What to Expect When Visiting a Lighting Showroom

by admin · Sep 29, 2023

Have you ever purchased something online only to have it arrive looking very different than you expected it to, or it just didn’t look as good in your space as you thought it would? Have you ever purchased an item at the store based off the image on its packaging only to be disappointed by the poor quality once you got it home and unwrapped?

There’s no substitute for being able to see, touch, and try out an item before making a purchase. This is true for any purchase, but it’s especially important when you’re buying things for your home! Your home needs to be somewhere you’re comfortable and can feel relaxed – and good lighting is absolutely essential to creating that environment!

Don’t leave your lighting purchases up to chance. If you’ve never been to a lighting showroom before, here are a few things you can expect to happen on your next visit.

Huge Selection of Quality Fixtures

When you shop online, it can be overwhelming and frustrating trying to sort through all of the options to find something you like, and it’s always a gamble as to whether it will look right once you get it.

Lighting showrooms specialize in one thing: getting you the perfect light for your home. We have access to thousands of lighting options, and our lighting experts can help you sift through it all to find exactly what you need – without hours of frustrating internet searches.

Showroom owners are choosy about what they’ll offer to customers, so you won’t have to worry about getting a dud.

See Everything in Person

When buying light fixtures, you’re usually trying to set up an entire room with balanced needs. Unless you are a trained interior designer (and even if you are), it’s very difficult to gauge style, size, space, and balance just from a picture.

Fixtures look really different when they’re off and on, and the way they cast light can change the feel of a space. It’s also hard to see small details and textures on finishes. Being able to see the light in person before buying can save you the headache of having to return a dark brown fixture you thought was black or a lantern that casts shadows you weren’t expecting.

Personalized Expert Advice

Most DIY homeowners and interior designers know what it feels like to thoroughly research and still feel dissatisfied with the end result. It doesn’t matter how many how-to videos you watch – the person on the other end can’t give you personalized advice specific to your project.

With something as crucial to your design as lighting, it’s a really good idea to check over design plans with an expert on the topic before you get started.

When you stop in at our showroom, our lighting experts can teach you how to select the right bulbs for your needs, get the best light fixture for your money, and instruct you on proper installation, all as a regular part of your shopping experience. You won’t get that level of personalized expertise anywhere else!

Better Value for Your Money

Many believe that lighting showrooms charge “boutique” prices that are much higher than you’ll find online or at the hardware store. This simply isn’t true. When you visit a showroom, you’ll find that showrooms charge comparable prices to other fixture suppliers, and they have higher quality pieces.

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Let’s Recap

When it really gets down to it, if you’re shopping online or at a hardware store, you’re gambling on quality and not getting the best value for your money.

The next time you’re shopping for lighting, make sure you include a lighting showroom in your process. When you shop at a showroom, you can see what you’re buying before you take it home. When you factor in the free expert advice, the higher quality fixtures, and the time saved, you’re actually paying less to get exactly what you need for your home.

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Ready for your showroom experience? Check us out at Pine Grove Lighting!

5 Easy Steps to Create a Modern Minimalist Interior

by admin · Sep 22, 2023

With an intentional lack of furniture and decorations, minimalist design can sometimes come off as cold and uncomfortable. Over the past few years, as we’ve spent more time in our homes than ever before, the need for comfort in a home design has been made crystal clear.

Today’s modern minimalism prioritizes simplicity with a decluttered and uncomplicated aesthetic, while also emphasizing the need for comfort in a space. You’ll see more color and accessories than the minimalist interiors of the past had, but they’ll be thoughtfully chosen extras that provide warmth and life to the space without going overboard.

Whether you’re interested in adopting a minimalist lifestyle or just love the simple yet dramatic design aesthetic, modern minimalism is an achievable aesthetic for just about anyone!

To help you get started, we broke down the basics of modern minimalist interior design into a handful of easy steps you can use to confidently focus on the right essentials.

1. Create an Open Floor Plan

Focus on creating as much connected open space as possible. Obviously, taking out walls is the easiest way to create an open floor plan. But if you’re not in a place where you can tear down walls, there are some simple and subtle tricks you can use to make adjoining spaces feel more connected.

