Six Ways To Make Lighting The Star Of Your Home

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You can swap out your couch, get a new dining room table, paint your walls a new color, change up the furniture placement, but if you dont have the right lighting, the space still might not feel pulled together.

"The lighting in a home changes the mood of a room just as it does the perceived size of a room," said SFGATE. The elements that come together when the right lighting is achieved transform a room into a seamless combination of functionality and >

1. Lighting plans

Key to quality lighting design is having a "layered" plan with different types of lighting serving different purposes.

"The concept of layering light is particularly important in the living/family room, an area of the house where people tend to gather for long stretches of time and engage in an array of activities, including conversation, watching TV, reading, playing board games and using a laptop," said HGTV.

Their recommendations include:

"Ambient lighting that bounces off the ceiling

Task lighting from table lamps

Accent lighting that focuses on a particular architectural element in the room

Once you know how to use lighting to maximize the potential of your home, the fun part begins: adding in the pretty stuff. Here are the trends youll want to follow.

2. Pendants

There is perhaps no greater lighting trend right now than pendants, with a combination of versatility, functionality, and beauty that inspires designers and homeowners.

"Pendant lighting is a hot item at the moment," said Decorators Wisdom. "Some in-demand pendant lighting draws inspiration from the past, while other >

Louis Lighting extols the virtue of glass pendants, which can "transcend several dcor >

Pendants are also being used in all new places and in new ways, added 1000 Bulbs. "Whether youre browsing Pinterest online or walking around home dcor stores like IKEA, its hard not to notice the sweeping popularity of pendant lights," they said. "Lately, these versatile light fixtures are appearing in more areas than just their traditional places over kitchen islands or countertops, debuting above front entryways, dining room tables, night stands, and bathroom vanities among other places. But the fixture itself is not the only new trendthe way pendant lighting is being installed is also new, as clusters of pendants are often grouped together to create one, dramatic overhead light fixture, or multiple pendants are hung spread out at varying heights."

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3. Industrial

The industrial chic look has legs, and adding a light fixture in this >

See some great examples of industrial lighting here.

4. Antique bulbs

A growing trend tied into the industrial look is antique light bulbs. While more expensive than traditional bulbs, they bring a unique touch to your fixtures.

"You may have already noticed the beautiful winding filaments of antique light bulbs glowing in the dining area of your favorite restaurant or in the lobby of a luxury hotel. But antique light bulbs are actually making a comeback in both retro and industrial >

Looking for a way to get "the look and feel of >

5. LED

Speaking of LED, its another hot lighting trend that is growing fast as consumers seek out ways to cut both their energy bill and their carbon footprint.

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"LED lighting is here to stay," said Louie Lighting. "Significantly, LED lighting is both practical and affordable as compared to other alternatives. The demand for LED lighting, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom has grown exponentially according to residential architects. Costs for customers are also going steadily downward as their use becomes more ubiquitous."

6. Lighting in drawers and cabinets

Call it the evolution of under-cabinet lighting. Accent lighting in cabinets not only helps brighten up dark spaces, but also helps showcase collectiblesa key complement to the glass-front cabinet trend. Get some ideas on how to add LED lighting to drawers here.

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