To create a cohesive lighting plan for your home, consider the specifics of each room, the lighting functions each fixture needs to perform, and the unique lighting requirements of each area. Lighting is a priority as it can enhance your home’s design and pull the design together. To choose the right fixtures, start by making a list of the fixtures you need and taking a walk through your home to determine where and what kind you need. Ideally, fixtures should be selected as part of the design phase.
A decorative lighting plan is the process of pulling together unique, cohesive, and interesting light fixtures into a home in a way that looks cohesive. The three main factors to balance out are budget, finish, and style/size. Master the art of coordinating light fixtures with our informative website.
In the third step in lighting your decorating project, choose your fixtures. Now that you know where the different lights will be placed and what function they’ll serve, determine what style of light makes functional sense for the particular area and whether or not the light bulb should be used. By following these tips, you can tackle the rest of your lighting project with ease.
📹 Interior Design Tips: Consistency in Lighting
When I asked, “What do you struggle with the most?” when it comes to designing your home, the most common response was.
How to choose lighting design?
When planning living room lighting, consider six factors: layered lighting, installing dimmers, using energy-efficient fixtures, selecting the right bulb, and paying attention to placement. The right light can brighten the room, add glamour, or create a cozy setting for lounging. Arjun Rathi, lighting designer and founder of Arjun Rathi Design, suggests three main types of lighting for the living room: ambient lighting, which sets the tone of the space and provides overall illumination, natural light, spotlights, and fixed wall lights, and recessed ceiling lighting, which distributes light evenly across the room. These tips can help create a bright and comfortable living room.
How do I choose the right fixtures?
When choosing lighting fixtures for your home, consider the room’s size and layout, layer your lighting (ambient, task, and accent), choose the right color temperature (2700K – 3000K) for a cozy atmosphere, and choose cooler temperatures (3500K – 4100K) for task-oriented spaces. Pay attention to the fixture’s style and material, and opt for LED bulbs or fixtures for energy efficiency.
Top 5 lighting fixtures from Favorite Brands include the Carrie LED Portable Lamp, which adds warmth and style to any room or outdoor space, and the Arum Wall Lamp, which offers both style and functionality. The lamp’s off-white matte interior provides a soft and uniform light, and the lampshade can be adjusted to provide the perfect light setting for any occasion. Both lamps come with a wall bracket for easy wall-mounting. By following these tips, you can create a well-designed and functional lighting scheme for your home.
How do I choose a timeless light fixture?
To create a timeless home, consider neutral colors and metallics, with finishes that align with your personal style. Choose shades that can be swapped out without replacing the entire fixture, such as clear glass or fabric shades. For a more timeless look, stick to neutral or earth-tone colors. Consider using classic and neutral permanent fixtures, and experiment with plug-in lights that can be easily moved or replaced when out of style. Ultimately, the key to creating a comfortable and luxurious home is creating a sense of comfort and luxury.
Do professional painters remove light fixtures?
The interior painting basics include preparing 2-3 rooms for the first day, removing all pictures, paintings, unwanted nails, small and fragile objects, clean out closets/cabinets, and windows treatments. The hourly rate is $44/hr. Payment is requested based on progress and final payment is due the day the job is completed. A check is required for the foreman to collect upon completion. If paying by credit card, the hotline is 484-380-5612. If the issue is not resolved, the client should call a second time. The company is happy to do this work for an additional fee.
Do you paint before or after fixtures?
The correct order to paint a room is to start with the ceiling, work your way down, and clean the ceiling before painting. Clean, fill holes, sand, and mask fixtures and fittings to protect them. Paint around fixtures first before cutting in around the ceiling. Introduce a roller with a pole to minimize time using a step or ladder.
Start painting the walls at the top, cut in around edges, cover fixtures with tape, and begin painting in a vertical direction using a zig-zag pattern. Finish with windows, doors, and skirting boards to ensure a fresh finish. Sand cracks and tape off where wall and skirting meet, then apply two coats of gloss, satin, or eggshell paint. Remove the tape and paint doors/window sills in the morning to allow sufficient time for drying.
What order should decorating be done?
When decorating a room, it is essential to start with a plan, which involves making structural changes such as adding or removing a fireplace, windows, or partitions, adding or changing fixings and fittings, painting the ceiling, and painting or papering the walls. To make the best decisions, it is crucial to work things through in your head and on paper first. A budget and plan should be the first steps in the decorating process, with the budget being the most important factor. If financial constraints are a significant part of the project, the budget should be the first step, setting the amount you can spend while factoring in a buffer for the unexpected.
Do painters remove light switches?
Prior to painting a room, our professional painters ensure a pristine finish by meticulously removing switch plates and outlet covers.
How do I choose decorative lights?
Choosing the right size and color of decorative lights is crucial for a well-designed space. Choose lights that complement the room’s proportions and complement the existing decor. The color and material of the lights can also impact the design, with brass and gold adding warmth and chrome or silver conveying a modern feel. Energy-efficient LED fixtures offer versatility and longevity, making them an ideal choice for creating a comfortable and stylish ambiance.
