When decorating your home or office, we often overlook one of the most crucial elements — lighting — which can make or break the overall look of the room. But, since people are more confined to their homes than ever before, they have started realizing the importance of lighting. This has further increased the demand for different lighting options — such as hanging lamps, desk lamps, bare bulbs, fairy lights, and many more.
With such a significant demand, electricians must know the latest trends ruling the lighting industry. This article will explore five different lighting trends in 2021 every electrician should be aware of.
LEDs Are a Way to Go – Sure, proper lighting is appealing to the eyes. But with LEDs, it can be appealing to the wallet as well. LED lighting made its debut in the lighting industry about ten years ago. And ever since, it has transformed the sector with its reduced energy consumption, better light quality, and low cost.
LED lighting is the most energy-efficient lighting used in houses, offices, industries, and other commercial areas. Not only is it comfortable for human eyes, but it also consumes less energy, resulting in reduced electricity bills. Plus, they impart less heat which helps in lowering down the level of carbon dioxide produced by the lights. In short, they are environment-friendly alternatives to traditional lighting systems.
There are numerous types of LED lights to choose from according to people’s needs. These include LED lamps, LED bulbs, LED high bay lights, LED industrial lights, LED panel lights, and many more. All these bring different features to the table. For example, while LED lamps diffuse and reflect light resulting in decreased eyestrain, LED high bay lights are used to light up spaces with ceilings higher than 20 feet from the floor.
LiFi is the New WiFi – LiFi — also known as Light Fidelity — is a wireless communication technology that utilizes LED lights rather than radio frequency to transmit data between connected devices. Based on Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology, LiFi has enabled lighting to become a communication and security system in itself.
When it comes to energy and cost consumption, these lights double up the home’s brightness by using LED bulbs. It also offers a much more secure network than WiFi, which means it cannot penetrate through the walls — making it difficult for unauthorized access. What’s more? This innovative trend synchronizes all lighting to the same network. In a nutshell, it provides brilliant illumination along with faster connectivity.
However, LiFi is still in its development stage. This means you won’t be seeing LiFi technology in homes and offices anytime sooner. But this early yet prominent technology is definitely one to look out for.
Build a Smart Home with Smart Bulbs – With a shift towards sustainable interior decor, smart lighting has emerged to be an important trend. From decorative lights and home decor elements to workstation and background lighting — these are designed to serve multiple purposes. Plus, it also constitutes several components, such as smart bulbs.
Smart bulbs — a top-quality LED bulb — isn’t your average bulb. These are called smart for a reason and do so much more than just sitting in a socket and lighting a room. Some of its functions include:
First and foremost, smart bulbs draw less power than traditional bulbs and contribute towards reduced energy consumption.
Some smart bulbs have scheduling features, which let you control your lights when you aren’t home. This means you can come to a well-lit home without wasting electricity. Plus, it is an excellent security tool that never makes your house look empty.
Another cool feature is that you can dim these bulbs without installing the dimmer switches in your home.
Dimming the lights is fine. But you can take it a step further by changing its colors. Want to warm up your room? Change the color to golden yellow? Want to cool it down? Change it to light blue. Not only that, during parties, you can change the color to match the theme.
In a nutshell, installing smart bulbs in the house can guarantee an incredible lighting experience, reduced electricity bills, and environmental protection. However, there are many factors to consider, such as selecting the right brand and network security options.
Bedroom Lighting for Relaxation – Sure, you need a dark room while sleeping in your bedroom. But what about all other activities you do in your room while awake? Reading, dressing up in the morning, and relaxing — these activities require a well-lit room with the right balance of ambient, task and accent lighting — from ceiling to bedside.
Here are a few essentials to get the bedroom lighting just right and make it a comfortable place to rest and relax:
Go for eye-catching personalized pendant lights for a stylish look. These lightings are fitted in a way that frees a lot of valuable space and creates a perfect low-lit atmosphere.
Fairy lighting is another crucial element for setting up a relaxed mood. Available in various sizes, you can fix these lights to the ceiling, hang them on the backside of your bed or behind your headboard.
Recessed lighting — also called can lights or spotlights — works well with other ceiling lights and provides general lighting to the bedroom. It is also used to accent specific features of the bedroom.
Home Office Lighting for Increased Productivity – With more people working from homes than ever before, home workspace lighting can have a major impact — both good and bad — on your health. While poor lighting can reduce your energy and dampen your mood, good quality lighting can help increase your productivity.
Harsh fluorescent lighting causes draining to the eyes and blurred vision, whereas dim lighting can trigger eyestrain and headaches. The dark office is just as bad and makes you tired and less focused on work.
Sure, a combination of natural and artificial lighting can work wonders. But, it is highly recommended to incorporate ambient lighting to the ceiling level, task lighting at the desk level, and accent lighting between the desk and the ceiling.
Furthermore, go for LED lighting during the day. But in the evening, opting for diffused lighting, such as frosted bulbs and shaded lamps, can give a cozy glow to the office.
Wrapping Up – This brings us to the end of the article. Since the lighting industry has undergone a lot of modifications in the past few years, electricians must be aware of different trends going on in the sector. The above five trends are completely changing the old lighting methods and leading the way to an increasingly sustainable world.
So, now that you know some of the top lighting trends, it’s time for you to gear up, implement them, and take your career to another level.
Karen Lopez is a freelance content writer at marketing digest. With her keen interest in home decor and remodeling, she loves contributing insightful articles about the latest renovation trends in residential and commercial spaces. In her free time, she enjoys listening to Jazz music and watching Netflix.
