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Many house plans have an open floor plan, where cooking, dining, and entertaining all take place in the same area. Designing attractive, light-filled, open-concept rooms requires careful consideration of lighting. The most crucial thing when all of the lighting is visible at the same time is to maintain cohesiveness and balance across the room. In this post, we’ll go over a few tips to help you combine lighting like a pro in an open-concept space.
1. Layer Various Types of Lights
Light layering adds depth and dimension to your space. So make sure you use at least two separate types of lighting: ambient, task, and/or accent. First, use uniformly spaced down lights, recessed lights, linear and flush mounts to produce the ideal ambient light. Next, choose task lighting to illuminate high-task areas such as under or over cabinets and around mirrors. Use above-counter lighting such as downlights and recessed lighting, as well as under-cabinet tape and puck lighting to execute chores securely and effectively. Finally, add a layer of accent lighting such as a chandelier above a bar, workstation, or kitchen island, wall sconces in the dining area, and floor lamps in the living room.
2. Look For a Common Thread
In an open-concept space, it is important to maintain consistency throughout all rooms. This does not imply that all finishes or styles should be the same, but finding a similar thread throughout your pieces, helps generate a unified vibe. As a result, ensure that all sources of light in a room have a common thread such as coordinated colors, materials, or geometric forms.
3. Decide on the Overall Style of Your Fixtures
When purchasing light fixtures, keep your decorating style in mind. There are different styles you can choose from such as commercial, contemporary, country/rustic, traditional, and industrial. If you’re unsure of your personal style, look for some inspiration photographs in magazines or on Pinterest. Once you’ve defined your style, place all of the lights you like on one page so you can compare them side by side. Choose wooden lights for a more rustic design, or opt for steel and rough materials for a more industrial effect. Stick to light fixtures that fall into the same category to keep the theme going throughout your entire space.
4. Choose Your Metal Finish
Consider the color of your curtain rods, door hardware, and cabinet handles before determining which metals to employ for your lighting. For instance, if you're installing a glass fixture, make sure the exposed metal hue matches the other metals in your home and on your other light fixtures. Brass and black or chrome and black work well together.
5. Consider the Shapes of Your Lighting Fixtures
Generally, if you can repeat design aspects from one fixture to the next, you'll have a much more coherent look. If your dining room chandelier is minimalist with a curving design, then you may pick island pendants that are minimalist with a slight curve. To make your lighting fixture a prominent point in the space, you can choose trendy unconventional forms.
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