One way to connect spaces in your home is to use the same flooring and wall paint colors for the entire space. This will make rooms look like they belong together, even through a doorway.

A unique accent, like this minimalist pendant light, grabs your attention through the doorway from across the way, which helps your brain perceive the two spaces as one.

Finally, play around with your furniture placement to maximize your space. In smaller spaces, this often means keeping large furniture close to the walls to keep open pathways throughout but don’t underestimate the power of a simple, low-profile, floating sofa used to define a space.

2. Choose a Small Color Palette

A classic hallmark of minimalist design is a neutral monochromatic color palette, typically in warm grey, white, or beige tones. Contrast is important – add dimension and balance with a mix of darker and lighter shades within your color palette.

If an all-neutral color palette just isn’t your thing, you can still get a modern minimalist look with color – you just need to stick to a small palette. Keep most of the colors you use very light, to increase the feeling of airiness and reflect light best.

3. Functional Design is Key

It doesn’t matter how pretty a room is, if it’s inconvenient or difficult to use you’re not going to be happy with it. When you’re trying to adopt modern minimalism, understanding how to pare down to only the essentials can be hard. When you’re going through your room, ask yourself:

“Does this serve a purpose?” “Do I already have something that serves this purpose?” “Is there a multipurpose option that will serve this purpose and others?”

Just remember, there’s no hard and fast rule for what it means to be “functional” – and you don’t need to justify every item you love to keep it in your home. A funky decorative pillow that makes you smile when you see it is serving a purpose (and it’s making your couch more comfortable – so it’s multifunctional!)

A huge part of functional design is organization. Decluttering for a modern minimalist space involves reducing “visual clutter” too! Things not actively being used should have a home where they can be tucked away until they’re needed.

Opt for storage options that have doors that will hide the things you’re not using. When styling open shelving, choose items that match your color palette, leave plenty of open space, and use boxes or baskets to organize and hide loose items.

Don’t be surprised if you get down to the basics and you aren’t in love with what you have left. You’ll likely need to start making smart trades here and there to end up with a set of basics that you love.

4. Add Light – Lots of It

Like most modern design aesthetics, modern minimalism focuses on filling the space with light. Where possible, introduce as much natural light as you can. The light colors on your walls and floors will reflect it – making your room feel open and airy.

In addition to natural light, a modern minimalist space needs a well-thought-out interior lightscape. Make sure your general ambient light is bright without being harsh, and add extra lighting in dark corners and over workspaces. Hidden lights, like LED strips under a cabinet, are an inexpensive DIY trick with a big payoff!

Because minimalism is all about doing less with more, it’s okay to be choosy about how you add light to your space – you don’t want to clutter up your home with a floor lamp in every dark spot! When you’re shopping for fixtures, stick to simple shapes that can double as design elements.

5. Finish it Off with Thoughtful Accents

Little pops of color and texture are what take a modern minimalist space from blah to wow. You can do this in a number of ways, but remember to keep it simple. Start with just one color or texture and see how it feels before committing to more.

When possible, look for ways to upgrade your existing decor rather than adding extra items. Look for functional pieces that you need in your space, but feel a little lackluster, and find a more interesting alternative. Replace an old, overstuffed sofa with a simpler version in a deep color (as long as it’s in your color palette!) or give an old end table new life with a coat of paint.

Pro Tip: If you have a hard time committing to color, consider using houseplants! They introduce a vibrant green color and soft, organic textures, which can balance out a minimalist design quite nicely.

By far, one of the most effective ways to accent a modern minimalist design is with an interesting light fixture. Your room will always need light, so it might as well be an integrated part of the design!

A stunning ceiling light with a simple shape will stand out as a piece of art against a minimalist backdrop and elevate the entire design of the space.

Pendant lamps are popular in modern minimalist design because they come in simple shapes with lots of finish options, so it’s easy to find something that will match your aesthetic.

If replacing a ceiling fixture isn’t an option, you can get a similar impact with a carefully chosen floor lamp! Lamps are the MVP of accent lighting for a reason – they’re easy to move, replace, and rearrange, and come in a HUGE variety of styles. You can go for something small that blends in, but we also love the way a large, yet simple, lamp like this one makes a statement without taking over.

