Home Lighting Design: Tips for Choosing Lights for Your Home

The right lighting can make or break a room. But when it comes to home lighting design, a lot of us look at light fixtures as finishing touches, rather than essential features within a space.

Lighting doesn’t need to be the very first thing on your design to-do list, but it shouldn’t be an afterthought either. From statement chandeliers to the most unassuming of accent lights, the choices that you make play both a functional role and contribute to a room’s ambience. To get it right, you want to make sure to put plenty of research into your home lighting design decisions—and to know exactly what you’re trying to achieve with each fixture and bulb that you pick out.

To help take the guesswork out of the process, we’ve gathered seven of our very best home lighting tips all in one place. Read on and discover all of the basics that you need to know in order to choose lighting that complements your space and offers you the ultimately in functionality and utility.

7 must-know home lighting design tips

Whether you’re building a new home or making upgrades to a current one, lighting is one of those design features that you definitely can’t ignore. Done well, your home’s lighting can add a lot of overall value to your property, and it can also serve as one of the primary distinguishing factors in creating a room that really wows.

Lighting isn’t cheap, so it’s important to get it right. Follow these tips to guide your decision making process and make smart, attractive, and impactful home lighting design choices.

Understand the different types of lighting

  • Ambient (or general) lighting – This is the most basic type of lighting that you’ll have in a room, and is intended to illuminate the space so that you can see what you’re doing and move around safely. Examples of ambient lighting include recessed can lights, flush mount fixtures, and track lighting.
  • Task lighting – Task lighting is what you’ll use when you want to light up a specific part of a room for a specific purpose. For example, under-cabinet lighting that provides increased visibility on your kitchen counter tops, or even just a standing lamp next to a desk or reading chair.
  • Accent lighting – Accent lighting serves a similar purpose to task lighting, but instead of providing targeted light to an area that you want to utilize it serves a more decorative—but equally specific—purpose, such as to offer mood lighting or to highlight a piece of artwork. Dimmers are a good example of accent lighting, since they can have a big effect on both the look and feel of a space. Generally you will want to include each type in every room, with strategic placement depending on where you spend the most time and what features of the space you want to highlight.

Start with a focal point

Go room by room

  • Entryway – Because this tends to be a small space, your focal point lighting should be enough. You can go for a dramatic overhead option, or something more subtle such as decorative sconces.
  • Kitchen – If you have an island, use pendants above to center off the space. From there, recessed lighting and under-cabinet lighting (if it’s in the budget) should be more than sufficient.
  • Bedrooms – Bedroom lighting is all about comfort. In addition to ambient lighting, bedrooms are a great place for dimmers as well as other accent fixtures. You may also want to consider a ceiling fan, which can offer a lot of additional comfort on warm evenings.
  • Bathrooms – Most bathrooms include a mixture of ambient and task lighting. If you do want an accent piece, consider the size to ensure proper balance.
  • Dining room – The dining room is an excellent place to display a large and bold fixture. This should suffice, but use accent lighting as needed if you require a bit of additional light.

Balance out size and scale

Layer your lights

Don’t forget about natural light

Prioritize energy efficiency

Lighting a home isn’t hard, but it may take time to get it right. If you’re concerned about budget, use lighting placeholders that you can then upgrade as your finances allow. You can also start simple and then add on as you discover where lighting is missing in your home and where it would make the biggest impact.

And of course, don’t neglect outdoor lighting either. Flood lights, pathway lights, and other types of outdoor lighting are great for curb appeal and ambience, and also make your home more safe and secure.