Lighting your home is no easy task. Each room has its own ecosystem and purpose, and lighting should help fulfill that purpose. There’s no “one-light-fits-all” formula that can be put to use as you have to meet the specific lighting requirements of every room. And sometimes it may get overwhelming. Hence, JCPenney has gathered the following tips and lighting options to help simplify your journey of finding the right lighting for every room of your home.
Entries, Hallways, and Stairs
The home entry points and pathways usually require ambient lighting, and a ceiling-mounted or recessed fixture should suffice. While wall scones would be ideal for small entryways, a chandelier would be a great choice for a double-height entry with a staircase. Hallways with a gallery for photographs or artwork would need accent lighting that can be achieved by precise positioning of directional fixtures with light bulbs emitting narrow beams of light.
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Living Room
Your family spends most of their time in the living room – watching movies, playing board games, and having meaningful conversations. Since it’s a space of multiple activities, layering light is particularly important in the living family room. You can start with recessed lights for ambient illumination that bounces light off the ceiling to create a sense of brightness. For the entertainment unit or a bookcase, you can consider including a piece of millwork and putting a linear fluorescent behind it. Alternately, you can add soffit or valance lighting, and recessed or track lighting directed toward the walls. You can also include a floor lamp or torchiere floor lamp near a reading chair. As always, accent lighting can be placed in a living room to focus on architectural elements, like a painting or a fireplace.
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Dining Room
The primary focus of lighting the dining space should be on illuminating the table with both ambient and task lighting. A chandelier or pendant light should be ideal for creating a warm and pleasant ambience, while wall sconces can be installed at the prominent areas of the dining table for balance.
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Kitchen
When lighting your kitchen, consider task and ambient lighting. Counters and the sink are where food preparation and cleanup happen. Illuminate these spots with task lighting and use undercabinet lighting to light up cabinets. Double the utility with a pot rack with downlights over the countertop.
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Bedroom
Since the bedroom is your relaxing spot, go for dimmable ambient lighting. You can choose overhead, lighting with frosted glass to create a warm ambience. Likewise, go for floor lamps, a pair of wall sconces flanking a wall mirror, and a pair of table lamps flanking the bed.
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Bathroom
Bathrooms are for personal grooming, so a well-lit mirror is critical. Switch central ceiling-mounted fixtures with wall sconces as they can cast shadows.
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Outdoors
Outdoor lighting will be a mix of safety on pathways and pure aesthetics. When choosing these fixtures ensure they are durable and sturdy, as they will be facing harsh outdoor environments. We recommend lighting landscape fixtures close to the house, mid of the yard, and in the far corners to create interesting focal points.
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