In our ultra-modern life, we take home lighting for granted. Flip a switch and the light comes on. And when your home lighting is “right”, we don’t give it a second thought.

But when it’s wrong, it affects our mood, our productivity and our perception of a space.

• Think about the super-bright cold fluorescent lights used in an underground parking garage. They brighten up a dark and lonely space with powerful light to drives away the shadows. Perfect source of light for that application.

• Now think about sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of something warm and a good book. Would those same parking garage fluorescents make any sense? Or would you rather have a standing floor lamp casting a softer glow over your shoulder onto the book?

It’s surprising then, that people don’t give home lighting the same time & attention they give to other elements (paint, furniture, etc) in their homes. As a design professional, I’ve seen the right home lighting do wonders for a client’s space. The correct home lighting can liven up a space or soften the mood as needed.

But how do we choose the "correct" home lighting?

• The quality of the light matters.

• Perhaps more importantly, the form within which the light is delivered matters.

Making the correct choice can add a wonderful, functional layer to the design of a space. For good or bad, home lighting choices abound in the marketplace. For the homeowners, all this choice can be overwhelming and intimidating.

A few tips and tricks can go a long way to helping you get your home lighting right.

Tip One: Function First

It’s often said that home lighting is like jewelry for the home. While it’s true there are lots of fixtures that are beautiful to behold, home lighting is much more than a style statement. Lighting has to do a functional job as well.

There are three main types of light sources in designing a space:

• task lighting,

• ambient lighting

• accent lighting

If you are going to light a room, you must first ask yourself:

• what the room will be used for

• and what kind of mood you hope to create.

For example, if you're lighting a kitchen, task lighting will be critical. Task lighting ensures safety while you are chopping vegetables for your favourite soup. Task lighting lets you check for water spots and schmutz on your wine glasses as you remove them from the dishwasher.

In your home office, task lighting will be critical at the desk where you pay your bills. In your bathroom, task lighting ensures you don’t step out of the house in the morning with toothpaste stains on your shirt.

In addition to task lighting, a good home lighting plan requires a focus on ambient lighting.

Ambient lighting washes the room in a general level of light. Ambient lighting ensures that you don’t trip on the edge of a rug, or bang your leg into a table, for example.

Examples of ambient lighting include:

• a flushmount fixture in a room

• or a large floor lamp, that combines uplighting and downlighting.

Accent lighting is a critical component of any residential lighting plan. Accent lighting fills out your space with points of interest. Accent lighting highlights textures, art or focal walls throughout your home.

A successful home lighting plan will use all of these light sources - task, ambient and accent lighting. Use of these light sources and depends on the space, in different ratios based on the need and use of the room.

Tip Two: The Style Files

Now that you understand the functions of home lighting, it's time to look at style. It's time to decide on the styles that are most appropriate for your space and the look you are trying to achieve.

When I develop a design plan for my clients, I carefully consider how the lighting can enhance the space with both style and function. For example, lighting comes in a vast array of metals and finishes, sizes and design styles.

It’s not always necessary to match metals. In fact, choosing finishes that are complementary, rather than 'matchy-matchy', creates a layered, collected feel that is much more interesting than if we had used a single finish on all light fixtures.

In addition to finish, you will want some sources of light to blend into their surroundings. This allows them to function without punctuating the room with any additional design accents. We often see potlights used this way.

Ubiquitous in most new homes and renos, potlights are often used in multiples. This would be overwhelming to many spaces if they were each a design feature. But having potlights in a room does not mean that your lighting job is done!

Some clients come to me for help after they have done a reno on their own and wonder why their new family room feels so cold and austere. They don’t realize that potlights alone cannot create the warmth and feeling they were hoping for.

When I bring in oversized table lamps with linen shades to diffuse the light and set them next to the sofa, for example, they start to see and feel the warmth they were craving.

We seem to know this when it comes to dining rooms. We rarely see a dining room without some sort of pendant or chandelier over the table. These fixtures connect or contrast with the style of the table and add a unique focal point to the space.

This same effect can be achieved in other rooms as well. A substantial pendant with a drum shade gives off a diffused and glowy light in a bedroom. This lighting effect can add a layer of warmth and architectural interest in a room where we hope for calm and quiet.

Over a kitchen island, where we want to encourage lively conversation and socializing, we can add unique pendants that speak to the style of the kitchen, while creating their own statement.

Bathrooms and powder rooms can almost always be helped with the addition of well chosen sconces placed beside the mirror to prevent the harsh shadows that tend to appear with overhead lighting.

And in a family room or study, a well placed floor or table lamp can add a cozy highlight to the space and make you want to curl up in a comfy armchair and enjoy a favourite book.

All these different layers of light together help to achieve the overall whole—that of a room that you want to spend time in.

Tip Three: A Bright Investment

If you have ever shopped for lighting you will know that prices can vary widely. And if you shop for home lighting online it may seem that what appears to be the same fixtures come with wildly different price tags.

But here’s where pounding the pavement and visiting a real bricks-and-mortar store can make a big difference in your shopping success.

While a brass fixture from two different companies and at two different prices may appear the same on your computer screen, when you see them in real life their finishes can actually be vastly different.

The lower priced fixture may be a sprayed or faux finish designed to approximate real brass, while the higher priced fixture may be hand rubbed real brass with a “living finish” meaning the piece will take on more character and become more beautiful over time. That’s a finish worth paying for, but you may not be able to appreciate it until you can see it in front of you, with your own eyes.

I always make sure I know the manufacturer’s quality and their finishes before specifying light fixtures for my client projects. I recommend you do too. If you aren’t working with a designer, make a trip to some of the wonderful lighting showrooms we have in Toronto and ask their well trained staff to help guide you through the process.

And make sure you save a reasonable chunk of your design budget for your home lighting—it’s an investment worth making for a beautiful home.

Tip Four: Turn on the Fun

In my design practice, I work with clients to create spaces that feel personal, curated and classic, with a modern touch. In my lighting choices, I search for the same kinds of pieces.

There are certain types of home lighting that will never really go out of style. An unlacquered brass sconce highlighting a built-in bookcase is a classic. So is a beautiful vintage chandelier.

If you do a little hunting, you can find some incredible vintage pieces that will bring a welcome history to a new space and add a unique layer you could never achieve shopping in big box stores alone.

Custom or small batch lighting makers are also a great source for unique, timeless pieces, and our city is home to many talented artisans.

Certainly lighting is functional, but it can also be fun. Hitting an outdoor market for a vintage gem or working with creative artists to create a custom piece can be an enjoyable part of the design process.

So next time you are getting ready to plan a renovation or a décor project:

• Take some time to consider your lighting plan

• Study the layers of light you will need in your space

• Consider the style and form your lighting should take

Planning ahead, and using the tips I’ve given you will help you to see that a little lighting can go a long way to making your house a home.

About the Author

Jennifer Simon runs a boutique interior design studio in Toronto with a focus on natural materials and a mix of old and new to create curated, layered and thoughtfully designed spaces for her clients. She is a long-standing member of the Designers and Decorators Association of Canada and is also a certified “True Colour Expert”. She has been featured on Houzz.com, and has been quoted on design in both the Globe and Mail and Canadian House and Home magazine.

Contact Jennifer

Instagram: @jennifersimondesign

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