That’s all there is to it! Just to recap, here are the 5 easy steps to create a modern minimalist interior:

Create an open floor plan – Tie separate spaces together with color and materials and rearrange furniture to maximize your space.
Choose a small color palette – Neutrals are your friend, but it’s okay to add in a little bit of color to make your space feel like you.
Remember functionality – Use multipurpose furniture, and organize, organize, organize. Store things that aren’t being used so that they’re not cluttering up your space.
Add light – Having lots of natural and indoor lighting is what makes your space feel open and airy. Light up dark corners and workspaces.
Finish it off with thoughtful accents – Don’t over-accessorize. Pops of color and texture give life to a space, but try to incorporate these add-ons with the functional elements of your space – like a colored sofa or an upgraded light fixture.

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Modern minimalist design can be a difficult concept to balance, but it’s very forgiving and so beautiful when done correctly. If you need help finding the right lighting for your modern minimalist home, our experts at Pine Grove Lighting can help!

Lumens vs Watts: What’s the Difference?

by admin · Sep 15, 2023

Light bulbs have been lighting up our world for over a hundred years, but do we really understand how they work? When you go to the store to buy a replacement bulb, the box labels are filled with numbers and industry terms that can leave you wondering how to know which bulb you actually need.

Fortunately, understanding the difference between lumens and watts is fairly straightforward. Take a quick minute to read this quick summary, and you’ll be ready to hit the stores to find exactly what you need.

Lumens

Lumens measure the amount of light a bulb emits. The technical definition is “the unit of luminous flux, equal to the luminous flux emitted in a unit solid angle by a point source of one candle intensity.” In less scientific terms, the higher the lumen rating, the brighter the bulb. Most mainstream bulb labels use the full term, but if you can’t find the word “lumens” on the label look for its abbreviation, lm.

How many lumens do I need?

Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t put the brightest bulbs you can find in every area of your home. The rooms in your home will all need different levels of light, depending on how you use them. Use bulbs with a high lumen count in areas where you need a much brighter light, like above your kitchen counters. You need much less light in your bedroom, so consider going with lower lumen count bulbs in warmer colors to keep it a relaxing space where you can get some sleep.

While there are complicated equations out there that you can use to calculate your “exact” lumen requirements, the trouble is that every person and every space is different. You may find that you prefer brighter lights than what’s “necessary” in one place and dimmer lights in another. Your best bet is to try a few different bulbs, or better yet – get a dimmer switch so that you can customize your light levels depending on your needs for the day.

Pro Tip: Lumens can be added across several light sources in a space. It’s not an exact science because it doesn’t take into account distance from the source and the angles of the light, but if you have three 800lm bulbs in a room, it will be lit with roughly 1800lm.

Watts

Watts measure the amount of power consumed by the bulb. One watt isn’t much, it’s equal to 1/746 horsepower. It’s named after James Watt, a Scottish inventor credited for creating a steam engine during the Industrial Revolution. The symbol for watts is “W”.

Most electrical devices are rated in watts, although large appliances that use more power are often measured in kilowatts, which is equal to one thousand watts. (1W = 1000kW)

The wattage of a bulb will tell you only how much power it consumes, not how bright it is. The lower the watt rating on the bulb, the cheaper it will be on your energy bill to light your house.

Before you buy, always check your light fixture for its watt rating. Never put a bulb with a higher watt rating than the fixture can handle. If the bulb tries to pull more power than the fixture can handle, it could start a fire.

Energy-Efficient Bulbs

Before the days of LED bulbs, it was pretty easy to get a good idea of how bright a bulb was by simply looking at the wattage. The higher the watts, the brighter the bulb. LED lightbulbs can give off the same amount of light as a traditional bulb using far fewer watts. This is what the labels mean when they say the bulbs are “energy efficient” – they need less power to provide equivalent light.

TL;DR Lumens and Watts

Lumens and Watts both describe how a lightbulb works. Lumens measure the amount of light a bulb emits – the higher the lumens the brighter the bulb. Watts measure the amount of power a light bulb uses. Newer light bulbs like LEDs can produce a lot of light (lumens) using very little power (watts), making them more energy-efficient.

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Need help finding the right light bulb? Give the experts at Pine Grove Lighting a call!

