When you walk into or out of a room in your home, what's the first thing you do? Turn the lights on or off. How your home is lit plays an important role in your day-to-day living. Proper lighting helps with one's ability to see clearly, identify objects, prepare food, attend to personal grooming and more. All of our daily functions rely on the right type of lighting to make our tasks easier. More importantly though, studies have shown that our moods and emotions can be triggered by light. The intensity of light can have an impact on the intensity of our emotions. So why wouldn't you want to incorporate lighting in your Boulder, CO home remodel to better your daily living?

Whether you're planning a home remodel in Colorado to improve the lighting in just one room or update your entire home's lighting design, keep these lighting improvement tips in mind:

Living Room

Ambient lighting in a living room can be accomplished with soffit or valance lighting, recessed or track lighting that is directed toward the walls, or even with plug-in torchiere floor lamps with translucent upward facing globes. Implement task lighting by placing table lamps near a reading chair or game table. Accent lighting can be used to focus on an architectural element, such as a fireplace, bookcase or on a piece of art. Place up-facing lights on the floor as accent lighting for a plant, and track lighting to accent artwork.

Kitchen

Since the kitchen is where food preparation takes place, it's important to consider task and ambient lighting carefully for this room. Most of your work takes place on the counter space and over the sink. These areas are particularly important for proper task lighting. One of the main reasons sinks are often located beneath a window is to take advantage of natural light. Supplement the natural light with a fixture above the sink. Illuminate the countertops with under cabinet lighting in your next Colorado kitchen remodeling project.

Dining Room

The primary focus of dining room lighting is generally the table. Fixtures placed directly above the table can provide both ambient and task lighting for this room. Dimmers provide flexibility in establishing a relaxing atmosphere when entertaining, and therefore, are a desirable lighting feature for a dining room. Another consideration when lighting a dining room is the color of your walls. A darker color paint on the walls will reflect less light, so more lumens may be necessary to enhance your lighting.

Bathrooms

Traditionally, bathroom lighting consists of an overhead fixture, plus a fixture over the mirror. This standard design causes shadows to be cast when a person stands in front of the mirror. With an emphasis on personal grooming that requires looking in a mirror, one of the best improvements you can make in a bathroom is to light both sides of the mirror. If during your Colorado home remodel you have to choose between a wall-mounted fixture on the side of the mirror and an overhead fixture for a small bathroom, lighting designers recommend going with a wall-mounted placement.

Bedrooms

The bedroom is a room where a relaxing atmosphere is welcomed. Avoid central ceiling-mounted fixtures that might be perceived harshly when viewed from bed. For bedside reading or easily accessible lighting from bed, an adjustable wall-mounted light fixture or table lamp is recommended. Ambient lighting can be created by floor lamps, architectural lighting or recessed ceiling lighting.
When considering a the lighting for your remodel, it's important to think about how you really use a space. This will help you to identify whether you need task lighting, accent lighting, ambient lighting or a mixture of all three throughout your home. We hope these room-by-room tips help you plan your next remodeling project. Boulder Builders is your source for all Colorado remodeling services. When you choose Boulder Builders, you choose a partnership in your project. When you're ready to begin your next project, contact Boulder Builders!