When you have guests over for the holidays, you want them to have a good time and leave with pleasant memories. A subtle but important part of that good time is how you light the rooms in your home during the festivities. The secret to perfect, magical holiday lighting is layering your lights. Here’s how to do it.
General, Task and Accent Lighting
There are three layers to layered lighting. General lighting brightens the entire space. This comes from the light, whether a chandelier or a flush-mounted dome light in the middle of your ceiling. Task lighting focuses on close-in work, such as reading or cooking. This type of lighting comes from table or floor lamps that light on the underside of your stove’s ventilation hood or the band of undersink LED lighting. An accent light highlights areas or objects you want people to notice, such as the painting light above a work of art. Layering holiday lights is a variation on this theme.
General Holiday Lighting
In regular times, maybe a chandelier provides general lighting for your living room. Chances are, your chandelier is a focal point in the room anyway, and the holidays give you the excuse to really let it stand out. Here are some ways to embellish a chandelier.
- Hang greenery such as pine boughs.
- Hang frosted snowflakes, stars or pine cones.
- Hang the glass ornaments that would usually go on a Christmas tree. These ornaments can bounce the light around and give it an extra sparkle.
- Tie velvet ribbons to the chandelier arms.
Task Lighting for the Holidays
Of course, the biggest task for the holidays is to simply enjoy them. One part of that task is eating. Placing candles on the dining table after the general lighting has been dimmed not only lets you see your meal but also creates a convivial mood. They can be tea candles, votive candles, pillars or tapers in silver heirloom candelabras.
Accent Lighting for the Holidays
Because you wish to create a festive mood as well as a beautiful space, much holiday lighting is accent lighting. Of course, a Christmas tree is an avatar of accent lighting. One trick is to wrap fairy lights around its trunk to pull the eye in and give the tree yet another layer of lighting. Other types of accent lighting are festoons of lights around mirrors, lights tucked into wreaths and hung on doors, wound around banisters or spread over a mantelpiece.
If You Want More Tips on Holiday Lighting, Call Us
The type of lighting in your holiday home can be the difference between a party that’s fun and memorable and a party that’s a bit of a washout. To learn more about lighting for your Lafayette, Louisiana home, call Comeaux Electrical Services.