Exhausted? Maybe It’s Time To Change The Light In Your Home

by admin · Sep 15, 2023

Feeling exhausted? Indoor light may be to blame. Because the average human is exposed to more artificial light than sunlight, our bodies are not able to receive the cues we once relied on. These cues include when it is time to wake up and when it is time to go to bed!

Naturally, melatonin should be released a few hours before bedtime, helping us to feel drowsy. But in this day and age staying up later is as simple as the flip of a switch. Reconnecting with the sun cycle allows humans to feel less drowsy during the day and teaches us how to get more energy naturally again.

Natural vs Artificial Lighting

Any interior designer worth their salt will tell you that one of the most important design element in a room to consider is the lighting. Lighting have the ability to transform the feeling of a room and affect the mood of everyone who steps foot in it. Good lighting comes from many sources, including both natural and artificial light. But how do these different types of light affect your energy?

Our bodies are designed to use sunlight as a cue for our circadian rhythm. Whenever possible, make sure you are maximizing the amount of natural light you have pouring into your space. Staying connected will help lift your mood, and help your body know when it’s time to go to sleep

When we fall out of sync with the sun, our body clock physically changes and our melatonin gets all out of whack. If your main exposure to light every day comes from artificial lighting – that is most likely causing you to feel exhausted throughout the day.

LEDs and Sunlight

LED lights are the closest artificial lighting can come to natural sunlight. The right LEDs can mimic the natural sunlight, helping your body clock stay in tune with the sun cycle.

While LED lights are similar to natural sunlight, they can’t fully replace what your body needs. Using LED lighting in combination with natural sunlight is the recipe for success. But, you need to pay attention to the color of light you use. Cool, blue, daylight LEDs are popular due to the clarity and brightness of the light they emit, but this light can also disrupt your body’s ability to produce that much-needed melatonin.

Winding Down

Winding down with the sun is just as important to your sleep cycle as getting natural light during the day – it sends a signal to your brain that it is almost time to go to sleep. Before bed, lower the lighting in your house and avoid the blue light put off by screens to promote winding down and relaxation. During this time, melatonin will begin to be released causing you to begin to get sleepy.

About Us

We strive to provide lighting systems that noticeably improve the safety and wellness of your space. We understand how light effects every aspect of your home and the way you use it, and we love nothing more than the helping you create the perfect ambiance in your home. Let us know how we can help you get started!

5 Reasons Why Your Next Lighting Purchase Should Be from a Lighting Showroom

by admin · Sep 8, 2023

Have you ever bought something online or from a big box store that ended up being a dud? It happens to the best of us! When you’re buying socks, it’s not a huge deal. But if you’re shopping for a light fixture to be the focal point of your living room, you shouldn’t leave it up to chance.

The lighting in your home shouldn’t be an afterthought. When you’re looking to update your home’s lighting, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by meeting with a lighting expert.

Big box stores with aisles of cookie-cutter option are convenient when you need to buy a hammer and a doorknob, but they’re not going to offer you the same level of service that you’d get in a lighting showroom. The next time you’re looking to buy lighting for your home, here’s 5 reasons why you should skip the questionable online shopping experience, and drive right past the big box stores to a lighting showroom.

1. Expert Advice

Lighting showroom employees eat, sleep, and breathe lighting. They have a wealth of technical know-how, and they’re eager to share it with you. They know everything about lighting design, and they’ll use this knowledge to give you personalized advice for your own home. Showroom experts care more about finding what’s right for you than on making a quick sale – they’ll help you consider all of the aspects of your lighting design, and can help you find options you may not have considered to get just the right fit for your space.

2. Selection

Online retailers have a massive variety of lights to choose from, but you have no way to know what it will look like in person until it shows up at your door. Big box stores have a small selection that you can see in person, but they’re limited to a few brands. Lighting showrooms have the best of both worlds. They have a wide variety of fixtures that you can see in person and access to extensive manufacturer catalogs with variations of just about any light you’ll see anywhere.

3. No Buyers Remorse

Get it right the first time. When you can see your light in person and discuss all of your lighting needs with an expert, you’re way more likely to find exactly what you need the first time around. You’ll be able to see how a fixture is transformed when it lights up, notice details you’d miss in a photo, and get the technical kinks worked out ahead of time. This kind of immersive experience takes the guesswork and stress out of buying your next light fixture, leaving you confident that you made a good purchase.