Should you paint before or after lighting?
Choose lighting before wall color as it significantly affects the color you choose. Many homeowners fall in love with a paint color and work their entire room around it. However, it’s easier to choose furnishings and fabrics first and then match them to the paint color. Large-scale furniture, secondary seating, drapery, accessories, and lighting should be chosen first. After these, find paint colors for walls and trim that work well. This makes the process of selecting the right paint color easier and more efficient.
Do you remove light fixtures before painting?
Professional home painters often avoid removing exterior light fixtures during the painting process, preferring to mask and cover each light before applying paint. This ensures no damage or unwanted paint jobs, allowing homeowners to enjoy a freshly painted home. Masking garage lights instead of removing them is preferred for several reasons, including preventing damage to stucco, electrical liabilities, and damage to light fixtures themselves.
This prevents homeowners from experiencing paint damage and allows them to enjoy a freshly painted home. Despite the seemingly counterintuitive approach, professional painters still use this method to ensure a safe and efficient painting process.
What are the rules for lighting artwork?
To ensure the longevity of your art collection, avoid displaying it in direct sunlight, as ultraviolet and infrared radiation can cause fading. Directly facing the artwork to protect it from heat damage is also important. Avoid fluorescent lighting. Proper lighting can significantly impact the effect of a work of art, whether it’s a focal point or a subtle highlight. By following these three simple lighting tips, your artwork will always be cast in the best light possible, ensuring its safety and optimal enjoyment for years to come.
📹 Biggest Lighting Mistakes and How to Fix Them
In this video, I go over the top 5 common lighting mistakes that I see and how to fix them! We are discussing boob lights, color …
Hey all! Just wanted to clarify that brightness doesn’t mean colour temperature and I should have made that clearer in the article! So when I am saying to avoid the 5000k light bulbs that is addressing the amount of cool, blue light from the bulb. I’m not saying you have to have warm and dim lighting – just the opposite! Add lots of different layers of lighting to create a bright, interesting space that is easy on the eyes and allows you to utilize your space effectively! 💡
I literally just went into my bedroom, took off the light cover and there’s a switch where you can do 3000, 4000, and 5000… I switched it from 5000 aka hospital to 3000… aka normal bedroom. I thought the higher the number the brighter it was going to be! It looks way better now. Great advice, Nick!
I personally prefer the higher kelvin light bulbs for my bedroom. I often times, especially during the winter, find myself dealing with symptoms of depression and the energizing, daylight feel of these bulbs helps with that. It also helps me when I need to work on assignments for my university courses, since my only workspace is in my bedroom. I do have a window that can be used as a source of natural light, but it doesn’t really reach to my desk and when the weather is not ideal it actually causes more darkness and depressive symptoms. I try to balance the energization out by keeping the high kelvin bulbs in the ceiling fan and the low kelvin bulbs in the lamp on my nightstand, this way I can just switch to the lamp at night when I want to relax and go to sleep.
The tip on swapping builder-grade lighting to something more fitting for our spaces is the best! My house was filled with the semi-rounded peculiar-looking light that you have pointed out in your articles. Pulling them down and adding lighting of my choosing has elevated my spaces and lifted my mood! Lighting is art!
For color temp it can be really really nice to get color changing bulbs for this! I have them throughout the house on timers that change the color temp throughout the day. So if I want the lights on in the morning it’ll be nice and daylight bright and then in the evening it will be warm and cozy. Really the best way to go about it because warm lights can sometimes feel really weird in the middle of the day
Ahh you are just so amazing. I swear you are that one person, that everyone wants to be friends with. You have such a fun down to earth demeanor. It’s definitely refreshing. I look forward to your articles everytime they come out! Maybe one day you could do a meet and greet. Even better decorate my new home with me even if it’s only on zoom or something! 😊 much love to you! ✌🏽💛🤍
Another advantage! I got rid of all the “one light in the center” and installed tiny recessed fixtures that focus on the wall. Reflected light is nicer than direct light. Immediately (and I had not realized this) the room suddenly looked much larger! Most of the “cans” are specifically directed to artwork or a reflective wall … also the light itself does not “hit you in the face” when you enter the room. All of this was not planned … but, I “got it my accident.” Putting the recessed lights at the periphery of the room make small rooms look larger.
i feel like the lighting layers is missing the “i need to see shit”-lighting. it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon in winter where i live and if i clean after work or i’m looking for something, it’s going to be dark. i guess it falls under task lighting but sometimes the task requires the whole room to be bright
We moved into our new home and the lighting was so dim and yellow you couldn’t appreciate any of the colors or even see some areas that really needed improvement. We replaced all fixtures with more modern fixtures and put in 60-100w daylight bulbs which brightened up the whole place. I do think the kind of lighting you get makes a difference. For example, exposed bulbs vs the bulbs being behind a nice shade that diffuses and softenss the bright light. I did put a warmer-toned light bulb in the lamps on our entryway table for a cozier light when I want it.
