Bringing more light into the home

SPONSORED – As we approach the dead of winter, Seattle’s grey skies can really take a toll on the lighting of your home. Leah McNabb from Crescent Lighting gives Pete some tips on how to bring more light into your home.

If you’re looking to overhaul your lighting, Leah says you should think about the layout of your home. For example, your kitchen can be quite dark without proper lighting; cabinets can create shadows that make your space look darker. She says you should think about lighting up your cabinets, either underneath or inside, and that you should think about putting overhead lighting above your kitchen island, which can become devoid of light.

Pete adds that daylighting, a method of lighting that mimics natural light, can help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and boost the level of serotonin your brain produces.

“During those dark months, you feel like there’s not enough brightness,” says Leah. “With this lamp, you can put it into any source you have — table lamp or ceiling light — and it offers that more white light, which seems brighter. The brighter light, the happier we become.”

She recommends placing daylight bulbs in the kitchen and entryways, as well as common living spaces that you’ll normally occupy during the day.

When lighting the outdoor of your home, Leah recommends going with a light source that’s hardwired, versus solar. “That way you can control it by a timer or a photo cell,” she says. Photo cells, which read when it gets dark out, can be used in conjunction with a timer — allowing you to set the lights to geological clocks. You could time your lights to turn on at 5 p.m., but if it got dark at 4 p.m. the photo cell would turn the light on.

Recent developments in lighting technology now give you the ability to control your lights wirelessly, similar to how you open your garage door. Android and iOS applications also give you the freedom to control your lights from your phone or tablet. You could control your lights from your office, or while traveling. Pete adds that you can use this type of system to thwart a burglar casing your home. You can program your lights to turn on at random intervals, making it look like you’re home. Leah says Crescent Lighting can help you find the best system to meet your needs; each job is priced individually, and they can help you fit a lighting system to your budget.

Crescent Lighting is a proud sponsor of Home Matters.

Home Matters with Pete and Rob can be heard on KIRO Radio every Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m. or anytime at KIRORadio.com. Like Home Matters on Facebook.