Choosing the Correct Lighting for your new Home

When talking about lighting, one can define three types that serve different functions: ambient, task and accent lighting. Each one has its purpose, and when used together, can make your living space feel both sophisticated and cozy. Ambient lighting fills rooms with light, mimicking the sun’s natural light and providing general illumination. The other two types have a more focused use. Task lighting is useful for brightening areas like kitchen countertops or dining tables, and gives the light needed for tasks such as food preparation or reading. Accent lighting can emphasize certain decorative items or architectural features in a room, bringing the décor to a higher level and setting the room’s ambiance.

Amidst all the other planning steps you need to take throughout the home buying process, it is a smart idea to also take into consideration what kind of lighting you will want before the construction of your new home starts, if applicable. It will make a big difference whether you want to hang two pendant lights in your kitchen versus three pendant lights. Going over your wishes with the building manager beforehand will allow you both to figure out what your future kitchen ceiling will be able to accommodate.

More and more, home owners are including multi-directional lighting into their home décor, such as wall sconces and spotlights for rooms with high ceilings. This is also where track lighting has become a popular choice, as it works so effectively in brightening areas that the normal downward facing light does not reach. The contrast between directional lighting will balance each other out – the normal ambient lighting will illuminate floors and spaces, and the up-lighting will take care of what the ceiling lights do not reach, giving the room warmth and depth.

While lighting can be used to accent a room’s centrepiece, it can also be used itself as the main feature. For instance, if your living room’s colour scheme is mostly neutral blacks and whites, in lieu of an overly fancy objet d’art for the room’s main draw, you could opt for a chandelier in silver or gold. The light fixture itself would become a multitasker – providing light, as well as tying the décor together in an elegant and unobtrusive way.

All this extra talk about lighting sounds expensive, but using LED bulbs will save you on energy costs in the long run. They have become very affordable in recent years, and will last several times longer than a typical incandescent light bulb. Plus, they come in different colours and brightness levels (from cool blue to warm orange) to provide the right ambiance for any room in the house!

Whether you are searching for a previously-owned home to move into, or yearning for a completely new construct to call your own, Phoenix Homes has a wealth of options available to you across the Ottawa area. Contact us today to let us know how we may best serve you!