Nick, I know I’m a little late to the mark, I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear that you were flooded out of your apt. You SO do NOT deserve that!!! I’m glad you’re home again and wish you THE BEST (of everything). I love this website and all it’s content and your delivery is fabulous. THANK YOU!
This article should be in the billions everyone needs to see this, …it’s amazing how you some this up Dimmers I think I rely too much on dimmers and I’m not separating lighting between task and and ambient to accent Something should be said about creating shadows to accent a room through spotlights. your article Assembles so much that it’s hard to be critical of what you have done.
I am so glad I came across this article! I originally looked up how to change boob light fixtures. I am a renter and my boob light just went out and I refuse to get on a ladder to put a new bulb in… I already don’t like the fact that its a boob light 🥴 So I needed to know how to change it out for something better and I suck at designing 😅 Thank you for making this article, it was very helpful in many ways I didn’t expect! About to binge your other articles now!
Point #1 is really important! I’m a professional electrician and during my apprenticeship I did a whole semester of lighting design. I still managed to mess up when selecting fixtures! I bought a bunch of puck lights with 5 selectable color temps and they worked out great, but I didn’t even check the color temp or color rendering index (CRI) rating of my LED statement fixtures 😕. I went with a deep plum purple paint color in my dining room, and 2500-2700K would be great but my 3200K fixture made it look like a very purple horror-movie torture dungeon
Thanks! Wow, I was looking for just this article about a month ago! I finally gave up, but this one wasn’t too late since I procrastinate on a lot of stuff and hadn’t done anything yet about my awful lighting. I think the biggest mistake I made was thinking “daylight” meant “natural” meant “good”. I see some bulb buying in my future as a first step.
Thanks Nick! Crappy lighting has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time and I think I have it figured out in most of my home. However I struggle with the stairwell area. It get little to no natural light, the stairs are steep so even though I have high ceilings I can’t have anything dangling, and European solid brick construction means I can’t put pot lights unless I break everything down… So flush mounted lights it is, but I don’t like them. Maybe I just need to reconcile myself with the fact that it is what it is, task lighting for the stairs, and accept that. 🤷♀️
I was hoping if you could do a article on decor pieces/ arrangements that work for every season? I often wonder how you in your home incorporate the season or holidays (besides Christmas) in a way that makes your space look interesting. I’m talking about coffee table decor/side tables, shelving units etc. How about plants? I love your articles and they have helped me so much. Thank you
Ha ha ! Nick you said the magic words that so many people need to hear ….”I give you permission TO LET IT GO” !!! 🙌🙌🙌 When people ask me for design help and I go over to take a look, right off I see the big red thumb sticking out of place and ask, why is this here ? They start squirming…left and right…after a few minutes they admit they like the piece, but they’re fighting with themselves to make it work. I ask them to go upstairs and then move the eye sore into the next room, tweek some other things and kaboom 🌟…happy decor ! Ask the owner back in and they love it….then admit, they don’t need it. Where I add, just not in this room….ya have several other places to put it. That’s all a lot of people need, permission. Thanks for another great informative article… Nick, you are the master !
in our MCM home the only ‘middle of the room’ light is the dining room and we had have it installed. in the bedrooms is a fixture over the light switch not a plug across the room, fixtures and accent lamps are the answer. spotlights are advanced for most but with experiment and a (HINT)professional guide it can enhance a space greatly. Thanks for These!!
When it comes to choosing the type/warmth of light for my rooms, I basically gave up 🙂 To get around this, I bought a cheap Alexa Dot device and some super cheap color changing China knock off smart bulbs. I do love the results from this. I just plug in the bulbs and tinker with both the presets for ‘warm light/soft white/daylight’ until I find a brightness that works best for my space. More expensive than just grabbing an off the shelf bulb, but really worth it (for me anyways) to get the brightness, shade, and hue of the light exactly to my preference. All of this at a still very affordable price. And being able to dim said bulbs, or change to even more extreme colors for special occasions made this a great option for me. Just something you may wish to explore.
I love the option of color temperature changing light bulbs! I’m one who loves the brightest whites when I need to be able to see what I’m doing, but I also love the warmer tones for winding down in the evening. Currently, I live in a tiny, dark condo with not only NO lights on the ceiling (other than the kitchen) and very inadequate electric outlets, but also inadequate electric service. I’m looking forward to the day I can get out of here and into a place better suited for me.
You gave the boob light as an example of what not to do but I find they are often used because the ceiling is low and they are a good option that stays out of the way. The example you provided as replacements were things to hang over tables and stuff. Would love to see some flush lighting examples you’d recommend!
Color temperature is a very objective choice. So, the color you choose is the one you like. There is no wrong color choice except those made without actually caring or understanding color temperature. Soft or low color temperatures may look warm, but can also give the impression of old and dingy painted spaces in some applications.
