Everyone likes to look good and feel cozy, which can both be accomplished by creating flattering mood lighting.
Bright light highlights flaws and imperfections, which does not help us or our home look its best.
Brighter light tends to promote activity while lower light promotes restfulness and a feeling of calm.
While bright light is ideal when cleaning, it is not ideal during the other times of the day.
Here are a few tips for creating flattering mood lighting in your home.
No Direct Overhead Lighting
Most rooms with basic lighting only come with one light in the middle of the ceiling.
That one light overhead can create shadows on your face, making you look tired and older than you actually are, which is not flattering.
It can also create glare that is undesirable.
If using an overhead light fixture, try to use a light fixture without exposed light bulbs so the light is diffused and not so harsh.
If that is not possible, at least use a frosted light bulb instead of a clear light bulb to diffuse the light a tiny bit.
If you must have a ceiling fan, select one without a light kit or one that has a light kit without exposed light bulbs. Ideally, select one that blends in with your ceiling color since ceiling fans are not attractive and you should try to make it disappear as much as possible.
More than One Light Source
Instead of using just one light source, use many light sources from many different places in your room so you can adjust your lighting to suit the mood.
You can also use up lighting or down lighting for indirect light if you find that more flattering.
Light Bulb Color
When selecting a light bulb for your home, pay attention to the color of the light bulb written on the package.
Light bulbs come in colors such as daylight, soft white, warm white, cool white, or clear which can affect the color of your room as well as the brightness of the room.
The exact color of a light bulb is marked on the light bulb package using the letter k, which stands for Kelvin (Kelvin is the scientific scale of color temperature).
Experiment with the colors to find the best one to create the most flattering mood in your home. Make sure to look at the light during all times of day - morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night.
Most interior designers agree that a light bulb in the color of 2700k to 3000k works best in a home.
Whatever light bulb color that you choose, try to repeat the same color throughout your home. You might decide that certain rooms need different light colors, which is fine, but keep the colors in those rooms the same in all light fixtures.
If you have a room with a sickly or elderly person, consider using a pink light bulb #ad to make their skin look less pale and more youthful when they look in the mirror.
Lamp Shades
Lamp shades can be decorative, but they also soften light to reduce hard shadows.
If you use an opaque lamp shade, or one with a dark liner, the light will be directed only up and down, creating indirect light.
Colored or patterned lamp shades can be fun to use when decorating, however white or cream colored shades (and occasionally black) are classic and sophisticated.
Dimmers
To have more control over your lighting, add dimmers on all light switches to allow you to modify the light level to suit your mood.
Make sure that you have dimmable light bulbs, else your dimmer light switches will not work properly.
Low Wattage Light Bulbs
If you can't use dimmers on your light bulbs, select the lowest watt available, such as 15 watts, to create low level flattering mood lighting.
You can always add additional light sources for more light, however you cannot take light away.
Smart Light Bulbs
There are even smart light bulbs #ad that allow you to change the color temperature via your smart phone or remote control.
These smart bulbs will allow you to use daylight when cleaning and warm white when relaxing in your home.
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