Lighting design for Your Home
Lighting our homes, and specifically our interiors, is an art that holds two fronts. On the surface you have the artistic design on the lighting fixture itself. Beautiful sculptures in their own right, the beauty they offer a space does not cease when turned off. Considerations should be taken on how these fixtures communicate with other design choices you’ve made.
I often use the liberty a modern light fixture can offer in a period home.
The much more abstract offering is of the lighting design itself. Just like any other medium, light can be used alone and in combination with what is around it to create landscapes of lights and shadows. What I often refer to as the drama of the space, lighting, and even the absence of it, sets the tone every. single. time.
Before we dive into how to balance these many facets I believe a good understanding of terminology is essential in this modern world that offers so many new and exciting choices!
bulb lingo
Incandescent
If you're reading this, you probably remember growing up with this limiting option. Incandescent bulbs were the go to choice for anything residential. They were categorized using watts and offered a limiting yellow light. Times are changing, as we know and what was once thought to be the end all be all is archaic and being phased out of production.
So now what? There are now COUNTLESS options...but we’ll stick to the two most popular (at the moment) and the one’s you’ll probably use most often in your home.
CFL - Compact fluorescent light bulbs
These bulbs last about 10 times longer and use around 75% less energy than typical incandescent bulbs. However, they contain Mercury and are not as environmentally friendly as their LED counterparts. Think of them as a bridge between the incandescent and LED bulbs. Good… but there is better...
LED
The most prevalent bulbs in residential homes LED is the granddaddy at the moment. LED bulbs are breaking ground and have immense range in their lumens and kelvins and even now there is even a rechargeable bulb that will stay lit even without power (mind blown!)
WATTS
Kelvin units are universal while their ‘descriptive names’ are not
Used most often in relation to defining an incandescent bulb ‘watts’ are the unit measuring the amount of energy a light bulb produces. Although closely related to the relative brightness “watts” do not directly determine the brightness that is achieved, especially in modern more energy efficient options. The same ‘brightness’ can be achieved using far fewer ‘watts’. For example, a 60 W incandescent Bulb produces 900 lm, which now can be achieved by a 15 W CFL/LED Bulb.
LUMENS
A lumen is a measurement of light output or brightness. The brighter you want the light, the higher the lumens. Easy, right? This may seem easy to understand but manufacturers often will use both ‘watts’ (consumer familiarity) and lumens on packaging. Remembering that lumens is how we measure the brightness will especially come into play when considering the next variant...
KELVINS
Ok, so back in the archaic days of incandescent bulbs, the ‘temperature’ was limited to a warm white, which cast an orange glow. Most similarly to candle light, this ‘traditional’ temperature for lighting was nice but now…. there are so many options, the sky's the limit. But with more options there is more confusion. A Kelvin is a universal unit to measure the temperature of the light admitted. A good understanding of their values is essential as manufacturers ‘names’ are not universal and could be misleading. The lower the Kelvin the ‘warmer’ or more orange the light, and the higher the Kelvin, the ‘cooler’ or more blue the light is.
2700K – Soft White, Warm White
3000K – Bright White, Soft White
4000K – Pure White, Cool White
5000K – Daylight, Cool White, Crystal White
When choosing a bulb now pay attention to Lumens and Kelvins. These two units of measurement will ensure that you're selecting the correct bulb for your desired effect
Layering your light
When I am designing a room I generally include 3-4 lighting sources. This layering allows for a more complex and interesting story. Like much else with lighting, your decisions should be rooted in the functional needs of the light as well as the artistic interest the light, and fixture provides. Focus on ensuring your spaces include, at minimum, the following:
Ambient lighting*
This is often your overhead lighting. Not only does this provide lighting for the space on a broader scale the dominance in the space requires the fixture to tell a story. This is an opportunity to make a statement. I’ve seen sleek modern fixtures juxtaposed to the intricate detail of a coffered ceiling swoon. I’ve also worked with chandeliers that drip in crystals, casting glorious shadows throughout the space. Whichever you choose, make sure you consider its relationship to what is going on in the space as a whole.
*I am OBSESSED with adding a dimmer to this lighting source especially.
Task lighting
Lamps would broadly fit into this category and I find the majority of spaces benefit from having at least one. From a functional perspective it is often necessary to provide concentrated lighting at a counter or desktop. However, in addition to the function lamps are incredible at providing interesting pockets of light below the overhead lighting source, creating intimate moments throughout your space.
Accent lighting
The most fun right? Accent lighting is often used to illuminate objects in your space from a purely artistic perspective. Think uplighting of a sculpture, or the wall washing from spotlights along the perimeter of the room. Accent lighting is an opportunity to provide depth within your space and should be taken advantage of whenever possible!
Lighting Your Historical Home
Forbes and Lomax - This Week’s Featured Artist
With the many options available in today’s lighting industry it is important to understand the correct implementation for your historic home. A period home can withstand both traditional and modern fixtures. In fact, I am obsessed with very sleek fixtures in an older home! The majority of concern lies in getting the light there. In other words, finding an electrician who isn’t afraid to go fishing (through plaster walls that is).
Plot existing lights
It’s no secret that simply replacing a light is often ideal, especially in an older home, by plotting where your sources currently exist and looking for ways to work within your ‘lighting footprint’ will save immense time and save you a few headaches.
Find a Good Electrician
The majority of trades working in today’s industry primarily work on new construction so finding someone well versed, comfortable and capable of working with old walls and fixtures takes time. However, when you’ve found your golden goose the possibilities our endless!
Let go of limits
The fact is lighting fixtures are the equivalent to furniture. They may be viewed as a more permanent decision but, as long as care is taken in their installation the fixture (and even switch plates) can be changed out with little effort. Use this freedom to be bold and try something you never thought possible.
…You may surprise yourself