Maintaining a home

How lighting changes your space – Ep 9

01 August 2019

Channel Nine’s The Block judge and Suncorp ambassador Shaynna Blaze presents a series of tips and tricks that can help you save money and add value to your home.

Different approaches to lighting can have a dramatically different impact on your space. Luckily, Shaynna has a few tips on how to make your lighting work for you.

Episode 9

Lighting is one of those things that is often overlooked when planning rooms but it can make a dramatic difference to the feeling and look of your room.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing lighting for your home.

You can choose either cool or warm lighting for your home.

It’s personal preference, but cool is great for kitchens and bathrooms.

Ideally, you’ll have the same lighting in adjoining spaces.

Use LED lighting to save on your power bill.

Work out the main working areas in the room and only put tossed lighting there so you don’t light up the whole room like a Christmas tree.

Again, it's great for your power bill.

Another way to make sure your place is well lit is by bringing the outdoors in.

And that doesn’t just mean bi-fold doors, you can bring a touch of outside with clever planting in your home.

A few bright ideas

Keep it cool or warm it up

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make when choosing lighting is whether you’d like cool or warm light. This is – of course – a matter of personal preference, but generally speaking, cool light works better in kitchens and bathrooms.

If you do decide to keep it cool in those spaces, you’ll want to make sure you have the same lighting in any connected spaces.

Find a tradie with hipages

Beat those bills

There are some simple choices you can make with your lighting that’ll help reduce your power bills and keep a few extra bucks in your pocket. For example, you can budget better by using LED lighting. LED lighting will use a lot less power, which can result in a lower lighting bill.

Also, if you identify the main working areas in any given room – say, the desk in your study or the bench and stove in your kitchen – you can light those particular areas with task lighting. This will keep you from having to light up the whole area, and contribute to lower energy consumption.

Find a local electrician

If you’re thinking of installing some new lighting in your home, whether that’s a few subtle downlights or an attention-grabbing pendant or two, you might want to get in touch with a qualified electrician. That’s where hipages can help! They’ll let you read reviews from other users and get three quotes from tradies in your area.

Next: Bring the outdoors into your home - Ep 10

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