Tip #3 - Lighting
If I had to narrow down the list of ‘most common design mistakes’ I see happen time and again, this one just might top my list – over lighting. Now, I have to clarify as I am very much a believer in lighting – accent light, task light, natural light, candle light ... it’s that nasty monster better-known as OVERHEAD LIGHTING to which I’m referring. Lately, I seem to see the beast rear its ugly head when I’m at cocktail or dinner parties. I hate to tell tales on my gracious hosts, but there have been a few occasions when I have been sitting beneath fluorescent lights so bright that I half expected one of my dinner companions to turn to me, shine one in my eyes and demand: where were you on the night of the twelfth?
Okay, so I exaggerate, but in my opinion, nothing equals insta-mood creator as much as wonderful accent lights. I also believe that small changes in lighting can deliver big impact with little effect on your wallet. As a rule and if possible, I like to see at least three accent lamps in a room so that there are several alternatives to the overheads. Now, admittedly, we all need those overhead lights SOME of the time. Add some dimmers to those lights, though, and you have the ability to create a completely different mood. (A little tip: dimmers in bathrooms are a great way to avoid the assault on your eyes first thing in the morning).
So, if you feel you might be guilty of gratuitous use of overhead lighting, the next time you go to flip the switch, consider a soft accent light instead. And who knows? You might just see the light.
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Do you have any suggestions for seating areas that are far from outlets? In our new home, our media center will be against a wall with seating squared around it, but the other three walls in this large space are far away. Should we consider having a floor outlet wired? Is there a way to conceal a wire laying across the floor? Or should we just focus on making the overhead lighting as soft and versatile as possible?
Thanks for your question Alissa; it is a good one!
While it would be a great solution to install floor outlets, it can be quite costly. If it suits the look of your room, one option that I really like for this problem is to use an arcing floor lamp. You would probably recognize the iconic "Arco" lamp by Achille Castiglioni, which is a great example of this. However, retailing at around $2300, it is not an inexpensive option. If you do a little searching, you can find lamps that are inspired by this one, such as the "arc" floor lamp at CB2, which retails for around $200. A lamp like this would allow you to place it near the periphery of your room (close to outlets), but would provide the lighting that you would need for the seating area.
The other option I would suggest is to find battery-powered lighting solutions. There are more of these options on the market today, although I have to say that they tend to be more 'fun' lamps rather than beautiful ones. The 'candela' by Vessel is a good example of this.
Lastly, depending on your room configuration, you can sometimes run cords along baseboards and into the center of the room as long as the area isn't high-traffic where you would run the risk of tripping over wires. Be careful if you run a cord beneath an area rug as the cord can wear causing a fire hazard. Yikes!
I hope this helps and gives you a few things to think about!