How many times have you gone through your home only to stub your toe or skin your knee because you’ve bumped into something you can’t see in such dim light? Or, how many times have you been trying to watch the latest episode of your favourite television show only to lament the glare on the screen from the light in the other room? There’s nothing you can do about it because someone is in there who needs light and as the TV is mounted on the wall, you suffer through it.
These, as you shall see, fall well within the most common lighting mistakes people make and if you find the lights throughout your home to be a problem, here are some ways you can easily fix things. Here’s how to avoid those mistakes.
Neglecting Natural Light
One of the best sources of light in your home is natural light. Natural light doesn’t just look nice, but it’s also good for you and can correct your circadian rhythm, helping you sleep at night and feel more awake during the day. It’s also beneficial to your mental health.
You can get more natural light in your home by investing in larger windows and windowed doors, but this isn’t always practical. Mirrors can be a surprisingly useful tool for reflecting natural light into your home. You can also position your furniture wisely to get the most out of what natural light you have.
If you want to control how much light is in your home, then you can measure for roller blinds that will block out unwanted light. This is always a good option for bedrooms, so you can sleep in a cool, dark room. Curtains and other blind options give you different ways to control the natural light in your home.
Failure to Transition to Employ Energy Efficient Lighting
It wasn’t even a decade ago that LED lights were still in their infancy and many were found to be lacking in the amount of lumens needed when bright lights were necessary. Some gave off too much light while others not enough and so many homeowners just got discouraged paying more for those bulbs which didn’t give the amount (or colour) of light needed.
Today’s LEDs have come a long way and rival the best of all their predecessors including incandescent, fluorescent and halogens to name the most popular. Not only can LEDs give you the light you need but they are energy efficient as well. If you want to save a huge amount of money on your power bill, wouldn’t you say it’s time to transition?
A Single Light Source
Think about that glare on your television for just a moment. The reason you suffer through it is because that room probably only has a single light source. Those overhead lights cast a huge glare in all directions and so you might want to consider an alternate source of light. Check out options like floor lamps and wall sconces available from experts like the Pagazzi lighting website and you will never need to suffer through that distraction again.
Ineffective Placement of Fixtures
Speaking of wall sconces, many times they are simply placed in the wrong areas to do much good. One good example of this would be a kitchen with bright overhead lights. However, they may be placed in the centre of the ceiling, but that location is too far removed from counters and other work areas like the stove. That overhead light may be sufficient for some tasks, but the placement leaves a lot to be desired for countertops you are working on. Have you considered installing lights under the cabinets above the counter, or even wall fixtures which might work well? The point is, placement is everything, especially in kitchens.
Lack of Lighting Controls
The other huge mistake many homeowners make when it comes to lighting is to neglect lighting controls such as dimmer switches or motion sensors. If, for example, you needed to dim that light in the other room so that it wouldn’t produce such an obstructive glare on your television, you could simply bring down the brightness with a dimmer switch. While motion sensors are popular outside the home as a form of security, they are an amazing asset within the home as well.
Two popular areas where they are commonly installed would be bathrooms and kitchens. These are places we stumble out to at night to relieve ourselves or get a quick glass of water. Instead of fumbling about in the dark, the sensors pick up the motion, turning the light on for you and off again after a predefined period of time. It’s amazing what smart sensors can do today!
Let There Be Light…
There is nothing more frustrating than having too much or too little light in a room. If you find that you are always looking for a brighter light by which to read a label or a way to block the light from shining into another room, you have fallen into the trap of common mistakes people make. It’s usually an easy and inexpensive fix, so take the time to explore your options and when you say, “Let there be light,” you’ll get just the amount you need for the task at hand.
Photo source home lighting JR-stock/Shutterstock
I have found that as I have got older I need a bright light in order to read otherwise I can not see the letters properly