I have a bad case of the winter decorating blues (quoted one of our design customers). The way everything looked at Christmas was amazing, but now that I have taken down all the decorations, the room feels so drab, and I find this is the perfect time to think about changes. Lighting will be the first thing on my list. During winter, your home gets less natural light than any other time of year, and this can greatly affect your mood and the appearance of your home. During the holidays, our homes are filled with the ambient light of trees, garlands, and holiday candles. We would all feel more festive throughout the year if we paid as much attention to lighting as we do during the holidays. Accent lighting provides focused interest to a room. This method of lighting can highlight an architectural feature like bookcases or a doorway. LED spotlights produce additional lovely effects. LED lighting has become the hottest trend, especially since it is so energy efficient. A note of caution though is the spectrum is important for the LED choices. The bulbs and the ceiling’s recessed lighting should coordinate with the spectrum of color. Lumens are an important term with LED lights. There are 2700 lumens warm and then there are 3000 cool lights, but you can get these both warm and cold. It is important to purchase the same color of bulbs (if using LED bulbs), and lighting changes throughout with the same spectrum. Closets without windows generally need at least a 3000-4000 spectrum daylight to see better. Fluorescent has almost gone by the wayside, except for the homes that these were used in five or more years ago. However, most have not replaced the fluorescent lighting in their closets. For me, I have replaced my strip fluorescents with strip LED lighting in my closets, except for my master closet where I used recessed LEDs with a center decorative fixture.
Some lighting can be a work of art in and of itself. Aesthetic lighting is still very important with today’s changes to energy efficient LED choices, such as candle sticks, solid crystal chandeliers, and table lamps. My favorite lighting is still the decorative lamps on end tables and bedside nightstands. My personal choice is to use 3-way lighting that is incandescent for those lamps. My overhead LED recessed lighting is 2700 warm that will match most incandescent bulbs. Electricians like to use 3000 lumens warm which is a brighter light but can go more towards daylight in color. It has become very difficult to find 2700 lumens with recessed options. We are not sure what the shortage is, but it may have to do with global COVID-19 and manufacturing.
Overall, lighting is a versatile and essential design consideration in any home or business. Lighting makes a huge impact, but can be confusing and a technical part of design. Let one of the designers at June DeLugas Interiors, Inc. “light up your life” and assist you with updating the lighting plan in your home. Come visit our retail store and design center to see the stunning lamps pictured in person.
God Bless,
June
