5 Things to Remember When Buying New Light Fixtures

When you go to buy new light fixtures for your home, what’s the first thing that stands out to you when you come across different lighting options? It’s the way light fixtures look and how we personally feel towards the aesthetic style is represents, right? The one we like the most is typically the one we purchase. Seems simple enough.

But the aesthetics mean nothing when you need a quality light fixture that not only is beautiful to the eyes but can provide the best lighting and overall wrap up your interior or exterior design.

So, before you cave in and purchase the light fixture that, from the appearance, is stunning, consider the following as well:

1. Buying the wrong-sized light fixture can make your space look bigger – or even smaller

When buying new light fixtures, it is important to decide how they would look in your space in terms of the space you do or do not have. It makes sense to weigh in the height of your ceiling, the size of furniture or other objects that would be near your new light fixture(s), and the overall size of your room to decide what fixture size would be best.

For someone with low ceilings and a cramped space, it makes more sense to consider implementing 6”-long pendant lights that have shades with 6” diameter rather than an 8”-long chandelier with a 24” diameter shade.

Placing light fixtures that are too small in your space will not only look ridiculous but also get swallowed into your space. They won’t stand out. And chances are, they won’t provide optimal lighting for your larger space.

But opting for light fixtures that are too large for your design will eat up the little remaining space you do have and will create an eyesore, as larger lights can be too obnoxious and space-hungry, quickly eliminating any spaciousness your room ever had.

So, know what type of light fixture size (length and shade diameter) would be most suitable for your particular design.

2. Practical and decorative lighting are two completely different things

When people go to look for new light fixtures do so because they either want practical lighting or decorative lighting – but the majority want a mix of both. However, before beginning your light fixture hunt, decide which is more important to you or if you would like a balance between the two.

Practical lighting would be something that would provide much-needed lighting. This refers to ambient lighting – lighting that illuminates on a general level – or task lighting – lighting that illuminates a certain part of a room to assist with specific tasks (e.g., cooking on the stovetop, office work).

However, decorative lighting is something that is mostly aesthetic. Its goal is to look pretty in a space and make the design eye-catching overall. Decorative lighting can just be a light fixture that is attractive but rarely used in the home, or it can be accent lighting – a type of lighting that illuminates a certain part of the space with the goal to emphasize or beautify something (e.g., a sculpture, plants).

When it comes to providing a mix of both practical and decorative lighting, this consists of choosing a fixture that meets the aesthetic and functional expectations you want: something that provides the right color, style, and design you want while still offering efficient lighting for your home.

3. Your home and your light fixtures’ style can clash if you don’t pick out the right fixtures

It’s not enough to pick out light fixtures you love based on what they look like. More importantly is picking out fixtures that you love plus have a style that can be properly implemented into your design.

If you have a modern or contemporary design, try to keep your light fixtures within a decade or less of the same era. The same thing goes if you offer a more traditional design.

However, do keep in mind if you expect to update your interior or exterior design shortly, picking out timeless light fixtures – ones that never seem to go out of style and can be quite versatile in numerous designs – is your best bet.

Just remember that there is such a thing as a light fixture being too old or too modern for your space, that is, if it doesn’t seek to complement or mix well into the design of your overall home.

4. Your lighting needs will vary from room to room

It is rare that somebody would prefer their entire home to always be very bright or always be on the dimmer, warmer-toned side. Most people have different perceptions of their space depending on what they are doing and what room they are in, in their home.

The kitchen should be bright enough to make food prep, cooking, and eating easier and safer. After all, a big part of enjoying food is using the five senses. What’s a good meal without properly seeing what you’re making or eating?

But when it comes the bedroom, many prefer warmer, less bright lighting as it is more peaceful and relevant once nighttime rolls around. Having intense lighting can make it harder to catch some sleep as it has a direct effect on the circadian rhythm, energizing you when you should be getting ready to settle down for the night.

However, for those who generally enjoy brighter lighting overall but like the idea of dimmer lighting for, say, the bedroom, it would be a good idea to have a dimmable light fixture or different types of lighting for various times of the day – especially if you don’t have the option in your room to have bright, natural light flow into the space via windows. This is also where the importance of task lighting comes in.

Generally, each room may have different needs for lighting. Some rooms that you use often or need to complete certain tasks may require brighter lighting whereas other rooms may need less lighting due to different reasons.

5. Buying new light fixtures doesn’t have to be expensive and difficult

Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that finding the right light fixtures is virtually impossible or that you can’t find that perfect fixture. Well, you can, all for an affordable cost.

Cocoweb offers a plethora of lights decked out in different materials and colors. There truly is a style of lighting on our website that you will fall in love with as we over several thousand different fixtures. We offer barn lights, wall sconces, picture lights, and many other fixtures to best suit your interior or exterior space.

Just when you thought you couldn’t find light fixtures that are trendy, fun, and affordable all at once, you just did!

Conclusion

Buying new light fixtures is not as easy as finding something that you like; it also has to be something that is the right size, has the right mixture of practicality and beauty, offers the right style, meets the intent of the room you’re wishing to light, and of course, is something that is within your price range.

But whoever said buying light fixtures has to be a strenuous, time-consuming process? Not us! At Cocoweb.com, we value your need to find lighting that is decorative and functional at the same time without maxing out your credit card. Just leave it to our online store to provide you thousands of light fixtures you’ll fall in love with in all aspects.