Kitchen

Your kitchen often will need multiple types of lighting for optimal illumination. If you want ambient lighting you may want to choose a ceiling fixture or recess lights to achieve evenly distributed light in the room. If you do use ambient lighting then we recommend having light souces above work stations also to provide adequate light for tasks. One popular setup is to have a pendant light over your island and under cabinet lights for workstations.

Bedroom

When planning bedroom lighting the two major areas to consider are bedside reading and closet lighting. For the former, we recommend fixtures mounted to the wall on either side of the bed, preferably ones that can be adjusted to direct the light for optimal reading. If you want to add more ambient light we recommend experimenting with architectural lighting, floor lamps, and sconces. Many people avoid central ceiling-mounted lightings in the bedroom for a more relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. However, they are typically the best option for closets due to their utility.  If you don’t want to exclusively use lamps in your bedroom then wall-mounted fixtures can be a great way to break the space up and provide more light.

Bathroom

Bathrooms can be tricky, the placement and arrangement of your lighting should be thoroughly contemplated. The whole room is focused on personal grooming so one of the biggest mistakes can be using central ceiling-mounted fixtures. These types of lights cast awful and unflattering shadows when you stand in front of the mirror, and should be avoided. We recommend focusing on lighting both sides of the mirror. Wall-mounted fixtures are typically the best option for this setup. Sconces have become the preferred method of providing flattering, all-around light in bathrooms. An optimal setup would be one sconce on either side of the mirror and one on the opposite wall. This provides a vast improvement over traditional lighting.   

Living room

Layering light is a winning strategy in living/family rooms, this allows for a variety of lighting options for whatever activity you and your family are doing. People spend a lot of time in this area and that typically pairs best with more ambient lights that fill the room and avoid shadows. To achieve this you can take a variety of approaches including track lights which can wash a wall with light or bright globe lamps that focus upward to bath the space in light. Table lamps can provide task lighting for work, reading, or conversation. If you have a large living room you can upgrade from simple recessed lights and table lamps to valance lights that run the length of two outer walls, a table lamp for reading, and a light recessed behind the mantle. Replacing your single switch with a dimmer can provide more versatility and save energy too.