Lighting Options: Creating the Ultimate Home Ambiance with the Right Lighting

Lighting is an extremely important element in creating the right ambiance for your home, whether you are building a new one from scratch or updating your current residence. Lighting sets the overall mood of the room, while also having a myriad of practical applications to consider in the design process. There are four types of lighting to consider: ambient, task, decorative, and accent, and one fixture can often serve multiple purposes. Angelia Moon of Moon Interiors, an interior design firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, has some tips for getting the most out of your lighting fixtures. 

Pick the Correct Size and Scale 

The size of a fixture has a huge impact on how the lighting fits into the room it is illuminating. Having lighting that is too big for the space can result in the area looking washed out or sterile.If the fixture is too small, the room may appear way too dark.  

To find the correct size fixture, Angelia suggests the following, “If you are unsure about what size fixture to purchase, we like to use a general rule of thumb.  Measure the length and width of the room, then add those two numbers together and convert the total to inches. For example, if your room is 10 feet by 10 feet the fixture should be 20 inches wide.”

Evaluate Whether To Use Direct or Indirect Lighting 

Direct lighting and indirect lighting have very different effects on a room and knowing when it makes sense to choose one over the other in a specific space is important. According to Angelia, “Direct lighting is when the majority of the light spread falls on a specific area or location such as kitchens, bathrooms, and closets. This is used for detailed tasks and productive activities. Indirect lighting spreads light outside one target object and illuminates a room without casting a harsh light beam. This is important to create ambiance and adds an overall brightness of a space.”  When selecting light fixtures for a particular room, think about what will be used in that space and find fixtures that fit your needs for that use. 

Cool vs Warm Bulbs 

There is a significant difference between cool and warm light, which has a huge impact on the ambiance in any space. Angelia mentions that “Cooler bulbs are much brighter because of their lumen output and should only be used in areas that need a great deal of illumination. Warmer bulbs are much softer and are well suited to most spaces in our homes including living rooms and bedrooms.” Warm bulbs are a great choice for areas of the home that you want to appear inviting and cozy, while cool bulbs are ideal for rooms like the office or kitchen that should be well-lit for tasks that require attention to detail. 

The overall vibe of your home is highly impacted by the lighting fixtures throughout. Picking the correct size fixture for the room, evaluating whether direct lighting or indirect lighting is the best fit for an area, and choosing cool or warm bulbs when appropriate are a few things to consider for optimizing the best lighting for your home. 

Moon Interiors is a locally-owned interior design firm located in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are passionate about providing a highly customized design experience for every project, no matter how large or small. With a staff of interior designers working together for more than 20 years, they pride themselves on providing a level of service that is unparalleled. Their dedicated design professionals work with our clients to identify their specific decorating needs in order to help them achieve their goals.