How to Light Your Home: Elements to Consider

Interior lighting is often an afterthought among homeowners, but a room’s lighting can make or break the space. It is important to understand how the characteristics of a room, such as its size and paint color, impact the recommended lighting for that space. Whether you are in the process of new construction, remodeling, or upgrading your home, you should consider a few essential elements before choosing your home's interior lighting.

There are four main types of lighting that you can use when lighting your home. Ambient lighting is the primary source of illumination for a space. Common light fixtures used for general lighting coverage include ceiling lights and wall-mounted fittings. Task lighting provides focused light for specific jobs such as reading, cooking, or writing. As a general rule of thumb, task lighting should be brighter than ambient lighting. Desk lamps, under-cabinet lights, or shop and garage lights are commonly used for task lighting. Accent lighting highlights particular features in a room and creates depth and dimension. Strip lights, track lights, and gimbal recessed lights are popular accent lighting fixtures. Lastly, decorative lighting is any lighting that serves as a statement piece. Use string lights, chandeliers, pendants, specialty bulbs, and wall sconces for decorative lighting.

The size of a room will determine the number and size of fixtures needed, where they are placed, and the types of lighting you need to employ. Small rooms (100 to 200 ft²) may only need a single light source to light the space adequately. Use ambient light from a central ceiling light or a lamp with a wide beam angle. In rooms with low ceilings or limited space, using flush mount fixtures or recessed lighting will help save space.

Medium-sized rooms (200 to 400 ft²) begin to incorporate multiple light sources based on the tasks performed in the space and where there are dark areas. For example, a medium-sized living room may employ an overhead ceiling light for ambient lighting and a small table lamp as task lighting for reading or writing. This type of lighting design optimizes distinct areas of the room for specific tasks.

A large, open space should utilize multiple light sources, different types of lighting, and other elements to illuminate each part of the room properly. These spaces may need a combination of overhead lights, wall lights, and lamps to distribute light evenly. Large lighting fixtures, like chandeliers or pendant lights, may also be used in rooms with tall ceilings or wide areas to maintain balance and proportionality within the space. You can also use recessed gimbal lights in spaces with vaulted or A-frame ceilings to help angle the light beam directly downward or wherever the light is needed.

The tasks performed in a room will determine the placement, types of lights utilized, color temperature, CRI, and brightness of your lighting. Task-specific rooms require bright task lighting aimed at specific spaces where work is performed. These spaces include kitchens and home offices. Natural or cool white light is best suited for task-specific rooms, as cooler light can help make you more alert and focused.

Rooms centered around relaxation and enjoyment, such as living rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms, are better suited with warm white light that helps make the space feel cozier and more comfortable. Soft, diffused lighting sources like table lamps, floor lamps, or wall sconces can contribute to this cozy atmosphere. The lighting in these rooms can be slightly dimmer than in task-oriented rooms. 

For multipurpose rooms used for both work and leisure, a combination of task and ambient lighting may be necessary. Having adjustable lighting in these spaces is extremely important to adapt to whatever activity is occurring. Install dimmer switches to change the brightness, and opt for tunable white lights.

Consider how natural and artificial light interacts with different elements in your rooms. Glossy, shiny surfaces such as granite countertops, polished wood tables, and television screens may reflect light and cause an unwanted glare. There are several ways to eliminate these issues. Add diffusers and frosted lenses to your downlights, strip lights, and panel lights to disperse the light more evenly. For under-cabinet kitchen lighting, choose COB LED strips over SMD strips to eliminate hotspots. To reduce the glare on television screens, install recessed lighting or choose amiable gimbal and track lights that can be adjusted away from the screen. 

You can also add matte materials to your room design to help absorb light. For example, add rugs, pillows, tablecloths, and drapes to absorb light and make the space feel more visually comfortable. Take notice of how the colors of large objects, like couches, tables, and cabinets, impact the overall brightness of a room. Darker objects tend to draw in light, while lighter objects tend to bounce light back. Depending on the objects in your room, you may need to make your lighting brighter or dimmer.

Lighter walls and flooring tend to reflect more light and make the room appear brighter, whereas darker surfaces absorb light and make the space darker and smaller. Rooms with darker walls and floors may require additional lighting sources or brighter lighting to compensate for light absorption.  

Also, consider how the color temperature of your lighting could affect the tint of your walls. If you use bulbs with a color temperature that falls on the extreme ends of the CCT spectrum (ultra-warm white or cool white), be aware that the color shade of your walls may be impacted. For example, cooler paint colors like blues and greens may appear less prominent or subdued under ultra-warm lighting but vibrant under ultra-cool white light. To avoid noticeable changes, use light with a CCT of around 4000K.

If you want to maintain high color accuracy of the objects and elements in your home, pay attention to the color rendering index (CRI) rating of your lights. CRI measures how accurately a light source shows an object's true colors. This is especially important for spaces in your home where you need to see colors accurately, such as around bathroom vanities or food preparation areas.

Throughout the day, observe which parts of your room receive natural light. Add supplemental lighting fixtures around these areas to compensate for the lack of natural light at night. Consider strategically placing mirrors and other reflective surfaces to redirect sunlight into dark areas of the room. Take note of areas in your house affected by sunrise and sunset, typically around eastern and western windows, and install curtains or shades that can be adjusted to regulate incoming light at these times.

Understand your electrical infrastructure potentials and limitations before making changes to your lighting system. If you have limited outlets in your room, consider adding lights to your ceiling that will connect directly to the power mains, like recessed downlights or flush-mount ceiling lights. Or, you can opt for linkable lights that connect to a single power source but can spread over an extended area, such as track lights or strip lights. 

Additionally, with the help of an electrician, determine where you would need to extend your main power line. If you are installing a light fixture that relies on a wall-mounted switch, you must know where to connect that switch to an outlet. For those who want to limit changes to their existing electrical system, consider using smart lighting to eliminate the need to wire in new dimmers and controllers. Before installing a fixture in contact with insulation, verify that it is Insulation Contact (IC) rated.

If you are struggling to light your home, get creative! Find focal points in your room, such as a mantelpiece or decor, and cast light on those spaces. Use track lights to highlight framed photos on your wall. Or, consider your house's design and play with lighting to accentuate architectural features like A-frame ceilings and crown molding.

To continue your lighting design journey, read our interior lighting design guide here.