February is all about long winter nights, with a romantic holiday thrown in for good measure. So why not set a warm and cozy mood in your home with our lighting tips that are certain to capture hearts?
Layer the Light
Light layering uses a multi-layer approach to set a mood, express your personality, and create ambiance.
Ambient lighting is the foundational, general illumination that typically comes from overhead fixtures – like chandeliers, recessed lighting and ceiling mounts — and natural light from windows. Think of it as the practical light of the space.
Task lighting provides directional light on specific work areas or tasks. Pendants, recessed lights, and undercabinet lighting are all excellent choices for task lighting.
Accent lighting, such as wall sconces, creates visual interest and adds drama to a room. Use it as part of an interior design scheme to highlight decorative features, architectural details, and other focal points of a room. Accent lighting should be at least three times brighter on the focal point than the general light surrounding it.
If all three layers of light are turned at once, the room’s mood will be bright and cheery. For a softer mood, turn on accent lighting only and dim it down to deliver low, warm levels of light.
Dimming It Down
Use dimmer switches to create a lovely, relaxing ambiance. Try to place the wall and accent lighting on one dimmer, the general lighting on a separate dimmer, and the task lighting on a third dimmer so you can individually control each light layer. Using dimmer switches properly will make your space beautiful and inviting by delivering the just-right light level whenever you desire.
Select Your Color
Did you know there are different colors of light? The different tones are actually color “temperatures,” ranging from “warm” or more yellow light to “cool” or bright white light. It used to be that you would select a light bulb with a specific color temperature. Now, however, there are color selectable fixtures with LED light sources built right into them. “Selectable” means that there are multiple distinct white light settings within the LED. So, with just a flip of a switch, color selectable LEDs can change between pre-set color temperatures of white light, from warm to cool settings.
Don’t confuse color selectable lights with tunable white lights, which blend white colors into various color temperatures along a continuous scale. Lastly, it is not RGB or RGBw, which uses red, green, blue and/or white to create colors other than white.
Recessed Lighting
Image: Fridley Homes | Featuring: Blakely
The workhorse of home lighting, recessed lights, is an ideal ambient light source. But you can also use recessed lighting to create a mood. Our LED Eyeball fixtures are adjustable, and they tilt. They can be aimed on a wall, creating stunning wall washing techniques or highlighting dim corners with the perfect amount of light to create a romantic mood.
Find more lighting tips for your home here.
