When it comes to lighting, the simplest thing you can do is to have enough lighting to help us do what we need to do. And yet, not all of us are doing it. What more if there are changes in the light demands of our homes? Don’t be left in the dark (pun fully intended) with these techniques on how to improve lighting in your home.
For starters, you need to understand how light affects you in general.
1) Understand your light demands
Even if you are living solo, your lighting needs also vary from room to room. For general living, however, the rule of thumb is using light fixture with 50 to 100 lux (the unit of illumination which equals to one lumen per square meter). For working, the recommended level is between 300 and 500 lux. For specific purposes, the level should be from 100 to 300 lux, depending on the task at hand.
Thus, knowing your light demands and that of every family member’s is the necessary first step in improving lighting inside your house.
2) Understand that light affects you psychologically
Your exposure to light can impact your wellbeing. That’s why prolonged exposure to a particular light can have adverse mental, physical and emotional effects. Experts suggest changing the light every hour to give yourselves a break. You may go to the other room or outside. You may also modify the setting of the light or turn off one light and turn on another light source.
Perhaps, this is the reason why dimmers are so popular right now. You can alter settings to suit your mood.
That’s the how. Now, let’s list concrete ways to enhance your dwelling’s lighting.
3) Create layers of light
Use as many light sources as needed. Vary the types of fixtures as well as its positions and heights. On the other hand, downlights are not as exciting as other designs of lighting systems. Look for these systems before you add any downlight. Bottom-line, learn the appropriate light fixtures for a particular room.
4) Consider light controls
Nowadays, there are so many ways to control lighting inside your home although switches still dominate these options. If indeed you are going to use one, think about-about the proper placements of the switches and who should be using them. If not, ask yourself – Do you even need a switch, or an app is fine with you? Another factor to consider is the color of the illumination. There are lights with multi-color accents that you can use so you can alter the colors based on your needs.
5) Think about lights first
Whether it would be for a room extension or a new house that will be built from scratch, lighting must be one of the first things to deal with. Factor in the dimensions of the room as well as the access you’ll need. In the end, you won’t buy a lighting system that won’t fit into the area because of lack of space.
6) Mimic others’ lighting
Look around you for inspiration. You can go to hotels, department stores, restaurants, etc. to determine how they maximize light to their advantage. These are the areas where experiments occur, giving you a big canvass of what usually works and what’s not. Don’t be afraid to ask an expert as well if you think you are not capable enough to tackle this task.
In improving the lighting in your home, there are two important things to consider. First is the amount of light you need and second is the quality of light. If it’s clear to us what we need, we will avoid bingeing on it.
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Author Bio:
Raphael Rico Zamora is a Filipino blogger and a freelance writer who works at Ayala Mall, bringing the good life to Filipinos, addressing not only their basic needs, but also creating vibrant community hubs.
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