How to Plan Your Home’s Lighting: A Layman’s Guide to Get it Right

Light up.

Interior designers always emphasise lighting, and for good reason. Poor lighting can really affect your lifestyle – think harsh white lights that strip the warmth out of a space, or a heavily-used room (like the kitchen) that cast shadows on places you need light the most.

Fortunately, homeowners these days are paying more attention to their lighting, not only to support their everyday living, but also to imbue their space with warmth and dimension. If you’re looking to do the same, here are some key considerations to help you plan your lighting properly:

Know the different types of lighting and options available

1. Types of lighting

No, good lighting isn’t just about having ceiling lights. Rather, it’s a mix of different types of lighting that layer and work together to illuminate the space:

• Ambient lighting is the base layer that brightens up the whole space rather than a specific spot. Aside from your ceiling lights, this can also come from the amount of natural light streaming into your home.
• Task lighting is exactly what it says – it helps you get things done by minimising shadows. Think: a reading light at your bedside, recessed lights built into your cabinets, or spotlights for your walk-in wardrobe.
• Accent lighting is akin to the cherry on top. While they’re not essential to daily living, they do give the space character (e.g. by highlighting displays or pieces of art).

2. Types of light fittings

Beyond what the lighting does, how it delivers the light (or the physical source) is also something to consider:

• Downlights (or your ceiling lights) are the most common type of lights
• Spotlights are flexible, directional light fittings that emit focused beams that highlight certain features. They’re often mounted on tracks.
• Cove lighting is hidden within the edges of recesses or surfaces to create emphasis and a soft, diffused glow
• Pendant lights hang from the ceiling by a cord, wire, or chain
• Sconces and lamps are standalone pieces that are great for accent lighting

Light temperature

By temperature, we don’t mean the amount of heat emanating from the light. We’re talking about the colour temperature of the light, which is measured in Kelvin (K).

Typically, the light temperature influences the mood of the space. But aside from that, they also affect how easily and clearly you see.

• Warm lighting is often used in bedrooms or living rooms to create cosiness and warmth, but they aren’t ideal in task-heavy spaces or for people with poor eyesight (like the elderly).
• Cool lighting is often the best for clarity, but overusing them can make a space feel harsh or clinical.
• Neutral lighting (or warm white) is the best of both worlds, and are often recommended by interior designers.

However, note that brighter isn’t always better. Overly bright eyes can cause glare and strain, while uneven lighting can create awkward shadows.

Avoid these common lighting mistakes

Since they’re often overlooked, lighting mistakes make themselves known only after moving in – after which rectifications will cost a pretty penny. To avoid that, here are some common lighting mistakes to prepare for:

1. Leaving it to the last minute

Like most things, planning your lighting (and ensuring it can support your lifestyle) takes time. You’ll need to think about placement, and this means planning this alongside your electrical wiring.

If done too late, you’ll have to work around fixed electrical points and layouts, which may result in awkward placements or lacking sufficient lighting.

2. Forgetting about your light switches

Without labelling, switch placements like these can be confusing

For those opting for traditional lighting, your switches go hand-in-hand with your lighting.

You don’t want your living room light switch to be in the corridor, which forces you to traipse in the dark upon coming home from work. You also don’t too many light switches in a single place, which can be confusing since you may forget the switch that controls the light you want to toggle on/off.

3. Not considering your ceiling height and how it affects your lighting

HDB flats aren’t the tallest homes around, so replicating the light types you see in homes on Pinterest may not necessarily look good in yours. Large pendant lights can clutter the look, while lighting that’s too concentrated can create an artificial look – so be sure to work carefully with your interior designer to space your lights.

4. Placing it too close to the ceiling fan

Considering Singpore’s perpetually hot and humid weather, ceiling fans are almost a staple in homes. But if you place your downlights too close to them, chances are, you’ll be dealing with spinning shadows created by the fan when it’s switched on.

To avoid this, be sure to space your lights out. Or, you can also opt for the classic ceiling fan and light combination with the latter positioned below the blades.

5. Underestimating the amount of light you need (especially in task-heavy spaces)

Rooms like the kitchen see a ton of usage, so don’t underestimate the amount of light you’ll need. Just because the ambient lighting is bright doesn’t mean it’s enough, because shadows created by nearby objects can impede your vision.

For heavy use spaces like your countertops and cabinets, be sure to include task lighting to illuminate the area and help you see better.

Smart lighting: should you use them?

In this day and age, having a smart home (and by extension, smart lighting) is a given. After all, they make your life easier, more convenient, and give you more control over your environment, since everything can be controlled via your smartphone and/or hub.

With smart lighting, you can do everything from turning on/off the lights from changing the colours of the lights. But more than that, you can also program them to support your day without needing to lift a finger beyond the initial setup:

• Programming the lights to automatically dim when it’s your bedtime
• Pairing them with a smart sensor to automatically turn on when movement is detected at night (great for those who wake up in the middle of the night)
• Changing to preset colours or temperatures to set the mood for gatherings with friends, or simple cosy nights in

However, smart lighting does tend to be more expensive than regular lighting, since it involves a more complex system with an equally laborious setup process. So ultimately, it depends on what you prioritise: keeping renovation costs at a minimum, or making everyday life easy.

Working with your interior designer on lighting

For a properly well-lit space, we suggest engaging the help of an interior designer, who is trained to plan your home to suit your lifestyle.

And guess what? We can help you find the perfect interior designer. Simply fill in the form below, and we’ll recommend 3-5 interior designers based on your requirements – free of charge!