4. Value

It’s a common misconception that lighting showrooms are more expensive – but it’s just not true. Lighting showrooms care about providing value, so they carry higher-quality lighting, often for the same prices as the cheaper lights that you can find online. Showroom owners are very particular about their products. If they don’t trust in the craftsmanship of a light fixture, it won’t be in their lineup. You won’t get that same kind quality assurance anywhere else. High quality fixtures last longer, so you won’t have to worry about replacing a broken light again in a year.

5. Service

Showroom owners are pickier about their vendors than online and big box suppliers, and they choose companies that support their products. At a lighting showroom you’ll get better warranties and more help finding replacement parts. And, if you run across a problem with your fixture, lighting showrooms offer a return service that isn’t a headache in shipping labels and pick up office hours.

Bonus: Support Local Businesses

Lighting showrooms are independently owned by local families who actually care about you as a person. Buying from a lighting showroom supports a local business, which helps your local economy, creates jobs, and helps build a community. At your local showroom, you’re not just a number in a national sales quota report, you’re a neighbor.

The next time you’re looking for lighting, go ahead and look online. Gather ideas and find things you love, then turn off that computer and head over to Pine Grove Lighting for unmatched expertise, guaranteed value, and honest service. We’ll help you find exactly what you’re looking for!

Lighting Your Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Light Fixtures

by admin · Sep 1, 2023

It’s easy to tell which light fixtures you love when you’re scrolling through designer home pictures on your phone. But when it comes to finding a light for your own home, the little details and product specs can almost feel like they’re written in a foreign language. What’s an accent light? Is that a pendant or a chandelier? What is that light called? I don’t know what to search for!

If this sounds familiar, we have good news: we’ve done all the research for you! Put down your search engine, and bookmark this page. This light fixtures cheat sheet has everything you need to know to get started lighting your home, your way.

Lighting Basics

Not all light sources are created equal! Before you dive into pendants and sconces, you need to know the three basic types of lighting.

Ambient Lighting: The primary source of light in a room, also called “general lighting”.

Example: A ceiling fixture provides ambient light, meaning it lights the whole room. If your whole room is too bright or too dark, addressing the ambient light should be your first step.

Accent Lighting: Supplemental lights used to light dark corners or to highlight a room’s focal point.

Example: A floor lamp added to a dark corner gives the room more even light. A wall sconce or track lighting highlighting a fireplace or bookshelf makes it a focal point in the room.

Task Lighting: Specific lighting designed to make doing a certain task easier.

Example: Any light that is used to complete a task fits here. At home, this includes things like a reading lamp, a utility light over a garage workbench, under-cabinet lights above the kitchen counter, and desk lamps.

Before you even start looking at light fixtures, take a look at your space. Turn on the lights in your room during the day and again at night. Look for the places where the light is too bright or too dim. Then, determine which type of lighting you need to use to fix those places.

Light Layering

We know it’s tempting to just install that fancy ceiling fixture you found on sale and call it a day, but your room just won’t feel right if you’re only considering one light source.

What is Light Layering?

Light layering is the practice of combining different types of lighting to create a mood. It’s an important part of your home design! Layered light sources, like a ceiling fixture and a floor lamp, work together to fill in dark corners and highlight a room’s best features, giving it the perfect ambiance.

Expert designers spend hours on this to get it just right, but you don’t have to dive that deep. Just make sure you have a combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting in your space and you’ll be on your way to a balanced design. Remember, natural light counts as a light source too!

Light layers done right will smoothly transition a room through the day. They can transform a living room from a bright, daytime work area to a warm, cozy entertaining space with just a few well-placed fixtures.

Smart Home Lighting

Smart technology makes light layering easier than it’s ever been! Smart bulbs and plugs make it so that you can turn on any light in the house from one place. You can set up different lighting profiles for things like work, dinner, and movie nights. You can even put your lights on a schedule so that they follow you through your day without any button pushing.

When you’re ready to start shopping for light fixtures, look for ways you can mix it up with new light sources. Choose light fixtures that work together to create the perfect ambiance and layer your room with light.