What color is the paint behind you? It’s a beautiful white! BTW, first time I’m commenting so I’m just seeing how organized your page is, time stamps & chapters, great links…WOW!!! I’ve never seen such a well thought out, organized YouTube page, you’re a pro, kudos! Now I’ve gotta go change my boob lights in the basement bedrooms that I never noticed 😊
I have several boob lights in my 80s built home. I haven’t yet remodeled the oak builder grade kitchen cabinets or the vinyl tile flooring ….saving $$ for it! Can I pick my fixtures to replace the boob lights now? Or would it be better to wait for a color scheme and textures etc. of the new kitchen and flooring…when we remodel sometime in a year or 2??
THANK YOU. So many people forget how lighting is important and how it can make a huge difference in your space even if you don’t have your dream decorated and renovated home. I can’t stand white/blue light! That is honestly the first thing I notice when entering someone’s house and I feel so unconfortable if the lighting is not warm.
Nick! I am so happy that I have found you and your thorough discussion of home decoration. I have spent days perusal your articles, haven’t gotten to the end of them, and I have learned so much. You cover everything I need to know. You answer each question I have been agonizing over for ages. I agree with every one of your suggestions. Talk about advice! Wow! I don’t have words to express how thrilled I am with your knowledge and the fact that you willingly share it. It’s as if you are right in my house answering each individual question and putting my mind at ease. Thank you over and over again!
Ahh, okay. I was coming to comment because I too took your brightness comments as “your lighting must be warm or else it’s lame,” which hurt my feelings haha. I can’t stand yellowy light in my home because if I’m in it for any length of time, it makes me so sleepy! BUT now I see your pinned comment and that makes sense. Yes I don’t want “blue” glaring light but I do prefer brighter ~3500 to 4000(ish)K in my home. Yes, 5000-6000 is way too much haha. I think a main thing is to keep it consistent! When I walk in somewhere and the light temperatures are all over the place–a really old yellowy bulb here, then a bluish light overhead, and a florescent in the kitchen…eww, David. It makes a home feel cheap to me.
Thank you for this article – I recently moved and using lighting to create rooms within rooms is next on my list. I have a couple of big statement plants so will be using plant friendly spotlights with timers on them. Also there is a stunning inherited antique chandelier (19th century majolica, w full chrystals) that while not providing enough light needs to be lit up as a focal point in the otherwise Scandi-boho kitchen/dining room. I’m considering adding a small, narrow beam spotlight just to enhance the majolica enamels, and keep the rest of the room muted and clean lined. And I have a yearning for Ikea’s everdal floor+tablelamps, w bluetooth dimmers, to add to a sleek calm look
Great article, Nick, you’ve explained a lot of issues regarding lighting that were seriously doing my head in. I’ve been struggling for years to get the ambiance just right and never could find out what I’m doing wrong. Do you have any tips regarding the size of ceiling light in relation to the size of the room? I’ve never been able to figure it out, always picking lamps too large or too small. Thanks in advance.
Great article👏👏👏👏! There’s a lot of wrong out there! I Hate Hate Hate harsh spot lights when right above sink mirrors in restaurant or pub toilets. Makes it very difficult for us ladies to fix our makeup and makes us look horrendous with big shadows under our eyes. We have electrician grade Beam Me Up Scotty lights in our bathrooms, I have got used to them apart from our little shower room. Hubby tried putting yellowish/orange film grade (that they use for lighting effects in movies) over them but it then changes the colour of the white tiles. I have a beautiful vintage style Jim Lawrence Cheltenham Wall Light, but doesn’t give enough light on its own and fades into the background when ceiling Beam Me Up is on. Electrician wasn’t keen on putting spots in the shower areas. Would have been perfect location of the room. Can understand why he didn’t want it over shower area (water ingress) but then I see this done a lot?
I work at a cocktail bar in MB and we had a super dark bar, painted red and brown with the warmest low lighting (and north facing to boot). We persuaded the owners to paint the walls a soft, light grey and the smart bulbs are coming next. Sure, you want a space to be moody but that doesn’t need to solely mean “dark”. There’s an incredible restaurant in Minneapolis called Spoon & Stable which does big, airy, light and industrial yet still manages to feel cozy and warm (despite being mostly off-white, grey, concrete and metal). So gorgeous.
I am a photographer and lighting is so important. My husband was lighting designer at Corcoran Art Gallery and won awards for his lighting. He has helped me so much that I have had photos in an international presentation in Morocco. Heaven forbid I come home with the wrong light even for outside lighting. I pay attention because that 48 miles round trip for a light bulb is not fun if I have to make a second trip.
Fabulous article! Everything was spot on! I have 8 chandeliers in my home..wall sconces…pendant..pot light..small mini table lamps..you name it I got and it’s on a dimmer 🤩…lighting is so so important in a home for that warm and welcoming ambiance. If I see any LED blue lights in your house you can bet I bringing warm white bulbs to your house warming party!
