Mistakes are easy to make when considering building your custom home, whether it be choosing the wrong countertop, failing to budget for furniture in your new home, or even selecting the wrong paint. It doesn’t make the experience right or wrong though. In fact, it makes it human! We all make mistakes and one of the most common mistakes is often one of the most overlooked choices in building a custom home: lighting.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, lighting requires preparation. Lighting can be affected by a number of elements including room size, shape, color, ceiling height, and even the type of furniture in the room. As you build your custom home you want to remain attentive to how each room will function, and whether or not those recessed lights above the dining room table makes sense for creating the atmosphere you want at your Sunday evening suppers.
Imagine this scenario. You pick out dozens of lighting options – chandeliers, pendants, flush mount – but when installed, the lights don’t work where they were installed or even in the home at all! How do you avoid the mistake though? Consider these dazzling alternatives for your custom home.
LED TAPE LIGHTS
LED tape has grown in popularity over the last 3-4 years. The strip lights are made up of a flexible circuit board that is populated with LEDs (light emitting diode) that you can stick almost anywhere you want to add powerful lighting in a variety of colors and brightnesses. They have quickly become the most cost-effective way to add highlights and set a dramatic tone in your room. Some of their attributes are:
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Cut to length
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Flexible
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An array of colors
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Low profile
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Peel ‘n stick
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Fully dimmable
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Customizable
CUSTOM RECESSED FLUSH LIGHTS
Flush lighting has seemingly replaced more traditional recessed lighting in that each light is installed in a way that ensures you only see the glow of the light itself rather than the bulb, the lens, or the fixture itself. They serve to add character and warmth to space.
UNDER CABINET LIGHTS
Much like LED light strips, the under cabinet lights are out of sight while still delivering ample illumination. The under cabinet lights are most often installed above kitchen counters or bathroom vanities allowing more task-style lighting for food prep, make-up application, etc. And because they are installed under your home’s cabinets, they blend right into the room’s decor.
CHANDELIERS
Certainly the most traditional lighting application – and in some ways more formal – chandeliers come in an array of sizes and designs’. They are great for rooms that need light in the entire space while offering a touch of class. They tend to make the room feel more upscale and formal. They probably are not the best light choice for a game room or bonus room.
SPECIALTY LIGHTING
The term sounds so formal, ‘specialty lighting’. It sounds a bit broad as well. There is a good reason for that. Specialty lighting broad. Some rooms just lend themselves to certain types of light. Hallways call out for sconces while outdoor living spaces ask for accent lighting. Reading nooks lend themselves to tabletop lamps while offices call for floor lamps and desk mounts. Once you have picked out general lighting it is a good idea to go area-by-area and consider how space will be used and then assign specific lighting to make sure that space is used appropriately.
So what light is right? What are you thinking in terms of lighting installation? Do you have a favorite style of light? Are you exploring with any non-traditional forms? Let us know in the comments below or be sure to join our Facebook group to share more about the Custom Home Program at River Landing.
