What lighting to use?

[Quincy]

The lighting used in your home can often make or break the mood of a room.

When you think about it, there are a lot of different types of lighting, from little lamps to great big ones, to ceiling lights and grand chandeliers to modestly shaped wall shades. Then there is natural light and the effect that might have on the room.

We have seen in our recent discussion on listing photography, how much lighting can impact a photo and attract a potential guest to book your listing.

With all these different things to consider, where do you start? What have you gone for in your listing?

It would be great to hear your lighting tips and feel free to share any photos you have.

Quincy 

[Linda108]

I am very aware of the lighting in any room.  I always have three levels of lighting - ambient, task and indirect.  I have several up lights in corners or under plants to increase interesting shadows and increase the perception of the room size.  I do have overhead lighting in all bedroom, which personally I don't like but guests do.  Then there is task lighting for reading and highlighting furnishings.

Of course, I have lighting outside to highlight plants and provide a soft general light for evening use.  You can't beat candle lighting for dining on the patio!

Linda

[Quincy]

Hi @Linda108,

Thanks for your reply :-). 

I love your way of thinking about lighting. I haven't thought about using light to increase shadows! I'll have to try this out tonight.

Thanks for the tip!

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Quincy Nice topic indeed lighting has an impact in any type of property.I personally prefer natural lighting and i have a sunroof in some of my properties bathroom.Sometimes during the day you get the impression that you have left the lights on thus creating a very bright space for free.

[Quincy]

Hi @Oomesh-Kumarsingh0,

Lighting is very important!

I absolutely agree with you about natural lighting as I have a small sunroof as well to brighten up the house a bit :-). Without the sunroof, everything would be dark and I would have to turn on the lights time to time. I can imagine that where you live, a sunroof must create a beautiful effect in your home. 

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Quincy A sunroof does change the appearrance of a space which also have a very positive effect on the mood of guests.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

appearance*

[Quincy]

Hi @Oomesh-Kumarsingh0,

Here's a photo of the (small) sunroof in my home :-). 

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Quincy A very nice sunroof which certainly brings a lot of light in your room.I believe a bright room have a very positive impact on the mood of the people living in.

[Lawrene0]

@Quincy, I learned on week two of hosting our off-grid treehouse that it would be smart to ban guest-provided candles. LED lanterns work best for light here, with extra batteries available.

One of our winter guests turned out to be travel vlogger AdventureConwards, and he set-decorated the bridge with a battery-powered string of lights. Not really practical as something permanent in our setting, but it made a pretty shot. 

[Huma0]

@Lawrene0

This is so pretty. I am sure you could recreate this with solar powered fairy lights. Apart from the security lights, I try to only use solar ones outside.

[Lawrene0]

Very cool, @Huma0. You must get enough light. We're too in-the-woods for solar to work well. One guest left behind a pinterest-y solar powered fairy light in a coloured canning jar, but I could never find enough sun for it. The good news is we are just entering firefly season, so they will take care of the outside lighting for a month or two. 🙂

[Huma0]

@Lawrene0

Well fireflies are definitely more exotic and exciting!

I have quite a shady walled garden, but the solar lights do work. Maybe they don't shine for the whole night, but for the couple of hours or so when they do, they are really pretty. You just stake the panel in the ground (sunniest spot you can find) and wind the lights where you want them and then that's it, so a pretty low maintenance way to get a bit of sparkle. Once they're there, you don't really have to worry about them so if they only glow for a couple of hours, it's not a big deal.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Lawrene0 Your place is looking wonderful with the LED lighting!

[Quincy]

Hello @Lawrene0,

I love what your guests did here! I've actually seen the video just now, it's really nice :-).