Nick, number 1 lighting mistake nowadays is the huge number of ceiling pot lights put into ceilings of old houses. Building code? Builders/renovators showing us their bad taste? There are six of them in most rooms in my 1910 colonial revival house. Some monster removed the old ceiling chandeliers to put these in. It makes me cry. I never use these lights but they are still there. The ceiling looks like it has acne. Thoughts on a fix? False ceiling? Draped fabric Covering up the rows if lights. This travesty is being done in most old houses here in California. Help! Could not upload a picture but you probably know what i mean
I do want to switch out my builder grade lights, but I’m having a difficult time picking lights that are different but go together because it is a very open floor plan—four light fixtures in the open space each serving a different area. Do light fixtures have family sets so you don’t have to guess at what looks good together? Great article as always!
If this helps, “soft white” is pretty much the color of the incandescent bulbs we grew up with. “Bright white” is excellent for reading and I personally think it works best throughout the house. I agree with Nick regarding “daylight” bulbs. Sterile and ugly, but perfect for a utility room or workshop.
My preference is 3000k on a dimmer. It’s excellent for “productivity” when you need to get stuff done and also great for relaxation when slightly dimmed … all without giving the sterile hospital vibe. 2700k is too warm for my tastes. With that being said, I’ve been using Philips Hue colour bulbs in my living room and office and they are amazing. Creating unique lighting schemes has a huge impact on the vibe in the room.
Thanks for the informative article! We live in Oslo and bought a new apartment and here they don’t come with lights 🙈Just outlets or electrical connections for where lights would go. At first I found this annoying, but we had so much fun shopping around for interesting light fixtures that made our place more cozy and comfortable! #scandinavia
I have a friend, she moved into a new build home and I previously told her make sure you don’t put white lights in your chandeliers 😩 I said bc white day light bulbs will make your house feel like a hospital or a call centre lol and what did she install in her house 🤦🏻♀️ all over day light 💡 ugh 😫 thanks for the article I hope others will listen
I would add the lighting mistake of forgetting to consider movement/reflective objects. The quickest example is you buy a ceiling fan with a light on it and the light fixture is ABOVE the fan fixture, therefore making weird shadows when the fan is off and a dizzying, seizer inducing spinning room sensation. But that’s not limited to ceiling fans, it also is related to stand-alone fans and mirrors and glass and other light-reflecting objects that can be a distraction with just a single poorly positioned light. I have a bathroom makeup mirror and I have to put it on the floor because of the way it reflects either off my ceiling fan or my desk light, especially when it’s on its magnetized side and it gets really trippy depending on what light is on.
Currently still living in my dad’s old doctors office (half-basement) and it only has this fluorescent tube lights that even make a buzz noise when they’re turned on. Absolutely terrible, I never use them, but only my standing lights with smart bulbs that I can change from warm to cool (pro tip btw). I never changed the ceiling lights cause I didn’t think l‘d love their for long, but then my master‘s took way longer than I expected and when I finally graduated, COVID hit and I gotta do home office anyways. Swallow the pill and staying there for now, saving almost all the money I earn to hopefully buy my own place in the near future.
This topic is actually super culturally variable. I have observed that many people in the tropics seem to prefer the cooler “daylight” bulbs at home, and an Italian friend of mine is who spent three years in North America is utterly horrified that there are rarely central overhead lights in our living rooms.
Oh no, we just installed some “boob” lights (never heard them called that before and now can’t unsee it 🙈) to replace the really ugly fixtures from the 80s that came with the house. Oh well, I’m not a designer, and they are still a huge improvement. What sort of lighting is good in a kitchen? My husband just replaced the awful florescent fixture with track lighting, but the new bulbs are really warm. I guess I’m used to the terrible florescent lighting!
I am super guilty 🙋🏼♀️ of having the 5K and 6K inside and out of my house. My husband and I truly dislike the ambiance 2k-3k color lighting but of course, we completely understand and know that what we have is not “correct” in the interior design world. All my outdoor (even the pathway to my front door) is all “white/blue” lighting lol. Nick, if possible could you make a article with modern and contemporary DIFFERENT light fixtures within an open floor plan first floor of a house? Is it too risky to use different color modern styles light fixtures within the same space? Ty
I think when I get my own place I think what I’ll do is have the main light be more daylight type light and then have the lamps be a warmer light for at night to have a cosy vibe and to relax. During the day if it is darker I want to stay awake and so daylight lights would be perfect for that. Plus if I’m hosting I don’t think you want people falling asleep on you
I asked an electrician to quote for switching out a pot light I can’t reach for an updated recessed light, putting in pendant lights over my kitchen island, and adding some more recessed lights in my adjoining family room. He came over and told me pendants would make the space “too busy,” adding that I should take out the pendant over my kitchen table, as well. (I’d chosen and installed that light, myself, so no.) He’s then quoted for his own design, forgetting all about the first light, and ignoring my request for pendants over the island. He came over with his friend, who’d be installing crown moulding to conceal the wires needed for the new recessed lights. The friend is a house painter. He couldn’t resist informing me that my walls are too dark, and he could paint the whole house for me, while he’s doing the trim. (I chose that colour and painted the entire house myself, by the way, so also no.) And then, when they were leaving, they let me know that the colour of my exterior trim is too bright, and he could repaint it for me, if I decided that I wanted my house to look really good. (I also chose that colour, and had it painted only last year. Another no.) So now I’m doing the rest of my lighting myself; thank you for your tactful advice and guidance!
