How We Use Lighting to Transform Your Home

Unlike more prominent elements of a home design like flooring, countertops, and color, lighting is often considered an afterthought, something that will be incorporated at the end as a “finishing touch.” However, this approach misses the opportunity to take full advantage of the benefits of the right lighting. 

At Emora Design Studio, we don’t treat lighting as an afterthought. We begin by creating a thoughtful lighting plan that supports your daily routines, then integrate pieces that complement the overall design.

Let’s explore the intricacies of lighting and how we ensure each space is perfectly illuminated...

Lighting Basics: Incorporating Layers

Creating a home with functional lighting means taking a layered approach. While a beautiful statement chandelier may fill the space, if it’s the only source of light, you will face disappointment and frustration when utilizing the space. Here are the lighting layers that most rooms should include:

General Lighting: Typically achieved through recessed can lighting, general lighting provides overall light to your space, allowing you to see the space fully and navigate it well.

Ambient Lighting: This is the layer that sets the mood and transforms the atmosphere. When done correctly, it can make a room feel cozy and warm, as though you’re wrapped in a blanket. Chandeliers, wall sconces, and table and floor lamps fall into this category, but recessed LED lighting can also be used as ambient lighting, especially when strategically placed to soften the overall lighting of the room.

Task Lighting: When you are working at a desk or prepping food in the kitchen, you need precise lighting to accomplish your work. Task lamps and under-cabinet lighting provide the necessary illumination for efficiency and staying alert.

Accent Lighting: This layer of lighting brings focus and attention to an element you wish to showcase, such as artwork. Like ambient lighting, accent light fixtures can also add to the overall mood of the space. 

Natural Lighting: There’s no denying that sunlight improves our mood and boosts serotonin. Allowing natural light to play a role in the way a room is brightened will add greatly to your enjoyment of it.

Pro Tip: Be sure that your windows are double glazed to keep the room well-insulated while enjoying the morning sun. Low-E windows have the added benefit of allowing light in while keeping heat out, helping to keep your electricity bill low.

Selecting the Right Lighting for Your Home

There’s far more to selecting the right lighting for a room than choosing a beautiful piece from your favorite online shop. The steps we take are thoughtful, precise, and comprehensively check every box necessary for creating a well-lit room.

Function First: The very first step we take when choosing lighting for a space is asking you how you plan to utilize the room and what mood you want to evoke. Your answers will drive each of the following steps to ensure that we create a space that reflects your goals.

For example, in our Kingslane II primary bedroom, pictured above, instead of placing 2 identical table lamps on the nightstands, we worked to understand how our clients use the space before bed and chose lighting to support that. Her side has a task lamp because she loves to read at night, and he wanted a clear space on his nightstand and something unique, so we added the hanging pendant.

Detailed Lighting Plan: Once we understand your needs, we create a comprehensive lighting plan that integrates all the necessary layers specific to your space. This includes paying close attention to the junction-box location to ensure proper location and spacing of fixtures and switches, and even selecting dimming capabilities to give you control over the light intensity.

This approach helps to avoid expensive and time consuming change orders down the road. Once complete, the lighting plan is handed to the contractor and the electrician so they can implement the design and sync it with your apps if you so choose.

An example of our electrical plans with detailed lighting.

Appropriate Scale & Quality: When people shop for lighting on their own, quite often, they make decisions based solely on the appearance of the piece and not its relation to the size of the room. Instead, we consider scale as a critical factor when we choose light fixtures for a space.

We also like to take our clients to our favorite local showrooms so they can touch and feel the quality of the products, understand how inexpensive lighting means lower quality and smaller size, and feel confident in their investment.

Selecting the Right Bulbs: Have you ever felt lost when buying bulbs for your lights? It can be challenging to know the right color and wattage to choose for each fixture or space. This quick guide will clarify:

• 2700K: Soft yellow lighting that evokes a warm, cozy feeling in the evening. It’s a great option for comfortable living rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms.

• 3000K: Warm white lighting that will help you stay alert and carry out daily tasks. This color temperature is good for recessed can lighting.

• 3500K: Neutral white lighting that is bright and appropriate for task-specific work. Using this bulb in an overhead light will make you feel as though you’re in a medical office. Instead, it’s best for undercabinet lighting in the kitchen, bathroom LED mirrors, and reading lights.

Thanks to advancements in tech, LED fixtures can be adjusted to your desired color temperature, so it may be wise to opt for fixtures that give you this flexibility. We also like to recommend installing dimmers to easily adjust the temperature based on the day and activity.

Enjoying a Custom-Lit Home

As you can see, lighting is an integral part of our design process and certainly not a finishing touch that we add near completion. We take time and care to ensure that your lighting is not only beautiful, but supports your every need and desire as you live in your home. 

If you’re dreaming of a home full of personal details, including a custom lighting plan reflecting your lifestyle, I’d love to connect. Reach out to me here, and let’s discuss your vision.

Warmly,

Radhika