6 Common Lighting Mistakes To Avoid

Lighting is as important as the structure of the house itself. It has the magic to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary spaces that evokes the emotions of excitement, subdual, motivation, distress, calm or sadness.

Without good lighting, the impact of all well-thought details – sumptuous furnishings, opulent flooring, luxurious wall coverings – will be lost. Hence, the golden rule of good lighting design is to use the right type of light fitting in the right position.

Whether you’re redesigning your home or starting from scratch, it can drive you into the wrong direction easily. Many people leave the lighting plan for the very last, but it should be done as early as possible in the process.

And quite often, the lighting plan provided by the architect is just for permitting purposes so no real thought has been given to it besides providing the basics. It can be difficult and costly to move junction boxes after the wiring is done and the drywall is up, so planning early is the key.

Here’s what not to do while choosing the lights and maybe you could avoid these 6 common lighting mistakes too:

  • Last-minute light planning
  • It is the most common mistake where everyone tends to make when they started to renovate or redesign the house. They seem to always neglect about the importance of residential lighting design and put their focus on the furniture and decorations instead.That’s a big no-no to have a nice and efficient lighting plan. Not only do you need to pay more cost for another renovation, the time and energy needed for home lighting installation will also increase significantly.



    For example, if you wanted to install wall light into your home after the renovation is completed, you are required to hack the wall to do the wiring point. From this, the home will become dusty and you may need to repair and repaint the wall. So, do your lighting plan early before the ceilings and walls are lined and plastered for sufficient illumination for your home.



  • One light source is plenty
  • When it comes to closets or pantries, most of the time you don’t pay sufficient attention in illuminating these spaces, and only install a single overhead light source. The result, however, is that some areas will be dark, and you will find yourself struggle to identify the items within these spaces.



    To avoid this, try supplementing the fixture by installing strip lights, flush mount led light bar or under cabinet lights in addition to create an extra layer of light and bring more balance to the space. This will make the interior feel more modern and roomier as well.


  • Install light on a high ceiling
  • Fitting recessed downlight on a high ceiling wouldn’t work very well because the light is far away from the activity area and isn’t focused enough. It can turn a naturally bright room into a dimly lit dungeon after sunset. The key to avoiding this when you decorate living rooms with high ceiling is that you should divide it into 3 parts.



    The first one is the ceiling itself, the second is where you hang the wall art and the third is the floor and furniture. Use hanging pendant light or chandelier light for the ceiling, led wall scones for walls and floor lamps for the floors.



  • Ignore the importance of task lighting or accent lighting

    Ambient lighting: general lighting used for illuminating walkways and enable people to perceive overall shape & size of a space. It used to allow people walk safely through a space by reducing sharp contrasts between light sources.


    Task lighting: a higher and more concentrated lighting on certain areas. It is a direct form of lighting to enable user to see critical details and dedicated tasks like food preparation, reading or applying makeup.


    Accent lighting: used to highlight artwork or special architectural features in your home, such as the feature wall in your bathroom or a photo gallery along your entryway. Combining these three types of lighting will ensure greater functionality and visual interest in your spaces. Also, increase the likelihood of having sufficient lighting throughout your entire home.



    All well-designed spaces incorporate different types of lighting. Sometimes people only use one of these three. This makes the room look very flat and could cause inconvenience all the time.


  • No light or too bright
  • Our eyes are always adjusting all day long and our lighting should too. There’s no reason for our lighting choices to be only “on” or “off.” Add dimmers and lighting controls to get the most out of your lighting and set the right mood at the right time. It helps you to dim the lights accordingly to achieve the required mood and balance of artificial lighting with natural lighting.



    They help in making the atmosphere of the room more inviting and relaxing while improving your sleep cycles during bedtime. In addition, having better control of your lights can help you save energy bills while increasing the lifespan of your bulbs.


  • Choosing a wrong size, style or types of light fixture
  • Hanging a tiny chandelier light over a large dining table or placing an oversize desk lamp on the living room coffee table can make the area look disproportionate. To counter this, pick the right-size chandelier light by adding both the room’s height and width together in feet. That number, in inches, should be the approximate diameter of your chandelier light. When choosing a chandelier for dining room, you should identify one that is one foot smaller than the table’s width.



    For example, if you have a 10 x 10-foot room, the types of light fixtures should be about 20 inches in diameter.

Not Sure Which Lighting Supplier To Look For?
Contact EvoGreenTech.

Illuminating your house in a way that is effective, economical, and stylish isn’t nearly as simple as it looks. Neglecting certain considerations can wasting you a lot of money on electricity bills, it can also leave you with unsightly and inconvenient dark spaces.

If you are looking for professionals to design and supply good quality LED lighting products, feel free to contact us EvoGreenTech for consultation.