I find that people have the work lighting in the kitchen! I think there is nothing worst then trying to work in badly light kitchen….. Oh and no light over the bath to shave. 😬the worse!!!…Also having a huge pendant in a too small space and having a to have a hook because your electric box is not in the right spot….I really could go on and on …I used to sell light fixtures and it drove me insane!!
that lighting is the most controversial thing I discussed with my friends. I’m an industrial designer, btw. My vision is not that good in dim light, and I do a lot of reading and writing. Therefore, that cozy, dim, yellow light space is not for me! I actually like cooler tones when I work. Of course, I switch to warmer tones when I casually chill, but people are so quick to judge me when they see a cool-toned light bulb in my place. I’m like “I CANNOT SEE ANYTHING OTHERWISE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE” 😀
Hay Nick, the UK, Oz and NZ we use “Watts” to determine the strength of light bulbs. Is in 40 watts, 60 watts, 80 watts, 100 watts, 120 and so on. Don’t understand your American way of determining lighting. Love your program, think you are a bit conservative though. Also have you thought about putting a center kitchen counter on wheels so it can be moved as situations arise. Obviously it can’t have a sink in it as you can’t move plumbing on a whim. Just saying….goodday and hope you are doing well xx
I dont entirely agree on the tip 1.. personally.. i hate yellow lighting.. it looks vintage, old and like i should b in old folks home.. 😳 i do like cooler blue light (6500K range) but agree it can feel cold in the house.. i have mostly 5000K lights, and Bright! Like 12-16000 lumens.. but i also have them for another reason.. they make fantastic grow lights for my umpteen plants.. and theyre only on during the day.. i like ur other points of the 3 types of lights and dimming.. so u could put a 5000K light in but then also have warmer lights round in the same room or dim the 5000k light so its more subtle.. 👍🏼👍🏼
I love to take walks when it’s dark outside so that I can see into people’s living rooms; just curious to see how they’re decorated. Anyway, I have found I get so depressed when seeing a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling as the only lighting in the room. I don’t understand how anyone could live that way. To me, that’s an object of torture.
My husband and I are purchasing our first home soon, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website! I was going to start saving some of your articles to a list, but then I realized I would end up saving all of your articles, so I may as well just bookmark your website. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions with us!
– My favourite lighting is 3000K downlights/pot lights with dichroic LED bulbs. This is the classy, cosy, halogen look but without the heat or power-sucking expense. 3000k is a nice warm white without being too yellow, and the dichroic bulb literally makes things *sparkle*. – I recently realized that one reason I’ve hated cool white/daylight globes is because people aren’t using enough of them in the room. Warm white still looks inviting at low brightness, but a cool white globe in the same situation feels cold, uninviting, and like someone’s dirty garage. The space needs to be practically as bright as a department store in order for cool white to look decent. That means no shadowy corners in the room. So if you’re gonna put daylight globes in your bathroom or kitchen, make it hell bright so it literally looks like daylight.
I feel attacked 😅 I love my daylight bulbs. My space is also full of cool coolers, so I feel it adds to how I enjoy my loving space. I leave to warm colored lighting to accents like candles and the like. I also just picked up 2 of the “boob” lights for $6 from a local thrift store because I’m cheap and it’ll look tons better than the spikey globe in my hall and globe that’s missing the glass in the kitchen lol But I also plan to eventually rent this house out, so I’m trying to keep things more simple and also plan to try and make it all match (everything was mismatched when I bought the house) so I plan to do a little DIY oil rubbed bronze finish to match my hardware that I have and will be upgrading to throughout the house. But very informative article, I guess our preferences just differ lol
Color temperature rules he uses are pretty close to correct. 5000k can and often is used in bathrooms, closets, work areas like craft rooms or workshops, basements and attics. 5000k will display color closest to noon on a sunny day outside. 3000-5000k are good for outside accent lighting, the temperature depends on the design and color of your house.
I prefer warmer around 3000k bulbs because they’re less straining on my eyes. I took a lighting class in college and one thing that stuck out to me is that the cooler bulbs make your brain think its day because of it resembling daylight so it makes it harder for you to sleep. Some other notes I took from class: accent lighting is amazing when designed right and do not use track lighting in kitchens 😂😂
Be really careful to make sure your dimmer and your bulbs work together. We got wall dimmers a decade+ ago, and now we need to take them out because there are no light bulbs that work with these dimmers anymore, they either flicker when they’re on or they can’t be turned off, ever! From what I hear this can also be dangerous, so it might be a good idea to ask an electrician what will work and what won’t.
