The Ultimate Guide to Integrated Lighting Design

How the Right Lighting Design Transforms Your Home’s Aesthetics and Functionality 

Any interior designer will tell you the best tool in their arsenal is lighting—whether used to showcase your favorite artwork or help you wind down at the end of the day. Lighting is transformational, especially if done right. Unfortunately, lighting is so ubiquitous in homes that it’s easy for people to take it for granted. That’s where we come in. In this blog, we’ll explain the lighting design techniques that make homes throughout Birch Bay, WA, more beautiful, comfortable, and efficient. 

SEE MORE: The Unmatched Benefits of Lighting Control Systems 

It All Starts with Lighting Tiers

The biggest mistake most homeowners make is settling for a few recessed ceiling lights. The first step to upping your lighting design is to add some depth with different types of lighting:

• Task: used for doing a particular activity like reading, cooking, or studying 
• Ambient: general illumination for a room or area
• Decorative: Fixtures that are stylistic features themselves, like sconces or chandeliers
• Accent: the sparkle in your lighting that helps things like artwork or architectural features stand out 

Setting Up the Right Lighting Techniques

There are some unique lighting techniques you’ll be able to implement. The primary one is layering, where you combine all four types to add depth and atmosphere to a room. There are a few other ways to add sophistication to your spaces: 

• Downlighting: the most typical form of ambient lighting, but it can also be used for wall washing or task lighting. 
• Uplighting: Usually great for accent lighting, particularly if you have unique wall finishes or angled ceilings. 
• Floor washing: Place LED fixtures along the floor to create a gentle glow ideal for late-night bathroom trips. These are discrete but also provide a spark for long, dim hallways. 
• Ceiling coffers: Offer indirect lighting and are exciting ways to hide ducts and plumbing. Coffers require strategic LED tape that won’t create unsightly shadows or glare. 
• Track lighting: Add a sharp look to your home design while creating excellent task lighting for bathrooms and kitchens. 

How to Optimize Your Lighting Design

For all the lighting design techniques mentioned above to work, you must work with high-quality fixtures. What does that mean? First, ensure they have the proper brightness to illuminate the area. High-end fixtures also offer various beam angles to allow for greater design and illumination flexibility. Then, look for tunable LED lights with different color temperatures while retaining a color rendering index above 95. A higher CRI helps objects and colors pop and look more natural. 

You’ll also need to plan for natural light. Incorporating motorized shades is the best way to control this aspect of lighting. With many fabrics available, finding ones that match your décor is easy. 

Work with a Professional Lighting Designer 

Bring professionals into your projects early so they can work with your interior designers and architects to place fixtures in the best spots. We’ll also incorporate easy-to-use lighting controls that help you get the most out of your integrated lighting design. To get started, give us a call or fill out our contact form.