Light Fixtures

Light fixtures come in a huge variety of shapes, colors, and styles. It’s easy to get lost in the lingo, so here’s a quick breakdown:

Pendants

These lights are suspended from the ceiling and shine light downwards. They’re typically used as task lighting over kitchen bars and tables, or in the bedroom to replace bedside table lamps. They also are a great choice for accent lighting that makes a statement. You might need an electrician to install them for you if you don’t already have wiring in your ceiling.

Flush Mounts

These lights are mounted directly to the ceiling, with no hanging bar. The top of this light sits flush with the ceiling, giving it its name. Flush mount lights are one of the most common types of ambient lighting. They come in many varieties and sizes, so you’ll need to check to make sure it will provide enough light for your space.

Sconces

Sconces are mounted to the wall instead of the ceiling. Some cast light directionally along the wall, shining up, down, or to the side. Other sconces broadcast light in all directions. These lights are used for both accent and task lighting. Sconces can be installed almost anywhere, but they’re most commonly used as vanity lighting above a bathroom mirror, or as exterior lights on homes and businesses.

Lamps

Lamps are freestanding light fixtures that typically need to be plugged into an outlet. They can be used for ambient, accent, and task lighting, and they’re easy to move around a space. This versatility makes them one of the most DIY-friendly lighting upgrades! Desk lamps are used as task lighting for things like writing at a desk or reading a sheet of music. Table lamps are used as accent lighting, usually placed on an end table. Floor lamps are the largest, typically 58” – 64” tall, and can be used as any type of lighting, depending on its location, style, and brightness.

Chandeliers

These lights are the showstoppers of the lighting world. They are suspended from the ceiling and are usually a focal point of a room’s design. Chandeliers emit light upwards to reflect ambient light around a room. They’re most often found in entryways and over dining tables, but they can be added to any space to add an elevated sense of style.

Ceiling Fans

This fixture is designed with airflow in mind. Ceiling fans can come with or without a light kit, so you can decide what’s right for your space. With a light kit, they provide ambient light in a room. They come in different sizes to accommodate different room sizes, so you’ll need to measure your room before you start shopping.

Track Lights

Track lighting is a unique type of lighting with an industrial feel and a flexible format. It’s made up of two parts: a long track attached to the ceiling, and lights attached to the track. The light heads can be moved to any position on the track, and tilted to point in any direction. Track lighting works well as accent or task lighting to highlight artwork or to illuminate a work surface. It’s also used as ambient lighting in some modern minimalist spaces.

Recessed Lights

Also called can lights, recessed lights are mounted inside the ceiling for a seamless, streamlined look. Recessed lights are often installed in large rooms to increase the ambient light without drawing attention away from the main light fixture. Some are directional and can be pointed towards a feature wall or workspace for accent or task light. They’re also very popular in basements with low ceilings, because they provide light without hanging down into the room.

Under-Cabinet Lights

This type of lighting is designed to be invisible. It comes in a wide variety of styles, from battery-powered stick-on lights to hardwired LED light strips. They’re installed on the underside of a kitchen cabinet, out of view, to provide task lighting for cooking. Alternatively, you can install them on the toe kick of lower cabinets to light the edges of your floor.

You’ve got this handled. Now you’re ready to go and make your space brighter and better!

We wish you the best and brightest of luck with your next lighting project! If we didn’t cover your question here, or if you need any help picking out a fixture that’s just right for you, don’t be afraid to give Pine Grove Lighting a call! We’ve got you covered.

3 Light Bulb Mistakes Everyone Makes And How To Avoid Them

by admin · Aug 25, 2023

Using the wrong light bulb can really make your space feel all wrong. If your room feels dark and dingy or, the opposite, harsh and cold, your light bulb may be the culprit.

Before you buy another bulb, make sure you’re not making one of these common mistakes in your home!

Light Bulb Mistake #1
Using the Wrong Wattage

Watts refer to the amount of energy a light bulb uses. The lower the wattage, the less electricity a bulb needs to stay lit. Energy-efficient light bulbs can give off the same amount of light using fewer watts, which saves you money on your power bill!

Every light fixture has its own wattage requirements, so you’ll need to do a little sleuthing to find out what your fixture requires.

