Lighting and log homes don’t always mix easily. Sometimes you may experience difficulty striking the perfect balance between not enough light and too much light in your home. This situation becomes more difficult if by chance your home is built from logs, which are known to naturally absorb light. Even if you own a faux log home, traditional rustic decoration and furniture can incorporate darker, natural colors and require more intense lighting. If this is the case, then you’ll need to judiciously make use of some features and up the ante with extra lumens.
The power of lighting
Correct use of lighting in a room has the subtle power to transform large rooms and make them appear cozy and inviting or make small rooms look open and airy. This is often referred to as a lighting strategy by professional designers. However, if you are a log home owner, then you will definitely require a lighting strategy for your log home. This owes to the fact that the wood in the walls and ceilings absorbs light than a conventional home does. So, we advise you take the following tips into consideration if you are planning your log home’s lighting scheme.
Stay On Track | Use Track Lighting:
You can achieve this by highlighting different aspects of a room and simply install rail systems or track lighting on ceilings, walls or even exposed beams. Home experts say a little directional lighting would help create interest and really shows off the walls.
On the other hand, more than track lighting; Rail systems are more versatile. This is because they are available in both geometric shapes and wavy lines which makes them capable of bending around corners. They are often made with warm bronze finish by many manufacturers and this makes them look amazing in log homes.
Bounce Off the Walls | Add Light Fixtures to Your Walls:
According to expert decorators, if fixtures are attached to walls, they can add soft lighting. The same goes with sconces; they make the entire room glow. So when dealing with a log home, particularly those with cathedral ceilings, sconces are very useful for bringing the light down to the human level.
Incorporate Uplig-hting
If you want to amplify ambient light in a room, then up-lighting comes handy. However, in a situation where there is a low, light-colored ceiling, you can use standing floor lamps like torchieres to bounce light.
You can also add up-lights at the nine-foot level in order to brighten cathedral ceilings. Doing this will help showcase log trusses and keep the light from getting lost in the rafters.
Increase Diversity | Combine Methods for Maximum Results:
For the whole room’s illumination, it’s advisable not to completely rely on one ceiling fixture, as down-lighting from one central location would definitely create glare. Interior decoration is vastly moving, thus the latest trend is moving away from overhead lighting and then add a number of light sources in each room which you can also spread to create up-to three to four different layers of light. You can make use of some kind of accent lights, and chandelier task lamps to do the trick. However, a total of 3 watts per square foot should adequately illuminate a room.
