Updating and renovating your home can be an exciting task. There are so many ways you can turn a space into your own design. For example, you could look at adding some bright neon signs by Neon Mama to the walls, invest in some antique standing lamps, or replace all your chandeliers. The choice is yours! Updating lighting fixtures can have a tremendous impact on the look and feel of any interior space. Arch Daily mentions that lighting intensity and color can have a profound effect on your mental state. Because of this, choosing the right lighting fixtures is crucial. The first step in updating your lights is to figure out the type of lights you want to install in your living space.
Types of Lighting
If you head to a hardware or a home accessories store, you’ll probably get blown away by the choices. There are lighting fixtures that appeal to different interior design paradigms. Choosing the right lighting fixture for you relies on how you see it fitting within your existing room decor. Among the options you’ll encounter are:
- Recessed Lighting: Also known as canister lights or downlights, these offer excellent accent lighting opportunities for any living space. The combination of placement and direction can create unique aesthetic displays.
- Pendant Lighting: These lights are small point lights that come in a variety of shapes and designs. You can even change the shades for a little bit of variety, adding colors or muting the light falloff levels. They’re also an excellent way to add to the interest of a design space. If you have a bar area near your kitchen, they make for great highlights.
- Track Lighting: When you install pendant lights on a track or beam, usually in a pattern or a row, you get track lighting. If you already have track lighting and need to update it, you have several options, the same as with pendant lights.
- Chandelier Lighting: Most people who have chandeliers get used to them after a time. Refreshing a chandelier might be something as simple as repainting it. However, you could change the entire design of the fixture by changing the outdated lighting with something more modern and chic.
Ways to Update Your Light Fixtures
A light fixture should add to the interior design of a room. The choice of light fixtures is crucial in figuring out the layout of a room. Decor usually takes your lighting into account for highlights or accents. Different types of lights perform various functions for your interior design. As a result, when your decor evolves, your lights need to follow suit. If your light fixtures are dull, drab, and seem to blend into the background (or stand out in the worst way possible), it’s time for an update. Homeowners can look at several ways to update their existing lighting fixtures.
- Paint: The easiest way to deal with an update is to repaint your lighting fixtures. This method is usually applied to metal fixtures like chandeliers, but it can also work with other metal fixtures. Repainting a metal fixture is a simple DIY job. All you need is a paint color that matches your needs and a steady hand to apply it to your fixture. Ideally, you’d also use newspapers to line around the location, so you don’t accidentally get spray paint on your walls.
- New Shades: Shades can make a world of difference to your lighting. While you could just remove the shades from a lamp, it leaves the interior looking bare and unrefined. Consider looking at shades with color schemes that match the room. If you want a lamp to only have a small area of effect, use a heavy shade to increase the dampening.
- Conversion Kits: Many home installations can be changes with a conversion kit. These take a specific type of lighting fixture and change them into another. You keep the wiring and everything else but add to the design significantly. Find out the type of lights you have in your home and learn what conversion kits work with them.
- Wireless Fixtures: Instead of having to run wires and go through the hassle of reinstallations, how about snipping the wires altogether? Changing a lighting fixture is just a matter of swapping out the old fixture and placing a new one on the plate. You’ll need a professional electrician to do the initial setup for you, but once that’s done, you should be able to switch your light fixtures out at will. This approach makes future updates far simpler.
Updating Your Lighting Doesn’t Have to be Difficult
Your lighting fixtures form a core part of your interior design. They can add to the ambiance within a room. From harsh white lighting to soft, colored tones, each evokes different feelings in a person, and each has its uses. If you’re updating your wiring to go with your fixtures, you’ll probably need a professional electrician to take a look. Changing your lighting can change the entire look of your home. It will take time, most certainly, but the results are well worth the wait.
Bobby Lynn is the Owner of LiveWire Electrical, a fully licensed and insured residential and commercial electrical company serving Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. Bobby has been in the electrical industry for over 20 years and has a vast knowledge of all things electrical. Learn more about LiveWire’s specialty lighting installation services here.