Thanks, Nick, for all the great information. I just wanted to add that people who insist on having only very dim, warm, light akin to Victorian-era candle-light 24/7 are just as “unfriendly” in their lighting habits as people who blind you in the eyes with spotlights. Some of us don’t have great night vision due to age or illness. Trying to navigate a strange house in very dim light is dangerous (trip & fall hazard)! It also makes many of us very, very sleepy. Throw in a glass of wine with dinner and we’ll be zonked out within fifteen minutes of settling in to play cards. Give us a little light, please. Either extreme is difficult, for different reasons. Note that even movie theaters put a tiny light shining down on each step to light our way to the restroom safely during the film. A night-light or three in a hallway or bathroom is a blessing to visitors.
Thanks for this and love your articles (cannot wait to see your new home!) Wondering how do you layer lighting when you don’t have any ceiling lights. Our livingroom has zero lights overhead and we rely on table and floor lamps. We would love to create depth with our lighting while maintaining a minimalist vibe.
This was really interesting because I find buying light bulbs a nightmare these days, so many changes recently. My biggest bugbear is under cabinet lights in the kitchen. Mine are several different lengths and they all seem to be different colours, bright white, warm yellow and even a pinkish tinge. Fortunately I have found a really helpful man in a local shop so 🤞 I will soon have them all the same – preferably bright white.
Switching out lighting in a rented space is so intimidating to me and I’m sure to some others. I am the furthest from an electrician that has ever lived, hahah. Would you consider doing a follow up article to this talking specifically to renters about what lighting options they have based on common ‘default’ set-ups in a rented apartment? For example, got a boob light in your apt’s office? These are three options that work with what will be underneath that frosted glass exterior. Got an awful bathroom that only has an overhead that goes on when your shower fan goes on? Here’s how to change that or add something to use instead when you’re not in the shower.
Thanks for putting in the height in cm for the non-American viewers! It seems like such a small thing, but I have seen so many American YouTubers who throw the imperial system around with no explanation and I’m just sitting there with my confused European ass thinking what the hell they’re talking about (although I did learn over all those years that when there’s a 6 at the beginning of the height it means VERY high, lol)
Love all your articles Nick! You are a treasure. We are currently renovating our “rec room” in our MCM home. The biggest fight I am having with my husband is he wants to stick pot lights all over and then, according to him, we are done with the lighting. Not so fast darling. For me lighting is like jewelry. It finishes your look and can take something from blah to fab-u-lous. I really appreciated the explanation of the coding of lights and what are warm vs. cool. We bought those smart lights for those famous pot lights my husband wants (I won THAT battle) and I now know, because of your article, what setting to put them on. and oh, btw, its dimmers all the way. thanks – so love your articles. I learn, laugh, and love to tackle design issues. Nothing better than that!
Great article! Given that we’re heading into warmer months, could you do a article on patio/outdoor furniture/decor? I find that area tricky to decorate. Also, if you do do such a article, please give advice for both apartment dwellers (ie. balconies) and home dwellers, as many of us have small outdoor spaces.
There is one lovely use for the 4000-6500K lights… make growing stations indoors. Can of course use the 2700-3000K for growing, but I find that the more blue light complements the warmer lights throughout the house really well. It looks alive and healthy. It looks like I have a skylight over my indoor tomatoes, even though I don’t 🙃.
Thanks for explaining about the temperatures! When I see “Daylight” on the package, I always think it means “Natural” — but when I get it home, it’s that ugly bluish light that looks like it belongs in a morgue. (Which is also where I think all fluorescent bulbs should be….) I always replace ALL the light fixtures when I buy a condominium, because it’s a way of personalizing it to my taste. One of the worst lighting mistakes I see is misusing track lights — like putting them in front of mirrors, so the harsh light reflects back in your face. I’ve even seen track lights placed in front of a WINDOW! I always want to ask “Was your plan to light up the city? Or to reflect off the glass into our eyes?”
Thank you for sharing your wisdom here. I really look forward to more articles showing clueless first time home buyers like me the ropes. For example, I had zero clue about my options for lighting, now I am wondering what kinds of materials I should put on my kitchen countertops and cabinets. Now on to your next article!
Nick, thank you for your articles. I have been flooded as well and I’ve been going through the whole process of redoing my flat with your articles. I have ZERO aesthetic sense and your articles seriously help me. Right now I am spending hours planning on lightning…aaaaand there is your article, next manual how to handle the messs I have no idea about. My English level does not provide vocabulary wide enough to show my gratitude. Big “Dziękuję!” from Poland.
Agree 100% on using light fixtures as part of the decor not just a source of light. I can’t say how many people (friends/family) I’ve had in my home that comment on my light fixtures and how interesting that they are. When I’m re-doing a room I spend just as much time thinking about the type of lighting/fixtures I want as I do the furniture and rest of the decor.
