Let the light shine: How design updates, technology are enhancing home lighting
This paid piece is sponsored by Montgomeryâs.
The daylight is dwindling, making this fall an ideal time to rethink how you light your home inside and out.
âWe offer Whole Home Lighting â the whole package, from new construction or home remodels to helping with individual lighting selections within your home,â said Paula Kruetzfeldt, senior interior designer and lighting specialist at Montgomeryâs.
âPeople can do their whole project at Montgomeryâs with complimentary design assistance.â
Whether youâre looking to outfit an entire home with new lighting or just add updates here and there, keep these options in mind:
Exterior lighting
Extend your outdoor living season or enhance your curb appeal with updates to your exterior lighting.
âFrom my experience, a lot of people put on exterior lights when they build and then forget about them, so itâs once and done,â Kruetzfeldt said. âBut there a lot of new fixtures on the market, including those with LED capabilities that have numerous advantages.â
Hereâs a big one: No more bugs.
âThey donât generate the same kind of heat, so they donât attract bugs like older lights do,â Kruetzfeldt explained. âPlus, the newer fixtures are more energy-efficient. Youâre likely going to go from using 60 watts in a bulb to only drawing 4 or 5 watts, which adds up to a huge energy savings.â
The outside of your home “is your first impression,â she continued. âWe do a lot of exterior consultations and have a vast variety of lighting styles to choose from.â
That includes your outdoor living space. Do you have a three-season room, outdoor kitchen or favorite patio? Thereâs likely updated lighting for it.
âWe see everything from traditional to very modern. Some of our clients own lake homes, and given the unpredictably of our weather and winds, weâre able to help you make selections that will hold up in the elements,â Kruetzfeldt said.
âRemember to think of Montgomeryâs for your exterior lighting.â
Living in light
As we approach 2024, lighting inside the home is all about adapting to how you live.
âLighting in homes today is moving toward switching from task-oriented light when you need it to calming or wind-down light later in the day,â Kruetzfeldt said. âItâs a switchable technology, but it actually involves the color temperature of the lightbulb. So it can go from bright, intense light to a different color in the evening.â
Many lights in your home can be updated in small ways that can make big changes.
âThink about your kitchen pendants, a bath light, maybe a hall light you walk by everyday,â Kruetzfeldt said. âJust changing one or two fixtures gives the home a personality change and can become something you build off of as youâre inspired to do more.â
Areas with focal points for lighting include foyers, kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms.
âThere are fun ways to change a fixture’s personality with just changing the lightbulb,â Kruetzfeldt added. âSome are shaped like marshmallows or spheres, crystal cut or lipstick shaped. We can accent-detail even more by switching out a lightbulb.â
Bathroom light tips
Technology can be your friend in a big way with a lighting upgrade in your bathroom.
âAgain, LED is leading the way because it doesnât produce as much heat,â Kruetzfeldt said. âThere are several options for bathrooms. You can choose a bathroom bar light, ceiling light, sconces, pendants lighting and LED mirrors that will light up your space.â
Her advice: Layer your light with an LED mirror, sconces on the sides and a light behind you.
âThis lighting gives a perfect environment for getting ready, with very little heat produced,â Kruetzfeldt said. âAnd thereâs something for everyone â whether you want a minimalist look thatâs functional or something with personality and design flair.â
Chandeliers shine
The coming year is showing a shift for chandeliers â literally.
âSeveral of the fixtures weâre seeing for 2024 are adjustable,â Kruetzfeldt said. âShades that can move and twist and turn and angle different. So thereâs movement in the fixtures.â
The sleek lines and warm tones that have gained popularity are still sought-after, plus âweâre seeing more mixed metals and leathers â a lot of detail, a lot of personality,â she continued.
Think two- or three-toned colors with sleek detail.
âChandeliers often become a building block for a room, and they can really be pieces of art or a focal point in a design setting,â Kruetzfeldt said.
âItâs an easy way to update a room too, especially if you already have electrical. Weâre also seeing moves away from bare lightbulb industrial and clear glass to a softened look with milky glass or alabaster glass, again because LED light doesnât produce the heat, allowing us to use these appealing materials again. With the evolving technology in lighting, I foresee a lot of remodeling because people will want to incorporate these aspects into their home.â
Lamps make a statement
Lamp lighting is another way to bring a statement to a room. These smaller purchases can pack a design punch.
âWeâre seeing a lot of sculptural lighting, very unique and architectural, with strong lines, marbles and mixed metals,â Kruetzfeldt said. âThese are smaller purchases, and you often can move them from room to room and create more design excitement.â
Montgomeryâs offers a large selection of lamps with styles for every taste, she added.
âYouâll see everything from whimsical to organic, simple and ornate. We also have minimalist and smart lighting that are very popular as well,â Kruetzfeldt said.
Beyond the showroom
While a visit to a Montgomeryâs showroom is a great place to start â or get inspired â with a look at lighting, the options go beyond what youâll see in the store, and designers are there to help you each step of the process for free.
âOur electronic catalog is an exceptional tool,â Kruetzfeldt said. âItâs very detailed. We can zoom in so you can see the finishes so clearly that itâs almost like youâre touching it. Additionally, we are able to filter by size, finish, price point, making it an easy shopping experience, saving the customer time and money.â
Within the store, various lighting styles are shown in room settings, âso you can stand back and see the scale and details and not be overpowered by having all the lighting displayed in one area,â she continued.
âYou are able to better imagine it in your space. Just as importantly, we offer to consult within your home to ensure your selections are going to fit. Youâre not making costly mistakes by choosing a fixture thatâs too large or small for your area.â
Montgomeryâs designers will sit down with your blueprint and go room by room to help choose lighting for a newly built home and even do a walk-through on an existing home.
âWe can help produce a complete package. No detail is overlooked, down to making sure you have the right light outputs and bulbs in your fixtures,â Kruetzfeldt said. âOur job is to make sure our clients feel educated and comfortable. We ensure every lighting decision is a special reflection of our clients’ personal style.”
Ready to add a little light to your living space? Schedule an appointment with a Montgomeryâs designer, and click here to get started.Â
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