way to bring natural daylight into a space.
For the bathroom When brightening rooms that often lack natural light, choosing fixtures that produce bold illumination is paramount.
Task lighting should be providing the bulk of the light in a bathroom, says Velji, as it’s essential for applying makeup, shaving and performing other grooming-related tasks.
He suggests wall sconces with clear or opaque glass shades — mount them at eye level above or on either side of your sink to prevent overhead lighting shadows — as well as ambient and accent fixtures, such as a decorative chandelier or in-mirror lighting, to create layers of warmth in the room.
For the bedroom Though it may seem like the room least likely to require good lighting, don’t overlook your bedroom’s need for brightening. Velji recommends a decorative overhead ceiling-mount fixture to illuminate the space, adding that its size and shape should fall in line with that of the room.
Keep bulbs to the lower-watt variety and install the all-important dimmer switch to control room brightness from day to night, he says.
Round out the space by adding interesting bedside lamps or stylish low-hanging pendants for reading and to help with mood lighting.