Find Your Light: How to Choose the Perfect Accent Lights for Your Home
Lighting is the unsung hero of proper interior design. While the wall color, furniture, and decor are what many people focus on, lighting can transform a room.
With so much responsibility, choosing the right lights is essential to pull together the room design. Here are tips for the types of accent lights for each room in your home.
Living Room
Accent lighting in your living room should highlight artwork, decor, or architectural features in the room. It’s important to remember that accent lighting should cast a soft glow, especially in larger rooms.
Have a few framed paintings or a sculpture you love? Use wall sconces to highlight this artwork. If there are architectural features like beams or a built-in bookcase, use spotlights with low lumens to show off those unique details.
You can even use accent lights to feature your television. Put lights behind your television to add a minimal glow.
Kitchen
In your kitchen, use accent lighting to highlight the design choices and create unique features throughout the space.
Unlike accent lighting in the living room that is more decorative, kitchen accent lighting may overlap with task lighting. For example, under cabinet lighting can be classified as both, so you may want to use a dimmer to create accent light.
Other areas around your kitchen you can use accent lighting are above and inside your cabinets. Place small lights inside kitchen drawers for a unique accent lighting design.
Bedroom
Getting the lighting in your bedroom is vitally important. Since this is a private area for you to rest and recharge, creating the right ambiance is key. In your bedroom, you’ll want to use accent lighting to create a cozy glow.
Achieve this atmosphere with wall sconces, LED strip lights, or mini table lamps. Your goal should not be to light the whole room but rather to create a warm ambiance that allows you to relax.
In the bedroom, you may want to consider dimmers so you can control how bright the lighting is and allow you to set the mood.
Bathroom
As with every other room that uses accent lighting in the bathroom, you want to draw attention to unique features. Consider lighting an alcove, built-in shelf, or around the mirror.
Light underneath a vanity to cast a warm glow on the floor. Place built-in lights around a bathtub or shower to show off that feature. Or use accent lights in the linen cabinet to give the shelves a light glow.
You must consider for the bathroom to choose fixtures that are water safe because of the higher moisture and humidity levels. For this reason, proper wiring is also essential for bathroom lighting.
Finding the Right Accent Lights for Your Home
If you spend a lot of time designing your home’s interior, you can’t forget to factor in lighting. The right accent lights will give your room ambiance as well as adding a stunning design element.
Each room in your house can benefit from accent lighting. You can highlight design features and create the warm feeling you want in a home. Choosing the right accent lights doesn’t have to be difficult.
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