After a long day at work, there’s nothing better than coming home to a calm bedroom or inviting living room. But did you know that your lighting can play a big part in creating the mood for your home? Here at Rivas TechGroup, we know how to perfectly light your spaces and leave the automated controls in your hands to create the ideal ambiance in every room. Here are some of our favorite techniques.

Lighting for Kitchens

The kitchen is often a gathering point in the house due to its central location for preparing and eating food. To create a welcoming environment, a large ceiling-mounted or recessed light fixture can generate ambient light for your space. But you’ll also need task lighting to illuminate your workspaces, like undercabinet lights to help you better see your chopping and sautéing. A pendant light hanging atop an island is another perfect task lighting solution. Adding a dimmer will help change your ambiance from bright and motivating while prepping a big dinner to a more relaxed atmosphere that encourages you and your friends to split a bottle of wine.

Living Room Lighting

The most multi-purpose space in your home is likely the living room meaning layered lighting solutions work best. Traditional recessed lights tend to cast unflattering downward shadows; instead, we opt to bounce light off the ceiling or choose valance lighting that adds layers of ambiance to your living room. Table lamps are great reading task lighting, while accent lights can highlight an artwork or architectural feature. Media rooms only need a pendant when your TV isn’t in use.

When you need to switch between your different lighting settings, automated solutions can help you set up scenes that change the mood. For example, with scenes like “reading” or “game night” you can go from soft lamplight to bright visuals within seconds, so you don’t have to mess with your settings.

Dining Room Fixtures

Want to spotlight your dinner conversation? An elegant pendant directly above your table should be the perfect addition for a cozy room. That’s probably all you need, but if you have a bigger room, extra light fixtures may be useful. Darker colored walls reflect less light, so adding wall sconces, flush-mount, or recessed light fixtures can considerably brighten up the space without sacrificing your décor. If your dining room has doors or windows leading to your yard, an outdoor element can eliminate distracting reflections in the glass that could hinder visibility.

Bathroom Lights

The ideal bathroom will provide clear visibility to help you prepare for the day. We’re skipping the traditional strip of lights above the mirror because it augments dark circles and other blemishes. Instead, pendants or sconces placed on each side of the mirror can offer balanced lighting for your face at eye level instead of above. Adjustable sconces are best for shared bathrooms to aid users in shaving or applying makeup.

Bedroom Lighting

The best bedrooms are a sanctuary against the stresses of the day. A few lights are all that’s necessary; the brightest light should be the task lighting in the form of wall-mounted lamps for reading. That means you can skip a ceiling-mounted fixture and opt for floor lamps, wall sconces, or architectural lighting instead to emit soft illumination. When it comes to anything brighter, your closet can have ceiling-mounted or recessed ceiling fixtures so you can choose your clothing in a well-lit space. Smart automated solutions also help you choose the sets of lights you want to keep on or off, and at varying brightness. For example, you can ease into the morning with a gentle light that slowly increases in number and brightness as the minutes pass.

Lighting for Hallways

Ambient lighting is all you need for hallways and entryways as points of passage between your main rooms. A motion sensor could be a great solution for your home to gently illuminate your hallway day and night to help visibility. A wall sconce or flush-mount ceiling fixture can also accent an artwork in the hall, while a large entryway might do best with a chandelier for a grand welcome.

Whether you’re looking to renovate your kitchen’s lighting or are building a new home from the ground up, Rivas TechGroup is prepared to design and deliver lighting solutions that will streamline your daily tasks and comfortably illuminate your home. Whether you have questions on task lighting or you’re ready to select your wall sconce style, contact us today to begin!