There should be a sticker or label with the wattage limit clearly printed on it, although you might need to unscrew one of your existing light bulbs and look near the threads to find it. If you can’t find the wattage limit on your fixture, give us a call and we can help you out!

Most light fixtures have an individual bulb wattage limit (typically 45W or 60W), but there are some that have an overall limit for the entire fixture instead. For these you’ll need to add the watts together for each bulb to make sure you’re under the safety limit.

It’s okay to use bulbs with lower watts than what your fixture calls for to save on your energy bill, but never go higher. Exceeding the wattage limit on a fixture could start a fire!

Light Bulb Mistake #2
Ignoring the Lumen Rating

A light bulb’s lumen rating will tell you how bright it is. The higher the lumen rating, the brighter it will appear. When it comes to lighting your home, different rooms need different levels of light. Work spaces need lots of light, so choosing bulbs with a high lumen rating is a great way to brighten your kitchen if it’s feeling dim. Other spaces like bedrooms and hallways don’t need to be as bright, so it’s okay to opt for bulbs with a lower lumen rating.

There isn’t an exact formula that will tell you how lumens you need in a room, because it depends on your use and design of the space. You’ll need more lumens in work spaces like kitchens and offices, and less in bedrooms. If your design aesthetic is bright and airy or dark and moody, you’ll need to take that into account when planning your lighting.

A good rule of thumb to get you started is 20 lumens per square foot for floors, 30 lumens per square foot for tables, and 50 lumens per square foot for desks, countertops, and task lighting.

How does this work when you have more than one light bulb in the room? Do lumens cancel each other out or add up? The short answer is: lumens are cumulative. In a room full of furniture, light bounces around enough that the lumens don’t directly add up, and the more bulbs you use the less precise it gets.

When you’re figuring out what you need in your home, it is 100% okay to add the lumens for each bulb in your room together to get a rough idea of what your space will need. You’ll probably end up adjusting it here and there as seasons change, when you repaint your walls, or if your use of the room changes. If your room has a lot of uses- consider getting bulbs that are dimmable so that you can change the light levels depending on what you’re doing!

Light Bulb Mistake #3
Buying the Wrong Color

If you didn’t know that light bulbs came in different color hues, now’s the time to learn! Light bulbs come in a wide range of light “temperatures”, measured in Kelvins (K). The temperature of the light you use in your room will dramatically change the way the room feels.

Warm (2,000K – 3500K)

Wam light bulbs give a room a soft, cozy, and intimate feel with an orange or yellow hue. Outside, you see this type of light during sunrises and sunsets. Inside, it’s often associated with vintage light bulbs, like Edison bulbs, or incandescent light bulbs. It’s great for places like the living room, bedroom, and dining room.

Cool/Natural (3500K – 5000K)

Cool or “Natural” light bulbs give off a truer white color that gives a room a clean, crisp, and inviting feel. This light is more like the light you’d see in the mornings and afternoons outdoors. It’s great for bathrooms, closets, and offices.

Daylight light bulbs (5000K – 6200K)

Daylight light bulbs give off a light that’s close to what you’d see at noon outside on a sunny day. Daylight light makes a room feel even more clean and crisp than natural light, but it can come off a little harsh if you’re not careful. It’s a great choice for lighting work spaces like kitchens and garages, and for task lighting, like a reading lamp.

Blue (6200K+)

After 6200K light starts to look blue, so that bulbs in this color aren’t typically used in homes. There are some exceptions: some artists prefer to work under this light, and people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may find blue light beneficial in the winter months.

Bonus Mistake #4:
Just Living With It

If the lighting just doesn’t feel right in your room, you don’t have to live with it! Too dark and depressing? Add lumens! If your clean room still feels dingy, it could be that you need cooler bulbs… or if your room feels stark and cold, you can warm up your bulbs to make it feel more inviting. And always double-check your wattage before you buy! With the right wattage, lumens, and temperature, you’ll be surprised at how much better your lighting can work for you.

We know what a big deal it is to make your house feel exactly the way you want it to. Don’t let your lighting hold you back! If you have any questions about how to find the right light bulbs for your space, give our experts a call and we’ll help you find exactly what you need!

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