Ask any interior designer for furnishing tips and you will surely hear about the importance of lighting.
Good lighting is easily overlooked by homeowners, thinking that home design is all about choosing the right furniture. But lighting can make or break a design.
In the proper hands, it can even lend grandeur to a rather plain-looking room.
Selecting the right light fixtures is an investment. There’s no exaggeration in that statement, whether it’s for your own use, or you’re selling or leasing your house.
By learning how to be smart with your home lighting you can truly reap the benefits
What difference does home lighting make?
The benefits of home lighting for personal use are obvious, so we won’t talk about it in this article. Instead, we’ll focus on utilising lighting to increase the value of your property.
Real estate is a rigidly competitive industry. To get ahead in the game, you need to maximise all measures available. Ensure that you leave not a single stone unturned.
This is where many property owners fail, yet they wonder what they did wrong.
Here’s why home lighting is critical to your property’s value:
It enhances your property
Prospective buyers and tenants rely on appearance. To entice them, they should be able to imagine themselves living in your house.
Impressing them entails investing in beautification efforts and showcasing the potential of the house.
Lighting comes in handy in this endeavour as it’s the finish that sets the mood and ambiance.
Lighting can lend personality to any room. It can brighten a dark area, add depth to a dull wall or radiate warmth where coolness dominates.
Good lighting makes you stand out
In improving the appearance and value of a property, it is often the details that make the difference. You should pay attention to the basics such as the furniture, layout, walls, and floors.
And by being creative with your lighting units, you can set yourself apart from the competition and leave a lasting positive impression with your inventive use of lighting.
Improvements raise the asking price
Impressing your prospective clients at the outset gives you the upper hand in the negotiations. Let them see the potential of the house so they’ll know it’s worthy of their money.
Buyers and tenants will naturally try to nit-pick. Ironing out details, such as the lighting, will assure them of your home’s quality.
When you have a home you’re proud of, you’ll feel more; confident in asking for a higher purchase price or rental fee.
It helps appeal to your target market
The quality of your home design speaks volumes about your target clientele and it can also work to attract suitable candidates.
Want to attract chic tenants? Install industrial and modern light fixtures. Do you want to encourage uniqueness? Bespoke lightings are the way to go.
How do I be smart with my home lighting?
The good news is that there’s an inexpensive way to achieve a striking home. Compared to buying new furniture and undertaking an actual renovation, retrofitting old light fixtures can be a cheaper option.
Assess before you replace
Old lighting doesn’t automatically mean it needs to be replaces.
Instead of buying brand-new fixtures, think about how you can give it a face-lift. Put a non-functional lamp to good use by re-purposing it into a statement decor.
It’s an effective way to express your taste without spending excessively. And it also gives you the flexibility to create a design that perfectly matches your theme.
Offer control with dimmers
Refurbish your old lighting system with a dimmer switch. It’s not only a cheap method of pulling off lighting depth, it’s also an energy-saving device.
You can save energy costs and lengthen the bulb life at the same time.
Consider function and balance
Although lighting generally improves any space, there is the danger of overdoing it. You’d want your living room to be bright and inviting.
But be careful to get a balanced combination among chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps.
Before you cramp lamps in a room, assess the needs and character of each room and bear in mind the intended purpose for the space. Install lighting strategically.
For example, you’ll need less lighting in spaces where natural light passes through a window or glass wall. It’s also wise to avoid putting too much lighting in a small space to avoid blinding brightness.
Adopt new technologies
Google Home and Apple Home are becoming more and more common in households across the country.
Smart-lighting that can connect to your home wifi system can really improve the experience of the space.
Put yourself in a prospective buyer’s shoes and imagine moving into a home where you could seamlessly connect and control all the lighting.
Author bio
Lisa Wetherell is a lighting designer based out of Melbourne, Australia. She works freelance, and in her spare time, writes about her knowledge of the lighting industry on her blog Lighting House.
