Lighting our homes is something a lot of us take for granted. Gone are the days where our only way of safely making it through the house at night time was by finding a candle or lantern and carrying it with you wherever you went. Modern lighting has changed our lives in a significant way by taking out the risk of fire and adding safety and security from the darkness. What we often overlook however is the impact that lighting makes in our homes, and how we can change it.
With many recent advances in the humble light globe and a variety of styles to choose from, it’s now easier than ever to come up with a custom lighting design for your new home. However, this increase in options means we need to take a step back and plan our new home’s lighting design to get it right the first time.
Planning the feel of your new home
When planning a lighting design for your home, the first thing to consider is what the purpose of each room will be. Bright lights work well for bathrooms but are not so good at setting the mood at a dinner table or home theatre. You want the room’s lighting to complement its purpose.
We can start by looking at not only the type of light we need – whether it be to suit a task, to accent or for ambience – but also how it will be presented. Task lighting, as its name implies, is for when we need to achieve certain tasks. These tasks can include providing a solid source of light for a home office or the safety of a well-lit garden path. Ambient lighting is used in different ways throughout the home and is used to set the mood. Finally, accent lighting is used to help draw attention to elements of your home and to add your personal touch. Getting your lighting design right will help you easily set the feeling of “home”, making settling into your new home a breeze. It all comes down to a combination of the types of lights used and the fixtures we use with them.
Putting the plan together
In looking at the different types of lighting available, it’s difficult to look past LED lighting. Having come a long way from its humble beginnings as an indicator light, LEDs have proven to be an incredibly versatile and efficient source of luminescence. The efficiency of an LED light comes from the fact that there is very little light lost in comparison to other lighting types. Almost all of the energy that goes into an LED is emitted as light, meaning they need less power to run, which leads to lower electricity bills. Coupled with this is not only an ability to be dimmed like a conventional light globe, but the possibility of easily providing light in a variety of colours. It is this adaptability that makes an LED suitable for all three lighting types.
With a light source selected, we can now turn our attention to how we want to present it. In today’s market, there is a wide variety of different fixtures available that will allow you to give your home a unique look. Whether it’s a bold industrial looking rail over a kitchen bench top, or a row of wall mounted uplights to give your home theatre a touch of class, there is bound to be a lighting option that can be used to express your personality and can be programmed to suit whatever your needs may be. Whether it’s the added safety from hallway lights that come on when the smoke alarm triggers, or setting the mood with a dimmer controlled by your smartphone, the possibilities are endless.
For some helpful advice when planning a lighting design for your new home, we invite you to get in touch with the experienced team at Everest Electrical today on 0410 229 139.