Top Requested Upgrades #3: More Light
Recessed lighting added to this eclectic home floods the space with even light. Photo Ideas+Design, by N49 Photography.
Light energizes us, literally brightening our day and our outlook.
In the theatre, lighting can transform a bare stage into a brilliant venue of joy, or a seductively mysterious cave. Lighting suggests what experience to expect …
It does the same in our homes. Just think of the warm light of a cosy family evening, the bright light of a bustling kitchen, or the glowing ambiance of an intimate dinner with those closest to you.
Lighting makes it easier to do the things we want to do, whether that’s reading, or cooking or creating a mood.
Light makes life better.
And no surprise, since light is the energy of life itself!
The challenge many homeowners face is that “Builders’ Basic” construction often leaves secondary rooms, like bedrooms and dens, with no wired-in lighting at all. So it follows (dare I say “like day follows night”?) that our #3 most requested upgrade is installation of recessed lights - also known as pot lights or down lights.
Mounted in the ceiling, the light from recessed luminaires (that’s the official term for light fixtures) is “ambient” - it spreads throughout the room, providing overall lighting in the space. Which can make a huge difference at night, of course, and also on gloomy days. And with a lighting plan that takes into account how you live in your space, you can make sure you have that light where you need it - something “Builder’s Basic” just can’t provide.
Imagine the change good lighting could make in a second bedroom that you use as an office or yoga room. Especially if that room otherwise only has only one or two table lamps.
Recessed lights also have style, Most people appreciate the sleek aesthetic of a recessed light, since the hardware and wires are hidden away and it is flush with the ceiling. It is a clean unobtrusive look that coordinates with many different design styles, while leaving the floor space clear of lamp bases and wires. In rooms with low ceilings, recessed luminaires can make the ceiling feel higher and the space larger, compared to the visual effect of a pendant that physically intrudes into the room. Who doesn’t want more space?
Recessed light fixtures can also combine both downward and directional lighting, creating more lighting options, while dimmable fixtures lets the feel of the room adjust for how its being used at any time of day.
And let’s take a moment to especially appreciate LED lighting. Tiny LEDs allow lighting designers to let their imaginations free, creating a fabulous variety of lighting shapes, forms and colours. Add the fact that LED lights are much less costly to operate, and don’t heat up your space the way incandescent and halogen luminaires do. And their tiny size means recessed LED luminaires can now be made thin enough to tuck into cramped condo bulkheads, full of ventilation and water pipes.
No doubt about it, LED recessed luminaires are winners for lighting every home.
More light, please!