Shedding Some Light on the Subject

More Tips for Lighting Your Home

In our last edition, we covered table lamps, floor lamps, rope lighting and motion sensors.  Here are a few more tips to add to or enhance your existing lighting:

Recessed lighting (also called a downlight, pot light or can light): Need overhead lighting in very specific places, like over a kitchen island or counter? Perhaps over a sink–kitchen, bath or laundry? As long as there is wired electricity nearby to tie into, you can have a recessed light cut into your ceiling and installed where you need light the most. And it provides a clean, neat appearance, flush with the ceiling.

Track lighting is also good for specific, focused lighting, particularly for accenting artwork, decorative shelves, bookshelves, etc.  With track lighting, you have the ability to move the lights along the track to the position you desire…it’s adaptable and versatile!

Pendant lighting: A decorative option for specific lighting is a pendant light. These are very popular and work well over tables, bars, counters, and kitchen islands, because they provide a downward focused light.  Pendant lights come in many wonderful styles and colors to coordinate with your décor, and allow you to make a fashion statement!  Hang multiples together to create a grouping.

Novelty and accent lights: Lighting can be fun as well as functional. If you enjoy unique decorating ideas, consider adding accent lights into your scheme. These lights come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors, and might be an interior-lit rock, an animal, a geometric shape, a lava lamp–the options are numerous. Upright, can-shaped lights add indirect lighting with style, much like a torchiere floor lamp, but on a much smaller scale.

Solar lights:  It would be crazy not to mention solar lights, since they have become so popular, and can be found in all shapes and sizes.  In many cases, they have replaced Malibu lights as the light of choice to line your landscaping and walkways.  They can also be found in decorative shapes as yard and garden accents, lanterns to hang from trees and patios, lights to float in pools and ponds.  Solar lights can also be found as motion sensor spots to mount on your home, garage, or shed…their uses are seemingly endless!

Hopefully, our two editions of lighting ideas have given you some food for thought…or turned on that light bulb in your brain!  Shake things up and try something new!