Lighting sets the mood of every room in your house. Achieving the perfect amount of light, however, can be tricky. That’s why many homeowners choose to work with a lighting designer. Here are some reasons to consider doing so:

5 Reasons to Consider Hiring a Lighting Designer

1. A professional lighting designer knows how to read and interpret the “Lighting Facts” label on bulbs. Similar to the “Nutrition Facts” labels on food, this provides information about a bulb's brightness, energy cost, life expectancy, appearance (“warm” or “cool”), wattage, and mercury content.

2. A lighting designer will assess the rooms in your home and choose bulbs with the proper light appearance, which is measured on the Kelvin (K) temperature scale. The lower the K number, the more yellow the light; the higher the K number, the whiter or bluer the light. “Warm white” bulbs work well in bedrooms, living rooms and dens; “bright white” and “cool white” bulbs work nicely in kitchens, bathrooms and home spaces; and “daylight” bulbs are good for reading areas.

3. A lighting designer will also assess the rooms in your home for the proper number of lumens, which refers to the amount of light the bulb gives off. (Many homeowners still think in terms of wattage, which refers to the amount of energy a bulb uses.) 

4. A lighting designer can help you make your home more energy efficient, especially if you're still using incandescent bulbs. Conversions to halogen, CFLs and LEDs can be confusing, and a lighting designer can help you make sense of – and save dollars on – the bevy of choices.

5. A savvy lighting designer can show you how to integrate a software-based lighting control system in your home so that you can operate lights from your phone or computer.

Want more tips on how to determine and achieve the best lighting for your home? Read these blog posts:

• Keys to Proper Dining Room Lighting
• How to Incorporate Wall Lights Into Your Living Room Design
• Great LED Lighting Hacks for the Interior Designer in You
• Pros and Cons of Recessed Lights