10 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Lights
As the days grow shorter and the weather begins to cool down, it can be tempting to shut off the lights and head to bed when it gets dark outside. However, this doesn’t have to be your only option! Lights are an easy way to add colour and personality to your home, plus they’re some of the cheapest ways to spruce up your space in time for the holidays (no matter what time of year they are). Here are 10 great ideas on how you can decorate your home with lights all year long!
1) Lighting affects how we experience our homes
Good lighting can create a romantic atmosphere and illuminate a piece of art. But bad lighting is blinding, and most people have trouble figuring out what they want in their homes—particularly when it comes to putting light in a room. Here are 10 ways you can use lights to give your space an aesthetic makeover, no matter how big or small your living space may be. Learn about all sorts of different kinds of lamps, from floor lamps and table lamps to chandeliers, wall sconces, track lighting and more. You’ll also learn about some cool lighting hacks that can help you get good-looking lights without breaking your budget (and without needing extra electrical wiring). Make sure that they will avail Christmas Light Installers in Golden Gate FL that is a provided service by Elf Bros Christmas Lighting
2) Floor lamps are versatile, flexible, and easy to move around
Floor lamps are versatile, flexible, and easy to move around. Moving a floor lamp around is as simple as turning off the power at its switch and picking it up. Most floor lamps have heavy bases that make them stable when they’re on their base. Because of their flexibility, these lights are great for home offices that need a little extra light during work hours; families with children may want one or two as nightlights for kids’ rooms.
3) A chandelier can be a focal point of your room
Chandeliers can be used in any room of your home, but they’re especially effective as a focal point of a dining room, entryway or foyer. The main thing to consider when choosing a chandelier is whether you have a central light source in your room already. If you have plenty of overhead lighting, then hanging something above your table may actually cause shadows and increase glare. Floor lamps are perfect for illuminating smaller spaces: If you don’t want to hang something from the ceiling, then consider using lamps that sit on tables and sideboards.
4) Table lamps are easier on the eyes than overhead lighting
For several hours after being exposed to bright light, your body’s circadian rhythm can be thrown off and your melatonin levels are suppressed. Table lamps are dim enough that they won’t disrupt your body’s natural sleep cycle, making them ideal for nighttime reading or other tasks. Table lamps also help eliminate shadows on books or screens, which means you don’t have to readjust your eyes constantly as you would in a darker room. For example, one study found that students who read by overhead lighting were five times more likely to feel sleepy than those reading under a table lamp. If you want some light without disrupting your sleep cycle, table lamps are just what you need.
5) Incandescent light bulbs are being phased out in favor of LED bulbs
For example, a typical incandescent bulb uses about 95 watts of power and lasts for about 1,000 hours. By contrast, an LED bulb can use less than 15 watts of power and last for about 50,000 hours. In addition to lasting longer and using far less energy, LEDs are also easier on your eyes because they produce little or no heat. There’s no question that LEDs make better lights; if you haven’t yet made the switch in your home, it’s time to go shopping! Now that you know more about how they work, let’s look at some different ways you can decorate your home with lights—and not just during Christmas!
6) Find an energy-efficient lamp
If you don’t already have a table lamp in your bedroom, now is a great time to invest in one. It’s important that you find an energy-efficient lamp that uses LED or fluorescent bulbs. These lamps use very little electricity compared to incandescent bulbs and will save you money on your monthly bills while reducing your carbon footprint. You can purchase inexpensive table lamps at places like Target, IKEA and The Home Depot; just make sure you choose something that meets these requirements. I also recommend looking for local retailers who offer discounts during Going Out of Business Sales. Because if there’s anything better than saving money, it’s saving money AND reducing your carbon footprint!
7) Install dimmer switches for more dramatic lighting effects
Dimmer switches give you a finer level of control over how much light you want, and therefore how dramatic your lighting effects will be. You can vary lights to create different settings during different times of day, which is a simple but striking way to change your space’s character. You can also set them according to what’s happening in your life; if your teenager has an after-school event on Friday night, turn off those bright lights. During football season when it’s not quite dark yet, dimmer switches are perfect for creating that game day vibe. Dimming is best done during events so everyone can enjoy lower lights during dinner parties or celebrations.
8) Replace all your light bulbs at once; don’t just do it over time
Replacing all your light bulbs at once is more cost-effective and energy-efficient. If you replace only a few bulbs at a time, you’ll end up spending more money on replacements, as well as generating more CO2 by buying new ones. Plus, it will take much longer to replace them all. Consider using lower wattage lighting throughout your home: Incandescent lights generate heat—lots of it—as well as light (LEDs produce neither). If you have 100W incandescent bulbs in place of standard 60W bulbs throughout your home, you’ll save around $43 over 10 years and reduce CO2 emissions by 36 pounds a year!
9) Retrofit Halogen Recessed Light Fixtures with LED Bulbs
Retrofitting your existing halogen recessed light fixtures is an excellent way to add both a decorative and functional layer of illumination. The process is incredibly easy, especially if you can start with a neutral-coloured ceiling (i.e., white, off-white or eggshell) that doesn’t need repainting. All you need are Philips LED Daylight EcoSmart bulbs — which come in just about any colour you could imagine — and $30 worth of lighting parts from eBay (if you don’t already have them on hand). You can also use LED strips for a fully customizable look.
10) Consider getting rid of your overhead lights
Is it possible that your home’s overhead lights don’t serve any real purpose? It might be worth having a look at how you use these lights in order to make any necessary changes. Do you leave them on all day long when no one is home? Is it a more efficient way of lighting up certain rooms than others? It might be time for an overhaul if you can’t answer yes to either of those questions. Instead, hang some Christmas lights around door frames or wall paintings in order to create beautiful effects and illuminate areas at night. Remember that there are many different ways of putting up lights, so experiment until you find what works best for your house.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for contemporary Christmas lights or romantic fairy lights, it’s important to think about how your lights will make you feel. Not only can Christmas lights transform your home from ho-hum to glamorous, but they can also increase positive emotions like happiness and nostalgia. That said, there are plenty of ways people decorate their homes and so many styles of lighting on the market that it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by all your options. You don’t need thousands of dollars or hundreds of light strings, but investing in quality bulbs is a must if you want your lighting display to last more than one season.