Your Ultimate Guide to Home Lighting

The lighting inside your home can make a major impact on your home’s aesthetics and functionality. From bright task lighting in work areas to dimmable lights for ambiance, the choices you make when it comes to lighting styles, bulbs, and more can help to create a more enjoyable space and impact your home’s energy efficiency.

Lighting Design Factors

When choosing lighting for different areas of your home, it’s important to consider a variety of different factors, including room size, color scheme, and the lighting’s purpose. It is also key to consider what natural light each space has, as natural light enhances mood and energy and should not be overpowered by artificial light.

Understanding the Types of Lighting

There are three basic types of indoor lighting to consider when creating a lighting design:

• Ambient Lighting: This type of lighting illuminates a room entirely, as its purpose is to provide uniform illumination in the space. Ideal rooms for ambient lighting include common spaces like living and dining rooms, bedrooms, and more.
• Task Lighting: These lights are meant to provide brighter light to a smaller space to illuminate specific tasks. Ideal rooms for task lighting include kitchens, study, and workrooms.
• Accent Lighting: Accent lighting is used to enhance areas of your home and create visual interest. These lights are commonly used to highlight art displays, architectural features, and other focal points.

Dive Into Lighting Fixtures

There are a wide range of indoor light fixtures that can be combined to create the mood of any space. Common indoor lighting fixtures include:

• Ceiling mounted lighting
• Wall-mounted lighting
• Recessed lighting
• Track lighting
• Chandeliers
• Pendant lights
• Lamps
• Under cabinet lighting
• Wall sconces
• Ceiling fans with light kits

Outdoor Fixtures

To enhance your curb appeal and highlight the beauty of your home, consider strategically placed outdoor lights, including:

• Spotlights
• Hanging fixtures
• Garage lighting
• Post lanterns
• Wall lighting
• Recessed fixtures in overhanging structures 

Lightbulbs 101

When it comes to choosing lightbulbs for your lighting, your selection can make a serious impact on the overall appearance of your lighting as well as your home’s energy efficiency. There are three different types of lightbulbs on the market:

• Incandescent: Incandescent bulbs offer excellent lighting and warmth, but they are the least energy-efficient bulb option and have a much shorter life span than alternatives.
• Fluorescent CFL: Fluorescent CFL bulbs offer slightly less light control than incandescent options but are both energy-efficient and long-lasting, with ideal usage for ceiling fans, pendant lights, outdoor fixtures, and lamps.
• LED: While the aesthetics of LED bulbs are less desirable than incandescent bulbs, they have come a long way to provide elegant lighting and are the most energy-efficient option on the market with the longest life span.

Decoding Lighting Colors & Temperatures

Since lightbulbs often come in different colors or with adjustable temperatures, it can be tricky to pick the right look for your space. 

• Warm: Warm lights create a warm and cozy ambiance which is ideal for living rooms and bedrooms
• Neutral: Neutral lights offer a clear whiter light for areas that need energy and focus like kitchens, bathrooms, and garages
• Cool: Cooling lighting has a blue undertone that most closely resembles natural light and is ideal for task lighting or areas that need extra attention.

General Lighting Tips

In order to make the greatest impact to your home with indoor lighting, follow these general tips:

• Dimming Controls: Installing dimmer switches not only helps reduce electricity use, but also gives you more control over customizing the lighting your need
• Colored Lightbulbs: Colored lightbulbs should be used sparingly with warmer colors used to create inviting spaces and cooler colors to create a calming atmosphere 
• Lighting Levels: Adjust your lighting levels based on the amount of natural light the room already receives and the purpose of the lighting
• Mood Lighting: Create the ideal mood in each room by using low lighting for relaxation and bright lights to promote focus and activity
• Energy Efficiency: Replace incandescent lights with CFLs or LEDs to save money and make a more energy-efficient home

Why Choose JDV Electric?

Skillfully designed indoor lighting can make a dramatic impact on the overall aesthetic of your home. Before consulting with a professional, experiment throughout your home with different styles and colors of lighting to determine the best solution for each space of your home.

Call 610-364-5099 to schedule lighting services with our expert electricians JDV Electric today!