Lighting Design for Remodels Basics – Part 2
As mentioned previously, a home remodel will also require the planning and execution of lighting design. Lighting will affect how your home will be perceived both inside and outside. Its design means much more than being able to see at night because the ways lights are used can make a home look beautiful. Consult with a licensed electrician experienced in home construction to achieve the best results. Part 2 discusses the concepts of various lighting techniques.
Accent Lighting – Utilized for highlighting specific objects, such as art, displays, or architectural features. They are made significantly brighter than their surroundings, drawing the attention of one’s eyes.
Cove Lighting – Lighting is concealed through the use of perimeter coves, projecting an appealing pattern on the ceiling and generating ambient lighting for an area.
Downlighting – Lights surfaces or objects directly beneath a lighting fixture. This method can make a space look smaller for intimacy. However, downlighting can generate high contrasts, and may be fatiguing to the eye after long periods.
Framing – A form of accent lighting that uses a recessed or framing projector with shutters that are adjustable. It can be used to light a painting, but leaving the area around it dark, creating a dramatic effect.
Grazing – Through the placement of light fixtures near a wall and decreasing the angle of the light, generating shadows and revealing textures such as stone or brick.
Silhouetting – Silhouettes objects, such as statues, through diffused light striking its front, while light strikes the back of the object. The back light is intense or diffused, depending on the clarity required for the silhouette.
Sparkle or Glitter – Visually interesting and can create an elegant atmosphere through lighting a chandelier or an effect creating a star-filled sky on the ceiling.
Task Lighting – Provides lighting sufficient to perform tasks within a prescribed area.
It may be ambient or localized. Task lighting is typically ceiling-mounted or on localized equipment.
Uplighting – Directs lighting on surfaces or objects above a lighting fixture. The look is unusual, and the result may or may not be desired, creating an eerie or intimate atmosphere.
Wall Washing – The lighting of vertical surfaces will make a room stand out and appear more spacious. The usual fixtures for wall-washing are track lighting and ceiling-mounted lights.
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