7 Things Designers Always Do to Improve a Home’s Lighting

Interior designers are meticulous and thoughtful when selecting the proper style, color palette, decor, and more for their clients. But even the most experienced design professional understands that lighting can make or break a space. The lamp or lighting fixture, the placement, and even the choice of light bulb can make a dramatic impact on the final aesthetic of an intentionally designed space.

We spoke with three professionals in the design industry to discover their tricks of the trade. Read on for the six tips skilled designers use to improve the lighting in any home.

Layer Your Lighting

In many rooms, there is a single, bright light situated like a target in the center of the ceiling. But our experts agree that lighting can, and should, be much more complex.

Jen Baxter, the founder of Baxter Hill Interiors, says a simple way to avoid the harsh impact of a single overhead light is to arrange your lamps and light fixtures in layers.

“The easiest improvement can be made by adding floor and table lamps that support how the space is actually used,” Baxter says.

Lighting can serve a myriad of purposes, from illuminating the pages of a book to spotlighting a unique piece of artwork. Select lighting options that are both practical and aesthetic and arrange them throughout a room to create contrast and depth.

“When possible, choose lamps with dimmer or multi-level switches to seamlessly transition between task and ambient lighting,” Baxter says.

Install Dimmers

Lighting has the unique impact of altering not just the brightness of a space, but the mood as well. Soft, low lighting feels calming, while direct, vibrant light can create a more productive environment.

This is why so many design professionals, including those we consulted, promote the use of dimmers to create ambience.

“Having the flexibility to adjust the brightness of your lighting is crucial for changing the mood and creating a home with atmosphere,” says Jennifer Jones, the principal designer at Niche Interiors.

Jones recommends dimmers for all hard-wired fixtures in your home, such as chandeliers, kitchen pendants, and wall sconces. Additionally, Jones likes to swap out standard lightbulbs in lamps with smart dimmable LED lightbulbs, which can be controlled with an app on your phone.

“This one easy change drastically improves the lighting in any room of the house!” she says.

Don’t Overuse Lights

Although lighting is certainly a practical addition to any and every room in a home, it is also possible to “over-light” a space. Too much light can impact not only design choices made, creating harsh shadows and distorted colors and textures, but it can also influence the mindset of those in the room.

“Brighter is not always better,” says Eileen M.E. Pierce, the founder and creative director of Pierce Lighting Studio. “Exceeding recommended light levels can create discomfort and increase energy use unnecessarily.”

One might assume that bright lighting would create a more functional space, but our experts say the cons of eye strain, energy waste, and general overstimulation indicate otherwise.

“Less is more,” Pierce says.

Select the Right Color Temperature

Beyond the number and placement of your lamps and fixtures, all three of our designers say it’s important to select the right lightbulb for the space you’re designing. One of the ways these professionals sift through bulb options is by focusing on the right color temperature.

“Color temperature [is] the most overlooked yet transformative aspect of home lighting,” Baxter says. “The color temperature of the bulb often has more impact on a room’s mood than the fixture.”

With this in mind, Baxter, Jones, and Pierce all opt for LED bulbs with a color temperature range of 2,700 to 3,000K to achieve a warm, cozy feel.

“Today’s LED options are far more nuanced than they once were,” Baxter says. “They come in a range of tones and bulb types, many of which rival [incandescent alternatives] for warmth and atmosphere—with a fraction of the energy use.”

Pay Attention to the Bulb’s Color Rendering Index

In addition to the color temperature of a bulb, our designers encourage you to scan the lighting facts label of your lightbulb for the Color Rendering Index, or CRI.

In short, the CRI metric indicates how true or realistic colors will appear under the light. Whether you’re lighting a kitchen countertop or a quiet, reading nook, our designers agree that a higher CRI is ideal, to ensure that colors and finishes are accurate.

“Over 90 CRI is best,” Pierce says. “LEDs with high color CRI (95+) can completely transform how materials are rendered. [They] allow the colors to pop and make the space look more vibrant.”

Take Advantage of Windows

There are many ways to improve the lighting in a home, but arguably the best method makes the most of natural light from outdoors. Windows are a coveted feature of many homes, and the sunlight they let in can create a bright and inviting ambiance as well as enhance your mood.

While it may not make financial sense to install more windows in your home, there are multiple tactics you can use to increase the amount of natural light in your home.

For instance, hanging mirrors in strategic locations can help natural light reach more areas of your home. Decorating and painting with lighter colors can also amplify the sunlight in your home, since white reflects light. If possible, you could also consider swapping some exterior doors with glass alternatives or doors with windows.

Don’t Overuse Recessed Ceiling Lights

Our final, go-to tip from all three design professionals is to avoid relying solely on recessed ceiling lights, also known as cans.

“The industry joke is when a ceiling looks like an airport landing strip you know you’ve gone too far!” Jones says.

While cans certainly light a space well, they lack the character and warmth created by assorted lamps, pendants, sconces, and so on. Instead, too many recessed ceiling lights can leave a space feeling sterile and stark.

Instead, our designers suggest, when possible, replacing flush mounts with semi-flush or pendant fixtures to better disburse the lighting and create visual interest.