Lighting
Lighting is an essential part of how you live and experience your home. The right lighting design highlights architectural details, reveals the character of the materials, and creates warm and comfortable spaces.
There are several types of light fixtures you can use in your home to enhance both aesthetics and function. Choosing fixtures becomes easier when you understand their differences and where they work best. A balanced mix of recessed lighting and decorative fixtures provides layered lighting that helps illuminate everyday tasks while also accenting artwork or even breaking up large spaces.
Lighting is one of the most expressive elements in a home, making it a great place to be bold and have a little fun. At Seed + Smith Design, we suggest visiting a local showroom to narrow down what you like before navigating the endless possibilities online.
Below are the different types of fixtures commonly seen on projects and where we typically use them.
Surface Mount (flush mount and semi-flush mount)
Ceiling mounted fixtures are great in bedrooms, hallways, bathrooms and any room with a standard ceiling height where a fixture can’t hang down too low. Flush mount fixtures will sit right up against the ceiling, while semi-flush fixtures will drop down – though not like a pendant.
Surface mount light fixtures provide a decorative element in larger closets, and are useful in long hallways to create rhythm along the ceiling and draw the eye through the space. They can be simple and soft for a bedroom, or fun and unique for an entryway. Exterior options for covered porches and patios can bring extra character to the exterior.
Sconces
Sconces are one of the most versatile decorative light fixtures and can be used in almost any space. Classic examples are in bathrooms and on exterior walls, but they can be used in kitchens, dining rooms, above fireplaces and even in a bedroom on a switch for reading before bedtime. Depending on the location, the height of the sconce should be carefully considered so it feels comfortable in the room rather than obtrusive.
Chandeliers
Chandeliers will provide a visual highlight to any space. Whether it's a dining table or in a great room, they often mark a point of congregation and will feature multiple bulbs. Chandeliers are best used in either spaces with high ceilings, or where a table will be located underneath. No other light fixture is infused with as much drama, but we don't believe a chandelier should dominate a space. It needs to be a part of the whole layered lighting of a room.
Pendants
Pendants are useful to provide focused lighting at a work space like a kitchen island or over a table. In contrast to chandeliers, they typically have a single bulb or single shade, but that doesn't imply that they are always small or lack the visual power that a chandelier would, it simply depends on the space. They are often seen over kitchen islands, but can also be used in vaulted bedrooms, bathrooms, over dining tables, or at an exterior porch. If your ceilings are high enough you can use them in lieu of surface mounted fixtures to add an extra element of design to the space.
Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting, fixtures inside the ceiling with only a hole for the bulb, provide the general room illumination for larger spaces. Recessed lighting has variations that make it ideal for combining with decorative fixtures for proper layered lighting in a house, since we don't believe they should ever be the sole source of light in a room. The size, shape, trim and color can vary greatly, as well as the color temperature of the bulb, giving them great versatility. Seed + Smith will specify the most appropriate recessed lighting for your project, review it with you, and an electrician will supply and install them. This differs from decorative lighting, which is often supplied by the homeowner (or design team) for the electrician to install.
Linear or “Tape” Lights
Linear lighting and the high-end accent lighting it creates may not be the most well-known or widely used lighting type. It's complex installation and small, in size, technology used to mean it was a luxury, but this flexible, thin LED light tape can be used almost anywhere and has a very low operation cost. We put it under kitchen cabinets for even countertop lighting, in bookcases for display, along interior and exterior stairs for safety. The subtle warm glow it provides as indirect lighting enhances any design.
Lamps
Lamps are crucial in creating the layered lighting that Seed + Smith find most people prefer. They've come a long way from the days of walking across a room to turn one on and off, and can be on switched outlets. To avoid the clutter of chords, Seed + Smith prefers to plan in dedicated floor outlets in major rooms, or even consider rechargeable LED lamps that are new to the market. You'll find as much variety of style in lamps as with other light fixtures and are not limited to the traditional base with a large white cloth shade. We believe in having fun here by adding color or fun shapes, as an electrician is not required should you ever change your mind!
Track Lighting
Track lighting, in certain applications and projects, provides varied lighting for your home. The ability to adjust each head, change them out over time, and even add pendants to the tracks, achieve a flexibility other fixtures can’t. Since the tracks provide power to the lights, we find them critical in remodels when we are not disrupting the existing wood ceilings, or don't have access above those ceilings.