Four Easy Tips for Lighting Your Beach Home

Imagine this: you’ve just finished remodeling your home. You’ve put down all-new hardwood floors, you’ve given the walls a fresh coat of paint, and you’ve even picked out all-new furniture to tie the whole thing together. But, in the hustle and bustle of the remodel, you forgot to update your home’s lighting. Now, the dream home you’ve just spent thousands of dollars to create has inexplicably transformed into a house of horror.

Most people don’t think about the effect that lighting has on their home. However, proper lighting can make all the difference between a beautiful beach home with superb curb appeal, and a depressing funeral parlor that prospective buyers won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

If you’re looking to shine a little light shed a little on your cozy coastal haven, here are a few easy lighting tips every homeowner should know.  

Light in Layers

Improving your home’s lighting is more than just bringing in a new lamp or changing out an old chandelier. In any given room, there are roughly four layers of lights that a homeowner must contend with.

Ambient lighting is indirect light that evenly illuminates rooms. This type of light includes natural light from windows, hanging pendants, and overhead fixtures.

Task lighting is concentrated light aimed at spotlighting a given area, such as light coming from reading lamps or under-counter lights.

Accent lighting, such as track lights or recessed lights, are subtler light sources aimed at highlighting a room’s architecture.

Finally, there is decorative lighting. Decorative lighting, such as light from a chandelier or end table lamp, is designed to make large rooms feel cozy.

When making your lighting plan, be sure to consider each of these layers and think about what kind of light the room needs. Trying to light a smaller room? Reduce your wattage and use low hung pendants to create the illusion of height. Got a massive living room that feels like more like a warehouse than a room in your home. Use decorative lighting clusters to make the room seem cozier.

It’s also important to remember, don’t try to illuminate your whole room with a single mega-bright light fixture. This is a guaranteed recipe for glare. Instead, use a blend of ambient, task, and accent lighting to make every room flow.

Pick Your Bulbs Carefully

The light bulbs you pick matter just as much as the lighting fixtures. Things like color temperature, lumens, and wattage all factor into a room’s quality of light.

For example, lower wattage bulbs with warm daylight color temperatures are the perfect way to add an inviting air coziness to anyone’s office or private study. However, if you use these same bulbs in your home’s kitchen, you’ll find that the effect isn’t so much cozy as it is creepy. Instead, use high wattage bulbs with bright white color tones to make the kitchen feel lively and fresh.

*Please Note: Regardless of which room you’re trying to light, never exceed the maximum recommended wattage for your lighting fixture.

Quality Beats Quantity

Lightning should never get lost in a room, but neither should it overpower the room.

Putting a large lighting fixture in a small kitchen, or a small chandelier in a big living room will cause an area look disproportionate. The general rule of the thumb is that the diameter of your lighting fixture should equal the sum of your room’s length and width.

Think About the Room You’re Trying to Light

When picking out a lighting fixture, be sure that you also consider what you and your family going to be doing in the room you are trying to light. Ask yourself how having more or less light might affect your ability to do that task.

For example, let’s say you’re picking out lighting fixtures for your kitchen. Cooking is an activity that requires a lot of concentrated lighting. Therefore, you may find it helpful to have a combination of bright overhead and recess lighting in cabinets and above stovetops.

When picking out your lighting fixture, be sure you also keep in mind the theme, color scheme, and material finishes in the room you’re trying to light. Too many different styles will create a chaotic cacophony that will cause you and your guests to feel uneasy anytime you enter a room.

Keep it simple and consistent.

Looking For a New Home to Light?

If you find yourself looking to change more than just the lighting, it may be time to consider upgrading to a new home. For more than 60 years, BHGRE Elliott Coastal Living has been the name you can trust in the Grand Strand for all your real estate needs. Using the latest technology and most innovative marketing strategies, we guarantee that our friendly staff and real estate professionals will find you the home of your dreams.

Give us a call at 843-280-5704 or stop by our office today.