The Illumination Secrets Everyone Needs to Know

 Lighting up a space properly is a task not everyone is properly equipped with. To be completely truthful, illuminating an interior or exterior design can be more precise of a process than expected. But that doesn’t mean it has to be an intimidating and stressful involvement.

With just a few tips and secrets, you can be on your way to a beautiful and well-illuminated design – and you don’t have to be a lighting expert nor have to hire one to do the dirty work for you!

1. Think of light fixtures as pieces of art.

Many like to view light fixtures as pieces that are acquainted with nighttime. After all, the majority of homeowners do in fact use their light fixtures mainly in the darker hours of the day.

However, to truly have a properly-designed space in terms of the right light fixtures, it is important to see your fixtures as both day and nighttime pieces. The best way to do that is to consider light fixtures to be pieces of art, from the shape of their shade, to the color of their stem, to the type and angle of lighting they offer.

When you view light fixtures as artwork, you’ll not only pick pieces out that best represent your space in all hours of the day but also seek to find fixtures that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye in multiple ways.

And if you really want to go all out in your interior design, don’t just see your fixtures as art but also utilize some of your fixtures to light art as well. In a way, this is like combining two forms of art to create one bigger, better piece of beauty.

Remember, design can be similarly as important as function. A mix of the two is best in any design.

2. Add downlights last.

Downlights, a type of recessed lighting that illuminates in a downward direction, is great in certain cases, but it shouldn’t be your main focus.

There are a few reasons why for the latter. For one, downlights don’t provide the optimal illumination your space needs compared to what other fixtures can provide.

Secondly, when you install downlights, it’s all about quantity over quality; because you won’t be getting high-quality lighting, you’ll continuously be installing more downlights to make up for it, and you’ll end up with an expensive and unattractive design.

This isn’t to say that downlights should be avoided. Instead, consider them last on your list. Select other fixtures first: barn lights, pendants, chandeliers, picture lights, barn floor lamps, and so on. You can find these fixtures from Cocoweb if you’re ever a little stuck on what you space needs.

After you install other fixtures first, then that’s when you consider the option to include downlights in your design as well. The goal should be to avoid downlighting as much as you possibly can to initially bring your emphasis towards a variety of light fixtures that provide a variation of style and different types of illumination in your space.

3. Maximize the amount of natural light you have in your 

space.

This may sound like a contradicting illumination secret, but take advantage of natural light as much as you can. It’s there, so why not utilize it?

Part of your goal with maximizing the amount of natural light in a design is to strategically place furniture in the right areas. Consider placing a table or desk near adequate sources of natural light or at least ensuring your home’s design has plenty of windows to allow natural light to flow it where it’s mainly needed.

Rooms or parts of rooms you seldom use would require less light on a broad scale, but nevertheless, will still need some sort of illumination when it is used. However, gear your natural light in the most important regions first and foremost, especially if you are on a limited budget.

Failing to utilize natural light to its best extent, particularly in the areas you spend most of your time in, means you’ll be paying more when you bust your wallet to install more artificial sources of light, and of course, when you utilize artificial lighting frequently, letting it wrack up your electricity bill. Natural light, however, is free and readily available in the daytime.

Once you’ve got natural lighting under control, then add your artificial fixtures. The amount of natural light you have can give you hints as to what type of lighting and how many fixtures your space will need to work well in the after hours.

4. Break your lighting into different zones.

A big issue that comes into play with adding illumination into a design is knowing where exactly to place light fixtures, what types to use, and the size your fixtures should be. So, basically everything can be a bit difficult to coordinate.

When installing lighting, you may ask yourself questions such as:

• Do I really need a light fixture here?
• Does it make sense that I place a dimmable light fixture over there?
• Will I ever use this light fixture, or is it just there for decorative purposes?
• When is too much lighting considered too much?
• Is there enough light, or should I add more?

But our Cocoweb team is gladly here to help you out.

Especially for larger rooms, it’s a great idea to think of your space as having different sections or zones. Within each of these zones, focus on the type of illumination you will add there specifically. You can decide what type of lighting you’ll need depending on what that zone will be used for (e.g., working on the computer, reading, watching television, etc.).

This specific technique will allow you to place emphasize on the function of your lights while at the same time making sure that you pick out fixtures that best complement the particular area you install them in.

While you should also consider seeing the lighting in a room from a big picture standpoint, it is also important to break it into chunks, focus on one section at a time, and then work on the next zone until it all pieces together as one unit.

5. Want something specific? Customize your light 

fixtures.

It’s your space, so make sure you illuminate it the way you want with the light fixtures you desire. It’s your best option if you know exactly what your space needs but don’t have the time or energy to search for exactly that.

Best of all, it’s completely possible to customize the light fixtures of your dreams all for a very reasonable cost. At Cocoweb.com, you can do exactly that with many of our fixtures from picture lights to floor lamps.

Pick among different lamp and stem colors, materials, and sizes. From some of our customizable light fixtures, you can even opt for different power sources and other features depending on the fixture you’re looking at.

Overall, customization is a wonderful option to have as it helps make you light fixture shopping experience easier, more convenient, and more versatile on your end.

Conclusion

With these five fabulous tips for illuminating your space, you’re steps closer to the perfectly-illuminated interior or exterior design of your dreams. It will take effort. It will take work. But a combination of knowing what you want and what you need can get you to the right place in no time.

Whenever you’re ready to opt for more lighting for your home or business, be sure to check out the lovely selection of lamps, barn lights, sconces, and table lamp options at Cocoweb.com.