You don't need to be an expert on home lighting design to adequately light your home but getting some of the basic tenets under your belt certainly helps.
Filling your home with light can be accomplished in a variety of ways and like anything else, can be done well or poorly. If you've ever been in a space with a poor lighting design you'll understand the difference.
Good lighting stems from good design concepts that involve the right kind of lighting, congruency with how the space will be used and consideration of lighting controls. In other words, good home lighting design involves more than just the lights you choose. Sticking a few lamps in a room might keep you from bumping into things but there's a whole lot more that you can do with lighting.
One of the keys is understanding the kinds of lighting sources that are available and how they're put to best use. New technologies like LED lighting offer great ways to "green up" your home's lighting by saving energy and saving you some money on utility bills.
Even if you leave the task of designing the lighting for your new home or remodel to a designer or your contractor, it pays to understand the basic concepts. That way you'll be better able to make informed choices and decisions on how to light your space.
Tackling a broad subject like home lighting design might seem a bit intimidating but you don't have to become a lighting designer to achieve good results in your home. Understanding the basic principles of lighting and how it's used effectively will get you off on the right foot.
Knowing the effects these layers have and how they can be used will help you achieve a balanced and effective lighting plan.
The key point about layers of light is that most successful home lighting plans use more than one layer. Lighting designers advocate using several because they enhance the feel of the room, offer flexibility in setting mood and generally make for better illumination for how the space is used.
In the picture above, notice the three different layers of light that are used. Pendant lighting over the island and under-cabinet lights are used as task lights while the recessed or "can" lights in the ceiling offer ambient light.
One thing to keep in mind is that these various lighting functions can also serve more than one purpose. Task lighting like the under-cabinet lights can also serve as ambient lighting for a subdued mood when the rest of the lights are off.
Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin, with warmer colors having a lower number than cool colors (yes, it's counterintuitive). For example, candlelight is about 1800 degrees Kelvin whereas noon-time sunlight has a color temperature of about 5500 degrees Kelvin. By the way, the term "temperature" has nothing to do with the perceived physical temperature of the light source. Rather, it's derived from the scientific method used to designate the various color shades within the spectrum.
The important point with regard to color temperature is that it describes the color shade, however subtle, of the light emanating from a lamp (light source). Lamps (bulbs) with lower color temperatures will have a warmer tone than lights with higher color temperatures.
Use lamps (remember, we're talking about "light bulbs" here) that have a CRI of 80 or greater for the best representation of colors. Incandescent and halogen lamps typically have the best or a very high CRI. Fluorescents will vary but all Energy Star rated compact fluorescent lamps will have a CRI of 80 or better.
One distinction to remember in all this is that color rendering will influence how you see the colors in your home and is independent of a light source's color temperature. If the CRI is poor, the colors of the objects in room won't be true.
The three pictures below are a representation of the effects of color rendering and how the colors you see would be perceived under lighting with different color rendering capabilities. The photo on the left shows how the colors take on a bluish tint. The center photo shows the countertop and wall with a green tint. The photo on the right displays more natural colors on the countertop as well as the wall and the stainless steel oven in the background.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
One example of how this might play out is in the differences you see in carpet samples or paint swatches you take home with you from a showroom. Differences in lighting (relative to its CRI) between the showroom and your home can skew how the colors actually look between the two locations. That's why it's always a good idea to view samples in the kind of lighting they'll actually reside in.
Think about how you're going to use the space and whether there are any specific tasks that you'll be doing there that require special attention from a lighting perspective.
The kitchen is a good example of a space that serves several roles and can benefit from different kinds of lighting. Task lighting is used for meal preparation while ambient and accent lighting sets a mood for dining and entertaining.
Outdoor lighting is no different.
Task lighting illuminates dark walkways while accent lighting that washes the exterior of the house provides attractive evening curb appeal.
Using the various layers of ambient, task, accent and decorative lighting in coordination with how the space is used will provide an effective lighting plan with attractive results.
A good lighting plan involves more than just the lamps and fixtures that brighten a room. Lighting control is another important component that shouldn't be overlooked. The type of controls as well as where they're placed affect convenience, mood and even the longevity of the lamps.
Switches should also be clear of any awkward locations like behind doors that impede access to the switch when they swing open.
Before my wife and I remodeled, our own kitchen had one of the primary light switches on the end of a wall that was blocked by an open passage door that led to the hallway. We always had to move the door to access the switch.
During the remodeling process the offending door was removed several weeks before the kitchen was torn apart. This allowed us clear access to the light switch. What amazed me the most about this small change was how it made me feel. Strange as it might sound, it was a liberating feeling to just be able to walk by and flip the switch rather than having to stop, move the door, hit the switch and push the door back.
Moral of the story: avoid bad designs like this.
Whether you're working with a lighting designer or a general contractor, be sure the light switches are in convenient locations.
Becoming knowledgeable about the different functional types of lighting and the importance of lighting controls and location will give you a good foundation to make decisions on your own home lighting design. To supplement these facts, here are some additional considerations to think about when planning your home's lighting layout.
Rocker Style Light Switch
Aging individuals need more light to accomplish tasks yet glare also becomes an increasing problem too. Ensuring there's sufficient lighting without direct exposure to the light bulbs or very reflective surfaces will help aging eyes.
Compact Fluorescent Lamp
LED (light emitting diodes) lighting is the next wave of efficient lighting and more of these products are being introduced into the mainstream. They're very efficient and have the longest life span of any type of lamp.
Using several circuits (or hoses if you like) allows you to have certain lights controlled separately from others. It's like having several hoses; if you turn off one of them, you can leave the other hose running.
Let's use kitchen lighting as an example. Placing the under-cabinet lights on one circuit allows you to control them separately from the overhead recessed lighting which can be on another circuit. In essence, multiple circuits give you greater lighting and mood control.
You can work with your contractor or a lighting designer to develop a workable circuitry plan for greater lighting flexibility.
Developing the right home lighting design doesn't have to be complicated even if the term "home lighting design" sounds scary. But what we're talking about here is simply educating yourself enough so that you can effectively light your home and/or, work intelligently with someone who can help you, like your contractor or a lighting professional.
To help you round out your lighting education, there are several good resources available that specialize in the subject of lighting. You can visit their websites if you want to do additional research.
The first source is the American Lighting Association (ALA). It's the trade organization that represents the home lighting industry, from designers to manufacturers. ALA's website offers information for consumers about home lighting, starting with the basics. They can be found at www.americanlightingassoc.com. The consumer portion of their site can be found at this link.
The second resource is the website of the lighting research center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Their mission is to advance the effective use of lighting through research and dissemination of information.
Their website has a section dedicated to residential lighting where you can find additional information that might be helpful in your own lighting education. You can find that site here.
Recessed (Can) Lighting - Recessed lighting is more than just some holes in the ceiling that emit light. Find out what's involved in choosing and spacing these lights.
Pendant Lights - They're decorative and stylish but very funtional too. Learn more about choosing pendant lighting in this article.
Publisher's Comments
This is probably a good time to define some terms so you don't get confused as you read on.
In the lighting industry the term "lamp" is used to express what you and I know as a light bulb, the source of the light. The fixtures, (the things that hold the light bulbs, some of the which we'd call "lamps") are called "luminaires".
Why the stuffy, counterintuitive, confusing language? Who knows. However, to be consistent with the lighting professionals, I'll use the term "lamp" to refer to light bulbs in the rest of the information below.