Top 10 Areas in Your Home That Could Use Additional Lighting

Lighting can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your home; it sets the mood and creates an atmosphere that can calm, inspire, or energize us. Additional lighting can brighten a room on a dark winter day, create a cozy nook for reading or listening to music, brighten work areas in your kitchen, make it easier to find belongings in your closet, and add safety and security to your stairways, and walkways.

Knowing how to make the most of today’s energy-saving lighting will add enjoyment, convenience, and safety while saving you money in the long run.

When choosing light bulbs, check their color and brightness. A soft or warm white may be your choice in the bedroom, and a bulb with more blue tones or bright daylight in your office. Think about using a combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting to get the most enjoyment possible in each room.

Visit Emerge2 today with your lighting questions. Our team is ready to help you!

Safety First

Always be aware of the safety code when you add to your home’s lighting. Some lighting solutions only need batteries, and others use an outlet. Other lighting options require hard-wiring into your home’s electrical system. It’s best to hire a licensed electrician to ensure a safe installation for electrical work. Adding new lighting fixtures may require rewiring and installing additional outlets, switches, and dimmer switches.

1. Pantry Lighting

Make it easier to organize and find items in your pantry by installing a motion sensor or door jamb-activated pantry lighting. Add LED strip lighting to the bottoms of pantry shelves to brighten each shelf.

2. Display Cabinet Lighting

Put the spotlight on your glassware and dishware with lighting behind glass cabinet doors. Install LED display lights or LED strip display cabinet lighting to add character and charm to your kitchen.

3. Under-Cabinet Lighting in the Kitchen

Adding under-cabinet lighting in your kitchen will give you a brighter workspace for preparing meals and will add a warm glow to your countertops and entire kitchen. Choose the type of under-cabinet lighting that suits your budget, the look you want for your kitchen, and your DIY skill level. You’ll find a range of under-cabinet lighting products – some you can safely install yourself and others that need to be installed by a licensed electrician.

Puck Lights

Battery-powered LED puck lights give you under-cabinet lighting without having to wire into your electrical system. Some puck lights with batteries will last about three hours, or you can install plug-in puck lights.

Puck lights with self-adhesive backings make it easy to fasten them to the underside of your kitchen cabinets. Position one puck every eight to twelve inches for an even distribution. Check the brightness of various puck lights to find the right amount and type of light – you’ll want brighter lights for preparing food.

Light Bars

Some under-cabinet LED light bars can be plugged directly into an outlet, and others have a self-adhesive backing. They are ideal for brightening the areas where you work in your kitchen, laundry room, workshop, and garage.

Lighting Strips

Linkable ultra-thin profile under-cabinet lights are also easy to install using a magnetic shelf. Only 0.6” (15 mm) thick, they will illuminate the countertop while tucked out of sight in the pantry or storage cupboards. Connect up to ten sections by linking the cables, all operated from one switch.

4. Reading Lamp

Is the lighting near your favorite reading chair bright enough? If not, it’s time to add a dedicated reading lamp to your reading nook. Make reading easier on your eyes with an adjustable standing lamp.

5. Light Up Your Closet Floor

Closets can be dark, especially on the floor, but by installing some LED strip lighting, you will easily find that pair of shoes or bag, and it will be easier to keep your closet organized. Screw in a track to the baseboard and upper shelf inside your closet and snap in the LED strip lighting. There are also LED strip lights with a self-adhesive backing for easier installation.

6. Powder Room Lighting

Make a small washroom or powder room feel bigger and brighter by installing lights under a cabinet, shelf, or floating vanity. Under-vanity lighting can be strip lighting or tape lights and will give your floor a lustrous glow.

Gain light by hanging a medicine cabinet with built-in lights and a mirror, giving you more storage space.

If you have a small, windowless washroom, create a feeling of space by installing small-scale fixtures – small recessed lights, a small ceiling-mounted fixture, and strip lighting under a shelf or vanity.

7. Bookcase Lighting

Create a focal point in your living room or office by brightening your bookcases with lighting. Put the spotlight on your books and collectibles with easy-to-install strip or puck lights.

8. Emergency Lights in Corridors

We don’t usually think about emergency lighting until we have an emergency. Be ready for power outages at all times with a light designed to work when the power goes off. Traditionally used in businesses, emergency lights are also beneficial in homes with long hallways in basements far from exit doors, in a workshop, a garage, or other rooms with limited access to natural light.

It’s easy to mount emergency lighting on the wall, connected to your home’s main electrical panel. If there is a power outage, the emergency light will keep working by switching to the backup battery.

9. Back Deck and Front Porch Lighting

Lighting on the stairs to your deck, pathways, and your porch is a must to prevent tripping and falls. Add lights to your deck steps for added safety.

Floodlights add a decorative touch and improve curb appeal. Lighting around the exterior of your home, the garage, and the backyard will also make it safer and more secure on darker nights. Use motion lights to save energy. You can also connect a timer or use Smart lights for convenient operation from your phone.

10. Highlight Your Home's Architecture

Outdoor lighting enhances the architecture and landscaping of your home while brightening the area for improved safety and security. Place waterproof uplights in your garden to highlight tree branches, plants, and your home’s design features.

Look around your home to find other ways to make the most of lighting and add a new dimension to your everyday living. Drop in to Emerge2 today!