Steps to Steel Lighting Success

It’s that time of the year again, where we at Steel Lighting Co. remind everyone of some of the best fundamentals to remember when creating your own lighting setup at home!

Sure, getting into the nitty-gritty of steel lighting is fun. However, sometimes in all of that talk about different rooms and business types, the fundamentals of lighting design get a little lost along the way. To that end, we’ve made it a goal to make sure you’re never far from some of our most crucial lighting information.

In the case of home lighting, design fundamentals can get lost in the mix pretty quickly. It’s honestly a shame because the area where lighting can have the most effect is your home. Each room, from the kitchen to the garage to the bedroom, has a specific purpose in the house. By extension, each space requires a different lighting setup to maximize its potential. 

Unfortunately, home lighting is where the fundamental ethos of lighting design is built because the lighting in the home is arguably the essential type of illumination you’re likely to encounter. 

In this blog, we’re going to cover the fundamentals of lighting design in the home and cover the steps towards successful lighting that you can rely on using our own steel barn-style fixtures!

Let’s get started!

Embrace Tradition

If hipsters taught us anything, it’s to appreciate the older ways of doing something. Sometimes, the techniques and materials of old were a superior way, though lacked the convenience of later methods.  A lot of this can be said for lighting fixtures. 

Like tinted glass bulbs or hung light pendant fixtures, vintage techniques can look fantastic when going for an industrial look in the home or business. Pairing this with a hardy coating, like galvanized steel, can create a stunning effect that communicates a distinct style effectively. This also has the benefit of making your fixtures tougher than a two-dollar steak, which is pretty tough if you’ve ever had one. 

Coincidently, at Steel Lighting Co., we have just the right style of lighting fixtures and coating options to create a superb industrial feel. Our best-selling fixtures, such as the Carson or Manhattan ceiling lights, are the ultimate expression of an industrial style and can be made even more so with a gorgeous galvanized steel finish that will set them apart. 

Know Your Bulbs

Much like the older styles and materials of home lighting, light bulbs are an often overlooked lighting area in the home. A lot of that comes down to a lack of information on just how light bulbs work. 

For many people, light bulbs are just light bulbs, they work a certain way, and there’s pretty much only one type to worry about. However, if there is anything to consider,  it is usually whether the fitting is a bezel or a twist-in design. Understandably, most homeowners won’t venture very far beyond that. 

However, light bulbs have a massive amount of importance in home lighting.  Knowing the correct bulb for the right job can directly affect the style and purpose of each room in your home.  Different bulbs have different power requirements, safety hazards, and different types of light they produce. Choosing between what’s right and what’s wrong is a far deeper process than previously believed. 

So, do yourself a favor and start researching what kind of bulb works best for you. While it might sound slightly biased, we love LED light bulbs. Simply put, their safer, cheaper, and brighter than conventional bulbs, which is why we recommend them for all of our light designs. 

The Big Three

On the subject of bulb types and what they bring to your home. It’s time to address the three-tailed elephant in the room – lighting philosophy. The basic gist of lighting design is that all lighting can be broken down into three distinct “layers” of light. These layers are:

• Ambient Lighting: Ambient lighting is the most common form of lighting and refers specifically to the type designed to cover as much real estate as possible. Ambient lighting is your “base layer” of light that you’ll use in just about every space and is the most common form of lighting in any room. 
• Task Lighting: Unlike ambient lighting, task lighting refers to lights that emphasize lighting up a specific area to complete a task. This lighting is meant to be bright and intense enough to allow a person to complete a technical activity efficiently and safely with complete visibility. It is usually focused on a single small space. 
• Accent Lighting: If ambient lighting and task lighting are the “meat and vegetables” part of your lighting meal, accent lighting is dessert. Accent lighting is all about adding flair and drama to a space or object and is meant to enhance that space more than efficiently lighting it. Accent lights are popular in outdoor areas and rooms where the mood is the primary concern. 

Each of these layers works with each other,  creating a perfect setup for any room in the home. However, each room has different requirements, so finding the right mix of lighting is key to your success. 

For example, a space like a kitchen may have a far greater need for task lighting than a dining room or lounge where a base of ambient lighting supported by flairs of accent lighting will often be more appropriate. 

To make a long explanation short – good lighting is like a cake – it has layers, so figuring out what layers work best will be a massive step towards achieving your perfect lighting dreams. 

That’s it for this Friday’s blog! Be sure to keep these fundamentals in mind the next time you start renovating your home or building a new one, and you’ll always be set up for success!

If you’d like to know more about how steel lighting can improve your home lighting experience, then contact our team at Steel Lighting Co., our friendly group of experts would be more than happy to give some advice and recommendations on what kind of steel barn light can best suit your needs.