5 Mistakes People Make While Choosing Lighting

Due to typical mistakes, people make while choosing the lighting for an apartment, you may find yourself in the dark, or enlighten with bad, annoying shades. It would seem that lighting the room could be simpler: insert the lamp plug into the socket, click the switch, and voila! What up to this point was in the dark is now lit. But there are simple mistakes that can ruin even a comfortable space.

7 main mistakes that are made when organizing lighting in apartments:

1 – Different types of fixtures are not used (creation of lighting levels)

For some reason, many people think that they just need to install the slender rows of built-in lamps so that there is a lot of light “like in the afternoon.” But such a decision is not correct. Architect Robert Gross at Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design says: “Often apartment owners seek to create such lighting as if they are in a large meeting – as a result, we have too much light overhead. Which does not contribute to the creation of comfort or does not form the desired atmosphere in the room. “

Ceiling lighting has become a major option in many rooms and spaces. But often, this is not enough. If you forget about functional lightings, such as a desk lamp or a floor lamp for reading in an armchair or sitting at a desk without local lighting, you risk ruining your eyesight. And if you have not forgotten about the nightlights in the bedroom, you will understand how convenient it is when there is bedside light.

Plus, the presence of several types of lamps makes the rooms more flexible in their functionality. The use of general (ceiling) lighting will be appropriate during a party or reception. But if you want to create a chamber atmosphere, sitting comfortably reading a magazine, then you can not do without a table lamp.

Want something more interesting/special? Use accent lighting, it will highlight significant objects in the room: works of art, important areas of the room or walls on which you can place the original sconces. Such a decision will give the room volume, it will acquire an individuality, become more interesting.

2 – Dimmers are not used

Many designers have called this mistake a “sore spot.” “Using dimmers is the key to adjusting lighting,” said interior designer Jeff Fiorito. “They allow you to control the light intensity at any time of the day, to adjust the desired level of light depending on the events taking place or just your mood.” A pleasant family dinner will not be so pleasant if the room is flooded with light, like an Olympic stadium.

3 – Not predicting where the shadows will fall

Put the lamp in the wrong place, and it will create more problems than good.

Erin Devis of Mosaik Design & Remodeling says:

“In the bathroom, you can hang a sconce on both sides of the mirror, instead of one lamp above it. Using only the upper light will give shadows on the face. If, in addition to the upper light, other options are not possible, then it is better to choose a lamp elongated in the horizontal plane (instead of a spotlight for one lamp). It will allow you to better and more evenly illuminate the face.”

Another important place in the apartment is the kitchen and workplace in this area. Christine Beehler of Beehler Kitchens recommends:

“If the lights are located behind your back or above the shelves and drawers above the work surface, then your shadow falls exactly in the area where you work, that is, where the light is needed most “.

Therefore, to illuminate the working surface, the lamps are placed under the shelves, so that light falls on the working area, and no shadows appear. Also, do not forget that if an “island” is provided in the kitchen, then this zone also requires local lighting. There is also a lamp above the eating area (dining table).

For example, a problem with lighting in an office where only ceiling-mounted general lighting is provided can be solved with a personal desk lamp. So you always provide the necessary level of illumination on the table and it will get rid of unnecessary shadows.

4 – Choosing a lamp of the wrong size

“This is a common mistake that residents make,” says Studio Ten 25 designer Abbe Fenimore.

“A small chandelier above a large dining table or an oversized table lamp next to the sofa will make the room visually disproportionate.”

It’s not worth choosing the size of the chandelier “by eye”; it’s difficult in the store to assess whether it actually fits your interior. In large showrooms and salons, fixtures seem smaller than they actually are. Determine the desired size in advance and focus on it when buying. Do not rely on feelings.

5 – The location of the lamps at the desired height

A chandelier hanging above a dining table should not hang too low. You should see people sitting in front of you; but the most unpleasant, when the location of the lamp is too low, is that the light sources will dazzle. Usually, people feel comfortable if the lower edge of the chandelier is located at a height of about 1.6 – 1.8 m from the floor. When placing the lamp close to the ceiling, it, firstly, will not illuminate the surface of the table, and secondly, the dining area will not look whole.

6 – The need to consider the color scheme of the premises

It doesn’t matter how many lamps you place in the room, there will be no sensation of light and air if the walls in the room are dark. This seems obvious. But if you slightly change the shade in the same color scheme, then the difference will be noticeable. By making the tone a little lighter, you won’t spoil the design but get more light.

7 – Do not forget that lamps consume energy

Yes, indeed, lamps, or rather light sources in them, consume energy. Thanks to the development of technology, mankind has the opportunity to use energy-saving lamps, including LED ones. Energy-saving has become affordable. By reducing consumption, we get real money savings. Of course, the importance of energy efficiency is primarily important for public spaces (offices, hotels, airports, industries, stadiums, shopping centers, etc.), but saving in the private sector is no less important because it consists of the multi-billion population of the planet.

In conclusion, I would like to say that each interior is an individual space in which residents should be comfortable. For each person, the feeling “is there enough light in the room or not” is subjective. One needs a lot of light, and the other in this room will seem to be in the spotlights, and he will experience discomfort.

These typical interior lighting mistakes seem simple and commonplace. But for some reason they continue to meet in reality. When planning lighting for an apartment, do not be lazy to remember about elementary things. This simple and short “cheat sheet for lighting” will not be superfluous.

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