Lighting a home properly is not as simple as it seems. People actually study for years in order to learn the dos and don’ts of interior lighting. So thinking you can just pick up a few lights at the big box store, slap them up and everything will turn out hunky dory simply isn’t realistic. When a person ignores the fundamentals of lighting it will always show in the results. So if you are contemplating adding to or otherwise altering the lighting scheme in your home take a few minutes to read the following pointers related to common lighting mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

6 Common Mistakes People Make With Household Lighting

Lighting is an essential component of any well considered decor. It provides a sense of space and purpose and goes a long way toward providing a room its character. So whether you’re talking recessed lights or Turkish mosaic lamps it’s crucial to know how to properly deploy lighting resources to really make your home come alive. Here are 6 mistakes homeowners commonly make with lighting.

1. Selecting a light that’s too big or too small - Every element of the decor must have a harmonious proportional relationship with every other one. If the back of one chair is noticeably taller than the rest it will stick out like a sore thumb. Same with light fixtures. A common mistake homeowners make is thinking that if it’s an attractive design it will work in the space regardless of what size it is. Unfortunately that just isn’t true. Even light fixtures must have logical proportional relationships with their surroundings. If they don’t no one will notice that the light is beautiful, all they’ll see is that it’s too big or too small. Take a photo of the space and bring it to the store with you. Show it to the sales associate and ask their advice.
2. Depending on a single source of light - While having a single sun may work when we’re on the beach having only one light source in a room won’t lead anywhere good from a decor perspective. Having lighter and darker spaces is a great way to create a sense of movement within a room but it only works if the light and dark areas are well thought out and properly organized. When you have a single light source either the entire room will be flooded with bland, even light (yuck!) or there will be dark areas that are not there by design but only there because the single light isn’t powerful enough to reach all corners of the space. Do your room a favor; use a variety of light sources from chandeliers, recessed lights, track lighting, floor lamps and mosaic lamps to create atmosphere and keep the eye moving.
3. Ignoring color - While lights are primarily tasked with illuminating spaces for practical reasons they can also have secondary roles that include providing accents, creating focal points, establishing boundaries and introducing color. Turkish mosaic lamps with their hand made multicolor shades are a perfect way to introduce rich colors into a space without being garish or undermining the color scheme you’ve established with the rest of your furniture, wall coverings and the like. Sometimes in fact introducing mosaic lamps into a room that is primarily bathed in neutrals will activate the entire decor.
4. Unnecessary recessed lights - Recessed lights are a great way to define the volume of a space or perhaps even give the impression a space is bigger than it actually is. They can also be used to create focal points and generate atmosphere. But they should never, repeat never, be installed without a specific purpose in mind. If they are it’s not atmosphere you’ll generate, it’s visual confusion. And there aren’t many instances when that is a good thing. Also, recessed lights should never be the only source of light in a room. Not only will you waste electricity trying to light a room that way, you’ll wind up with a space that resembles a hospital room instead of a space where people are supposed to relax and enjoy life.
5. Forgetting the dimmers - If you really want to let the interior of your home down from a lighting standpoint just forget the dimmers. Dimmers are one of the must-have components of any contemporary lighting scheme. They not only allow you to save electricity they also allow you to both establish and adjust the atmosphere and mood in a room as circumstances change. They can allow you to emphasize different aspects of a room, switch the focal point from one side of the space to another or bring the house lights up or down depending on whether the big game is on or has gone to a commercial break. So do right by your decor. Don’t forget the dimmers.
6. Choosing the wrong light fixture material - This happens all the time when people become so impressed by a fixture that they refuse to see it doesn’t match the rest of the decor. Sure that gold plated, crystal chandelier may be something to behold, but over your sleek formica-topped kitchen table? Or the minimalist master bed with the low, profile and black frame? A light fixture should never be considered strictly on the basis of its own merits. It is a component of the decor. It is not the decor itself. As such it must reside in harmony with the other materials at work within the room

Lighting your home is not something that should be done in a thoughtless or haphazard way. Your recessed lights, pendants, Turkish lamps, task lights and more will have a fundamental effect on how the house is experienced by you and your guests. So print this list out and have it with you when you’re making your lighting selections. Or better yet, enlist the help of a professional interior designer. They’ll help you make choices that do your home proud instead of letting it down.