Choosing Lighting Options in 2021: The Imagine Interiors Guide

There are a lot of factors to consider, besides just how it looks.

Lighting.

One of the most important things in our homes.

See how the lighting adds warmth?

Proper lighting can light up your home, giving it exactly the kind of atmosphere you want.

And creating the right kind of atmosphere inside your home is a key objective of home interior design.

Which is why, as the premier interior design company in Bangladesh, we are taking up the topic of lighting options for your home in 2021, in this blog.

Blog overview

We will explore what options you have for your home lighting system in 2021 as follows:

First, we will take a look at the importance of having a proper lighting scheme for your home.
Then, we will see what features or characteristics you should look at to set up a lighting system in your home.
Finally, we will check out various lighting options and compare and contrast their various features.

Let’s begin.

Importance of having a proper lighting scheme at your home

See how the lighting sets the ambiance?

Like I said before, the lighting plays an important role in creating the atmosphere, or ambience, inside your home.

The kind of lighting, the shade, the intensity – all of these have a role to play in creating the ambience.

And, even though I said ‘in your home’, actually it will vary from room to room.

For example, you may want your…

Bedroom to have a calm and comforting ambience.
Living room to have a cheerful or relaxing ambience.
Workroom to have an ambience where you can focus on work.

And the lighting will play a very important role in creating that.

Features/characteristics you should look for, in your lighting system

Here are the features you should look for in your lighting system…

Hue – By hue, I mean what kind of light it is. There are two things to consider:
- Strength – Is it strong or diffused?
- Shade – You may not want the typical white light; there are some shades you can consider.
Longevity – How long does the kind of lighting typically last?
Energy consumption – Lower energy consumption means a lower power bill for you.
Cost – And finally comes the question of how much does it cost.

How does the energy consumption of your lighting system impact your power bill?

It does that in two ways…

One is the obvious – if it burns more energy, it will need more power to run.

The second is indirectly – if it burns more energy, it will likely cause room temperatures to rise. If you use an AC, the AC will consume more power to deal with the higher room temperature.

With all that being said, let’s take a look at the different kinds of lighting options you have for your home.

Lighting options for your home in 2021

You have three main kinds of lighting options to choose from…

Incandescent light bulbs

First of all are, of course, the good old incandescent bulbs.

Generating light by heating up a filament, these have been the mainstay of lighting arrangements – whether residential or commercial – for decades.

As many of us have grown up with them, it makes sense that many people still think about them as the only, or the best lighting option.

Let’s take a look at how they compare…

Incandescent light bulbs – hue

These bulbs give off a sharp, bright light, yellow to white in colour.

For softer lighting, you can either buy bulbs of low wattage, or place a cover over the bulb.

Incandescent light bulbs – longevity

These bulbs are somewhat long lasting.

It mostly depends on the quality of the filament.

Incandescent light bulbs – energy consumption

Energy consumption is high for these bulbs as they depend on conversion of heat to light.

Incandescent light bulbs – cost

The buying cost of these is by far the lowest.

CFL light bulbs

Haven’t you seen that spiral shape before?

CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Light.

They come in a typical spiral shape.

These bulbs work on UV technology, and they were first used in the 1980’s.

CFL light bulbs – hue

The original (and now, cheapest) CFL light bulbs had a dazzling bright light.

While it was good for illumination, it could at times spoil room aesthetics.

Nowadays of course dimming systems are available for these bulbs.

CFL light bulbs – longevity

They’re certainly longer lasting than incandescent bulbs.

Most brands can last 8000 hours…and the best brands will last up to 10,000 hours.

In terms of energy consumption, CFL bulbs rank higher than incandescent bulbs.

But their buying cost is higher than incandescent bulbs.

LED bulbs

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.

These bulbs use semiconductor technology to generate light.

They have been in commercial use since the early 2000’s.

LED light bulbs – hue

Generally speaking, basic LED lights are softer than CFL.

There are also dimmer systems available to set the brightness as per your requirements.

LED light bulbs – longevity

A good LED light bulb should last you around 30,000 hours.

The best ones can go on for up to 50,000 hours.

In terms of energy consumption, LED bulbs are the best, even better than CFL options.

But their buying cost is also higher, that is, they are the most expensive of all three types of lighting systems.

Now that you know all this, which lighting option would YOU prefer for your home?