LED & Light in Home Decor: Mistakes to Avoid

Light is one of the most important elements of interior design. It also happens to be one that’s most often overlooked. Many homeowners live in beautifully decorated spaces, but still feel as though their interiors are missing something.

Indeed, improper lighting can make any home feel cold and imposing. It can also make rooms feel smaller than they actually are. Finally, homes that aren’t lit well often give off an unpleasant vibe, making the people who live in them–and any guests visiting–not want to stay long.

Below, we cover some of the most common lighting mistakes you might be making in your home. We’ll also offer suggestions on how to solve these issues with a few simple changes.

Relying on a single light source

Most homeowners rely on a centrally-placed single overhead light to illuminate a room, regardless of how large it is or how it’s laid out. And while this can work for some rooms, it cannot be said for all of them. Large rooms, particularly, can feel dim and dreary without adequate illumination. Furthermore, the central placement of this one light can cast unflattering shadows and create uneven lighting throughout the space.

You can easily remedy this lighting mistake by creating layers of lighting in the rooms that need it. Look to the fundamental principles of lighting design for direction: you’ll want lighting for ambiance, to accent certain areas, and task-specific lighting in each room.

Here at FENLO, we offer several lighting solutions that fit into these categories. Our Future Mid-Century Modern Desk comes equipped with its own 360° fully-adjustable lamp that can be used as task lighting. Meanwhile, our torchiere-style Falon dimmable LED floor lamp features a 360° adjustable head that can easily be rotated to accent certain areas.

Dismissing dimmers

Interior designers agree that most homeowners tend to dismiss dimmers and dimmable lights. Thus, they miss out on a major benefit: lighting control.

You see, the amount of natural light that enters your home changes throughout the day. Similarly, our eyes adjust throughout the day to accommodate these changes. Dimmers, sensors, and timers allow you to adjust the level of illumination in each room as needed so that it’s never too dark or too bright.

A dimmable LED floor lamp is an elegant and excellent solution to this issue, and we offer plenty of them to choose from. Our Fancy 3-in-1 dimmable LED floor lamp with shelves is one such functional solution, providing both illumination and storage for your keepsakes. The convenient foot switch allows you to go from cozy light to warm light to high visibility brightness without having to bend down. For the consummate minimalist, there’s our Flora dimmable LED floor lamp. Just like the Fancy, the amount of light this beautiful arched floor lamp gives off can be controlled with a foot switch.

Incorrect lighting temperature for the room

The mood of a room doesn’t depend solely on how much light it receives. The temperature of that light also contributes greatly to how it feels.

Now, you might be asking, “Temperature? What temperature? Don’t all LED lighting products come in white?” The answer is that they do, but they come in varying hues of white. They range from warm (yellow) to cool (blue) and are measured in units of Kelvin (K). Generally speaking, when light registers 3000K and below, it’s considered warm; readings of 4000K and up are considered cool. 3500K is a neutral sweet spot where light can either look cool or warm depending on what surrounds it, whether that’s furnishings or other light sources.

Why does it matter? The temperature of light that the sun gives off also changes throughout the day. At midday, it generally registers at 6000K, a very bright white that leans towards blue. When the sun sets, the light registers around 3000K and below, creating that beloved amber orange hue. These color changes affect our circadian rhythms, letting our bodies know when it’s time to be up and about, as well as when it’s time to wind down for the night.

To solve this issue, consider the mood you want to create in each room. Figuring out what the room will primarily be used for is a good starting point. You’ll want warm light in bedrooms, nurseries, and lounges to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere; this can be achieved with any of our dimmable LED floor lamps, which give off warm light.

Our latest offering, the Fantasy dimmable LED floor lamp with shelves, is equipped with 4 dimmable LED light modules at each tier that give off warm light. You can use the included remote control to adjust the amount of light. Meanwhile, areas where you do work should be lit with cool light that will keep you alert and awake.

Achieving the perfect lighting in your home is easy with FENLO! Shop our extensive catalog now.