Remodeling an old home with bad lighting?

Have you heard of that there are three layers of lighting to consider when designing your lighting plan? If you are remodeling an old home with crappy lighting (you know, bad popcorn ceilings with one measly ceiling light) then you need to watch this before you talk to your electrician.

Layer One: Ambient Lighting

This is lighting that fills your space like recessed ceiling lights and large ceiling fixtures. You'll want to plan an ample amount of these into your remodel, but don't go overboard or your ceiling might end up looking like swiss cheese! LOL

Layer Two: Accent Lighting

This is the lighting that spotlights areas of your home like art spots and kitchen island pendants. If you're an avid art lover then you're probably already thinking about where and what you'll want to put in the spotlight. If art isn't your thing then think about areas that would benefit stylistically from some beautiful drop pendants or cool wall sconces.

Layer Three: Task Lighting

This is lighting that helps you see what you're working on like under cabinet kitchen lights. Table and floor lamps also fall into this category so you may think you can just put those off until after construction. Oh no, no, no my dear! At Christy B. we don't like to leave anything to chance. Sometimes you will find that you need to plan electrical into the flooring when you have a furniture configuration that "floats" in the middle of the room - say an office desk or a sofa.

Photos: Light My Nest, Alexandre Vision, DWR, Elle Decor (Design: Chad Eisner)