Happy that you are back in your own home. This is a timely article as I sit under horrible 4 foot fluorescent lights at the family cabin. There are two that light up the dining room and kitchen. Next year I will be doing an electrical upgrade, so I can add pots lights in the kitchen, better task lighting and replace the ceiling fixtures. For now, my only option is to replace the tube fixtures with something that has nicer light, but can still light up an 11×24 space. There is a huge window facing NE in the dining room, but it only gets direct light early in the morning the rest of the day it is indirect or reflected off the water.
What a great article. I often encourage my clients (I’m a home stager/designer) to add dimmers and task lighting into their home when they are showing it. It creates a much more welcoming environment when walking through. What are your thoughts on ceiling fans? I have a love/hate relationship with them. Buyers in my market insist they need them. I’m in the US south – so understandable. But how can we use them with some class and on trend? So hard.
I like to use daylight or 4200K lights for my home office above the desk, workshop, or work spaces like above the sink, laundry room, garage, including task lighting in those areas. They help with clear vision. Then prefer 2700-3000k for accent lighting. I come from a film and photo background, so I also like to “motivate” my light, meaning to consider or imitate a plausible natural source. So for example in the bathroom, I would have warm 2700k lamps around the vanity, but 5000K in the ceiling fixture, so it feels like a skylight. I realize this can be a bit strange for some, but it really feels nice to me.
Hey Nick, do you use the Philips Hue system in your home? I’m renovating my new apartment and am considering getting it, but I’m so confused by all the options… like, do I need the bulbs in every room to get the proper ambiance, or can I stick with regular bulbs in, say, the hallway (I’m thinking of placing a multi-pendant statement light there, so that would get very expensive with the Philips bulbs!)? Where can I use the “normal” (and least expensive) dimmer bulbs, and where should I splurge on the temperature-changing ones? Do I always need my smartphone to hand or can I control most of it using switches? Would absolutely love to see a article on this!
I’m obsessed with your articles and we’re located in Vancouver too! Would you be able to do a article on flooring please? We’re looking to renovate our 2 bed apartment over the next few months and can’t decide on if we should have one flooring type throughout the apartment or have specific flooring for living/dining, hallway, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen etc.
The boob lights! When we moved into our current home it was just going to be a temporary solution, a couple of years maybe – so we kept the boob lamps. It has now been SEVEN YEARS of boob lamps. All our friends make fun of us and my four year old, who was born here, apparently has nightmares about being chased by the boob light outside his bedroom. I might end up missing them out of sheer nostalgia for how stupid they are.
Why am I such a fan when you continually attack me??? 😀 I came straight from the farmhouse sucks article (which I like minus the signage) to this article. I strongly prefer cool lighting until about 9 or 10 pm. It makes me feel alive. Warm lighting puts me to sleep even at 6 pm. Maybe this is a hold out from my years as a nightshift nurse LOL. I’m super thankful for color changing bulbs though! Keep making articles, Nick, eventually you’ll fix me.
Regardless of the color, swap out the old, first-generation LEDs, (looking at you, 10-15year old retail spaces!), the cheap ones that came free with the lamp/fixture, and those that are labeled a different Hz from what your local power company’s generation supplies. These buzz and flicker. Some folks can consciously perceive this, some only feel queasy or agitated. It will repel people from your space.
Hi Nick, we have a problem living in Spain. I had a beautiful light over my dining table,but unfortunately it is so hot 🥵 in the summer months so we have been reduced to using a stand fan which are noisy and keep giving an intermittent blast of air when moving. Today we replaced the light fitting with an overhead fan which is quiet 🤫 and on a low setting will stop us all from roasting or being blown away. It does look ok 👍, and it will do the job. We have air conditioning in the lounge and main bedroom but we wouldn’t be able to have it every place. It would be too expensive and also I don’t think we would have the electric power as we’re always getting power cuts when the heat hits. It’s not what we would have wanted but at least we and our family and friends will feel more comfortable. Good ideas 💡 about light that you’ve discussed. Thank you as always. X
I just bought a house with ten thousand down lights and no “flood” style lights. There is NO USEABLE LIGHT anywhere in the fucking kitchen, living or dining areas. The “task” lights are fucking pin point spots on the island bench and its dark everywhere else. I fucking HATE them LOLOL. I don’t want layers of light, i want BRIGHT light that floods a whole kitchen so i can see what i’m doing. I’m not in there for sexytimes. I’m in there to make food and i don’t wanna cut my thumb off cos i step outside the spotlight lolol I also don’t want to have to clutter my home with lamps everywhere when the ceiling light should be sufficient.
One thing to look out for, I think, is whether or not you can easily get new bulbs for your fixtures, especially if you’re renting the place out as an income property. My apartment has some difficult to obtain bulbs, and even when I can find them, they’re expensive. Or, I guess I could just follow your advice and change the fixtures…