When it comes to home design, homeowners often scour the internet to curate the perfect furniture and décor pieces. Yet, even after filling a space with all the right elements, there might be something that still seems out of place.
Enter the secret power of lighting. Perfecting your home lighting is the key to transforming your home interior. It can make or break the vibe of a space. Lighting isn’t just about illumination; it’s about enhancing the atmosphere of your home. These 9 lighting mistakes might be secretly ruining your home vibes, and here’s how to fix them.
1. Underestimating the power of natural light
Image credit: @coco.hous
Sunlight is your best friend when it comes to illuminating living spaces, creating the illusion of a bigger home, and setting the vibe in your abode. Homeowners should never underestimate the power of a sunny morning shine or golden hour glow to imbue a space with the right ambience, while also helping to regulate our natural circadian rhythms.
Harnessing natural light even when main lighting is turned off.
Image credit: Lemonfridge Studio
Additionally, an abundance of sunlight means you’ll rely less on electrical lighting to brighten your home. Trust us, your wallet will thank you when it’s time to pay the monthly energy bill.
There are countless creative ways to maximise natural light in any home, from hacking walls and creating an open concept layout, to incorporating internal windows or designing glass rooms. Whether you’re looking to make subtle adjustments or rework entire areas, it’s definitely worth the effort to consciously review floor plans and design with the flow of natural light in mind.
2. Only using a single overhead light
Natural lighting versus layered ambient lighting.
Image credit: @knockknock.studio
We’ve all made the rookie mistake of relying solely on a single overhead light. Yet, as any lighting expert or experienced homeowner will point out, a lack of varied light sources often results in rooms that lack depth and character.
Layering ambient and accent lights can completely change the vibe of a room. While the former is instrumental in setting the tone, the latter highlights specific elements or features.
Layered ambient and accent lighting.
Image credit: Fifth Avenue Interior
Homeowners looking to deviate from the traditional ceiling-mounted light can explore other ambient lighting options such as elegant cove lights, hanging pendant lights, versatile floor and table lamps, mounted wall sconces, or even trendy sunset lamps.
Meanwhile, targeted illumination can be achieved by using track lights, recessed lights, or downlights to create emphasis on certain objects or areas, adding an interesting visual dimension while elevating the vibe of a space.
3. Forgetting to install task lighting
Kitchen counter, bedside table, and bathroom task lighting.
Image credit: Fifth Avenue Interior, Sol Luminaire, Shed Studio
The last of the holy trinity, task lighting goes hand in hand with ambient and accent lighting. Incorporating targeted task lighting ensures that spaces remain both aesthetic and functional—whether it’s under-cabinet kitchen lighting for safe meal preparation, bedside table spotlights for nighttime reading, or bathroom mirror illumination for getting ready in the morning.
Practicality is paramount when it comes to installing task lighting; homeowners should consider the purpose of different spaces and tailor light sources accordingly.
Task lighting can be fairly intuitive, for example, adding desk lamps to study tables—but homeowners should also take care not to miss out on other handy light installations, such as vanity table lighting, puck lights for wardrobe and storeroom interiors, or under- and in-cabinet lighting.
4. Placing lights at the wrong height
Pendant lights adjusted to different heights.
Image credit: Alchemists Design, Fifth Avenue Interior, Sol Luminaire
Ensuring accurate placement of pendant lights is particularly important; it definitely ruins the dinner party vibe when someone ends up with a bruised head and the overhead lights start wildly swinging around.
Aside from unwanted balukus, lights that are placed too low can end up emitting a direct glare or casting strange shadows, while those placed too high can result in overly-dim rooms or visually imbalanced spaces.
Finding the right height for light installations might involve some on-site testing, but accurate measurements and proper communication with suppliers and contractors can save a world of frustration down the road.
5. Forgetting to factor in shadows
Shadows over toilet bowl area due to shelving, shadows in room corners due to walls.
Image credit: Reddit User, Reddit User
When mapping out home lighting plans, it’s important to factor in things that might obstruct the path of light. Furniture, shelving, walls, or even the human body can cast shadows that lead to a gloomy atmosphere.
As with rectifying most other lighting mistakes, intentionality is key. In particular, homeowners should consider the placement of overhead lighting in relation to dining room tables, study desks, kitchen counters, and room corners.
Illuminating a shadowy kitchen workspace.
Image credit: Sol Luminaire
While extra lights can be installed in entryways, hallways, or corners where main lighting may be blocked by walls or furniture, any potential shadows cast by your body over workspaces—such as study desks or kitchen workspaces—can be easily addressed by using table lamps or under-counter LED strips.
6. Not planning where to place light switches
Conveniently placed dimmer switch and power socket.
Image credit: Sol Luminaire
Just like how planning where to place power sockets in your home is crucial, the placement of a light switch can either be a pleasant convenience, or become an enduring frustration. Thankfully, the need for troublesome rewiring and repositioning of switches can be circumvented with some forethought.
Deliberate decision-making when it comes to type and placement of light switches can save homeowners a world of trouble down the line.
Consider multi gang switches for aesthetic cohesion, or multi way switches which allow the same light source to be controlled by different switches. You’ll thank yourself for the added convenience each time you’re able to reach over and flip a bedside switch instead of having to get out from under the covers just to turn out the lights.
7. Not taking energy consumption into account
Image credit: @vluxlighting
With rising costs of living, every penny counts. Energy-efficient bulbs such as LEDs may have a higher upfront cost than traditional incandescent bulbs, but they can pay off in the long run by decreasing monthly electricity bills. This way, you can enjoy your vibey home lights with peace of mind instead of constantly worrying about energy costs.
Additionally, choosing LEDs often means that bulbs last longer and need to be changed less frequently. This increases both convenience and cost-efficiency, while also being more environmentally friendly.
8. Forgetting to add dimmer switches
Image credit: Sol Luminaire, @vluxlighting
It’s all well and good to have curated your perfect home lighting system. But when evening arrives, the bulbs might suddenly feel too bright and intense. Or perhaps you’re trying to get in some late-night work, only to find the gentle illumination making you feel sleepy instead.
Often overlooked, dimmer switches are an effortless way to spice up the versatility of your home lighting system. Including dimmer switches in your home allows for easy control over the lighting intensity, so you can create mellow evening vibes, a focused afternoon environment, or a gentle morning atmosphere at the turn of a knob.
9. Being afraid to experiment
Image credit: @vluxlighting
Ultimately, when it comes to choosing the right lighting combinations, experimenting is key. Play around with various different colours, temperatures, and fixtures to tailor lighting in accordance with the ambiance you are trying to achieve for each room, while maintaining consistency within rooms.
Futuristic neon lights, internal courtyard with artificial skylight.
Image credit: Design4Space, Hoft Interior
Homeowners can also take a leap of faith and explore unconventional, bold design choices. This could mean using coloured lights or neon signs to add pops of colour, or even incorporating an artificial LED skylight for a unique touch.
Alternatively, you can kill two birds with one stone by investing in quirky lighting fixtures that serve as both functional and visually interesting elements.
Lighting mistakes to avoid when creating a vibey home
From gloomy shadows to poorly placed switches, lighting mishaps can quietly sabotage an otherwise well-designed space. Avoiding these 9 common mistakes will bring you one step closer to perfecting your home interior. After all, good lighting helps to keep bad vibes at bay.
For more home tips:
- 5 best space-saving dining nooks for small homes
- 7 gorgeous HDB service yards
- 14 stunning open-concept HDB kitchens
Cover image adapted from: Lemonfridge Studio, @vluxlighting
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