Here's How To Light Up Your New Home

The process of building and designing your own home can be stressful -- and it shouldn’t be. Building your dream home should be a fun, exciting process. Not only will you get to see the transformation from start-to-finish, but you’ll also play an active role in designing the final product.

Typically, the process begins after you decide on the home building company you’d like to use and select the neighbourhood you want to reside in. Next, you’ll work with designers and architects to conceptualize your home by finalizing the layout and exterior appearance.

Once construction is underway, you’ll need to begin thinking about the interior of your home. Whether you’ve contacted a designer or are undertaking the work yourself, lighting is undeniably a huge part of interior design. If you’re working with a designer or builder that’s joined our exclusive trade program, you’ll receive 20% off your lights. Click here to see if you’re eligible to join, and for more details on all the exclusive benefits we offer.

At The Lighting Shoppe, we specialize in lighting for new builds. Our experienced team is able to assist you in finding the perfect lighting for each area of your home. You can shop online, or you can experience our showroom in person.

To keep things organized, we recommend thinking of each room separately when shopping. This will help to avoid becoming confused or overwhelmed. In our previous blog post How to Find the Perfect Lighting for Your Kitchen, we delve into the three types of lighting: accent, ambient, and task lighting. It’s best to think of lighting in this sense, and to try and satisfy each category when in the design process.

First, we’ll work with you to determine which style of lighting you’re looking for. Is your decor rustic and cozy or modern and sleek? Do you prefer large statement pieces or simple, minimalistic lights? Sometimes, walking around the store is a great way to get a sense of what you do and don’t like. If you’re still lacking inspiration, check out our Instagram page here for some inspiration. We showcase a variety of styles here, including contemporary, mid-century modern, rustic, coastal, glam, and industrial.

Once you have a rough idea of what you’re looking for, the fun can begin. However, there’s a few logistical things that you should consider when picking out your lighting:

Technical recommendations:

• Ceiling Height: Knowing your ceiling height is important, as some lights aren’t aDjustable. Generally, the bottom of the light should hang within 12 inches below a standard 8-foot ceiling.
• Table or Island Height: If you’re planning on hanging a light over a table or a kitchen island, 28 to 34 inches is the recommended distance from the bottom of the light to the surface of the table or island.

*You will want to bring your electrical plan for final selections so we know where each fixture is. This will allow us to give you better advice and help choose more appropriate fixtures for each room. Furthermore, bringing any samples or other dimensions (e.g. dining table dimensions) can help with picking more suitable lighting.

Style/Functional recommendations:

1. Layer your lighting: Layering your lighting can create different moods for many different purposes in a space. We find it is best to include at least 2 of the 3 types of light, which are ambient, task, and accent lighting. Layering your lighting will increase the functionality and diversity of your space. It is also best to be able to control each layer or type of lighting separately with a different switch. 
2. Create your main focal point: After creating a focal point, design the rest of the room with elements that will complement it, not distract from it. For example, if you choose a chandelier, pendant, or any other light as a focal point, then choose more subtle fixtures and furnishings throughout the rest of the space. Contrarily, if a piece of art or fireplace is your focal point use accent lighting to highlight it and a more subdue fixture to light up the space.
3. Coordinate Across Rooms: If your floor plan is open, this is increasingly important. While this doesn't necessarily mean that all styles and finishes need to match, they should feel similar and cohesive. For example, a tropical living room, a rustic dining room, and a modern kitchen will cause confusion across the three spaces.
4. Mix Fishes Tastefully: We typically recommend incorporating at least two - but no more than four finishes in a room.

Once you’ve selected and purchased your desired lighting, we are able to coordinate the rest for your convenience.To keep things organized, we will package and mark all boxes according to which room they’ll be used in. Next, we will coordinate the pick up or delivery with your home builder directly. If you’re in need of installation help, we can also provide a few contacts for you.

At The Lighting Shoppe, lighting is our passion. Let our experienced team help you light up your new build perfectly. Shop online, or visit our showroom today.