Lighting up Your Life

 by: Paul Forte

You are visiting a friend that has just had a beautiful kitchen remodel done. It is a lovely kitchen with stunning granite countertops and a sharp looking tile backsplash. The glass door cabinets are filled with the good china. Somehow after spending a small fortune the room still looks a bit drab.

So many times people spend a wad of money renovating a room and neglect to take the lighting into consideration. Properly placed lighting of the correct type can literally make or break a room. That tile backsplash can be brought to life with some low voltage linear lighting. The china in those glass door cabinets can really show itself off with some puck lights and glass shelves.

Recessed lighting and a combination of switching options can give a room many personalities to suit any mood. From bright light for working conditions to subtle lighting for a romantic setting can all be accomplished with switches and dimmers. Accent lighting to highlight certain aspects of a project that were carefully planned but would barely be noticed otherwise. Cove lighting above crown moldings helps focus attention to the detail of the room.

In a bathroom lighting is very important and many times overlooked. Placing recessed lights above can cause grief if a supplemental light is not placed on the wall near the vanity. When shaving or applying makeup those overhead lights cause unwanted shadows. By placing an additional light such as a wall sconce can eliminate that problem.

When you carefully plan that next renovation project or new home be sure the lighting is well planned out as well.