Guide – How to Light Your Home?

You might not realize it yet, but lighting plays a large role in the feel and aesthetic of your home. Poorly lit homes tend to give an eerie feel in comparison to well-lit homes.

But how exactly does one light their home correctly? Well, I’m glad you asked! Today, we’re going to take a look at six different questions to ask yourself before you work on the lighting of your home. By the time you’ve answered all of these questions, you will know what lights you need for both the inside and outside of your home!

If you want to learn how to light your home properly, then read on!

What Should I do Before Looking for Lights?

The first thing you need to do is make a lighting plan. You can actually create a paper-based lighting plan for your entire house. This way, you already know exactly where you want each light to be placed.

Obviously, you don’t yet know how to choose the correct lights nor where to place them. Your lighting plan will be a rough estimate based on what you think of your home as it is. When you walk into each room, look around to see what areas are poorly lit.

You should also consider areas that seem too bright. You can plan to remove a light from that area or replace the bulb with a dimmer one. Remember, you can always change this lighting plan once you learn more about what lights you should use. (Though, I would recommend reading and answering all of these questions before you make your lighting plan)

How do I Choose the Right Light for My House?

You must consider the style, ambiance, and power of each bulb. On top of that, the color of the light will also impact the appearance in your home. Take a look at the lights you already have and learn what type of bulb it is.

Through observation, you can determine how these different bulbs work in a room. Once you’ve learned enough about them, you will likely be able to tell which ones would work in the remaining areas of your home that require more lighting.

How can I Improve the Lighting in My House?

Now that you know a little about different types of lights, you can try to improve the overall lighting in your home. Consider the following factors as you plan:

• How powerful do you want the light to be? (How many Watts?)
• What kind of ambiance are you looking for? (warm, candlelight, etc.)
• Do you want your lighting set up with energy efficiency in mind? (LEDs are a good option in this case)

These are some basic questions to ask yourself as you set up your new lights. It will depend on your answers as to what type of bulbs you should buy.

If your goal is to make a room much brighter, then you will want stronger lights in that room. If you find a room too bright, you might need to replace the current lights with less powerful ones.

How Many Lights Should I Put in a Room?

The answer to this question isn’t a singular one. There is no set number of lights that should be placed in each room. The number will depend on a few factors:

• The size of the room.
• The power and type of each light.
• Your intended ambiance for that room.
• The shape of the room.

These are four of the main factors that will affect how many lights you need. If the room is big, you’ll need more lights than in a smaller room. If you’re using low wattage lights, you may need more than if you were using high wattage lights.

If you want the room to have a calm, warm feel to it, you’ll want just a few dim lights. On the other hand, if you want the room to be very bright without any shadows, you’ll need a number of high wattage lights.

If the room is a basic rectangle, you won’t have much trouble lighting it up with a few lights. However, if there are a number of turns and corners, you’ll need more lights to account for those spots.

Using the above information, you should be able to determine how many lights you’ll need on your own.

How can I Make My Home Inviting to Guests?

First off, make sure you don’t make your home too bright. There is such a thing as an over-lit home. If your home is too bright, it may cause harm to their eyes, not to mention your own.

One of the best types of lights for making your home inviting is overhead lights. An overhead light above the dining table or in the middle of the living room goes a long way to making your home that much more inviting.

On top of that, your outdoor lighting plays quite a big part in making your home look more inviting. Take a look below to learn how to correct that as well!

What Should I do Outside My Home?

The outside of your home also needs to have proper lighting. There are two main factors to consider with outdoor lighting:

• Attracting incoming guests.
• Security.

One of the best ways to make your outdoors more inviting is to place post lamps on either side of your entrance walkway. These post lamps give enough light to make your guests feel welcomed but not so much that it looks ominous.

You should also use LEDs and hanging lamps throughout the rest of your outdoor area. The LEDs provide enough light for security purposes while also saving energy. Hanging lamps are more to improve the look and ambiance of your garden area. (If you have one). 

Are You Ready to Light Your Home the Right Way?

Now that you’ve answered all the above questions, you should have an idea of how to start your lighting plan. Once you’ve got that sorted, you can get started on adding, removing, and changing lights.

Remember, you can always adjust your lighting plan as you go if you feel that a different light would be better. At the end of the day, it is most important that you love your lighting plan. Guests liking it is a bonus, but you’re the one that lives there!

Happy lighting!