that's a useful combo! I had a chat with my electrician about what I could *practically* put in the bathroom, but it would have been handy, if I'd been seeking design help, to have the same person know what would look good and what would work in a technical sense :)
Do it! I’m a master plumber and own a plumbing company. I design bathrooms and that along has probably tripled my business because nobody in my demographic understands custom shower design. It will really help you be a better electrician as well.
I was JUST trying to explain lighting to my husband, but he listens to you much better than he listens to me. Thanks for coming to the rescue when I need you! 😄
Same! I’ve just saved this video to show my hubby later. Was trying to explain ‘layering’ the lighting to him last night and he looked at me like I was crazy. (While we sat in a room he LOVES because of the layered lighting 😂😂)
And when you add mirrors, make sure they're "adjacent" to the window, not parallel to it. If you put a mirror in front of a window, it'll just bounce that light back outside.
In my apartment complex, I feel like I can always point out where single guys live because at night I’m walking my dog and see these bright ‘blue’ cool toned lights in their apartments 😂
I put 2 LED Gimbals in where there were previously 2-4 light tracks. They are so bright! Only unfortunate thing is the previous owners had 60watt bulbs in 40w fixtures and the ceiling is black. We’re repairing the ceiling next year regardless but those two lights are give us a nicer light and a smooth vault highlighting our beautiful Fan.
Love the look of the led strips and the potential they bring, but Nick, do you have a video on how best to install these? A Tips / tricks etc on how best to position / setup these in our homes as they instantly change the dynamic?
Two lighting tips: 1) If you want to look good in the bathroom mirror, put the lights on the sides of your mirror, NOT the top. Lights at the top make you look dead. 2) Nothing looks richer and more charming for a dinner party than lots of candles. I have a dining room that has no electric lights. When we have people over, the whole room is lined with candles and we put several on the table.
I love Philips hue, they’re all over my apartment. some people really hate them but they have multiple color settings and regular setting like daylight, golden light, and customizable colors you can pick for the perfect daylight white color. You can also put them on a timer so they change at certain times.
Yes! I have landscape lighting in my back yard, but the neighbor behind me turns on a very powerful & bright spotlight every night...it shines right into my kitchen window and completely drowns out my pretty little garden lights. I think it's really rude.
@@JamieM470 We just sold our house and one thing I did not like about it was that our next door neighbor AND our across the street neighbor had bright security lights that shone directly into our house all night long.
We lived in a dark sky community in San Diego because we lived near the Palomar Observatory, and all lights had to point down, plus street lighting was the yellowish sodium lights. Now we live in a dark sky community as the base of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque. For one we don’t have street lights, and not only do we have to have all outdoor lighting facing down, but we can’t have shiny metal roofs. Metal roofs are okay, they just have to have a matte finish. Of course, there is a tramway that passes overhead to the crest and they don’t want everything right below shining up at those that are looking out over the city.
Nick I watch your content all the time. I am currently in decision paralysis about ceiling fans and lighting. I don't need ceiling fans with lights downstairs...but upstairs in the main bedroom and one of the other rooms I need a ceiling fan with a light. There are vaulted ceilings it gets sooooo hot even in the winter. A video on stylish ceiling fans would be oh so helpful. Thank you!!!
I need daylight bulbs in my place because I get no natural light! The warm yellow light looks awful with my pale gray walls. As a renter, the cool light helps my plants grow.
Hey Nick 👋🏻 How are you concealing the LED strips around your place? Did you float a piece of crown molding out from the wall? Under cabinets is easy - I totally get that - but in a big living room - how are you doing it? How are you hiding wires?
Another great video!! I especially liked your chatting about the color of the light itself. SO important. It should work with the colors in the room (fabrics, paint etc) as well as being flattering to skin tones. One issue I had to work with was, the color bouncing into our home from the exterior that I had no control over. We live in Colorado and the house is surrounded by ponderosa pine trees. The bounced a green color into ever room in the house. I made decisions to not fight this as it would make all the colors look muddy. I chose fabrics and paints based on that. Also, using exterior lighting indoors is also an option. While you can't do the reverse (indoor lights outside), there's nothing preventing you from using exterior fixtures inside. I have two exterior sconces in my living room and another fixture, from the same line, in my foyer. If you like it, use it.
Hey Nick! Great video! Would love to see one focused on outdoor lighting. Maybe also on how to design/ use your outdoor space in the cooler months. I feel like most people (me included) ignore their outdoor spaces once the summer ends.
@@Beehiveable I have the Ikea hermes pull out bed (it's my partner's which we kept while moving out), it has sides which are tall because it could be a day bed. we got tall hermes shelves for the bedside because a normal bedside table would be too low, and one would have to sit up and reach down to get anything which would be really inconvenient. 🤷🏻♀️ so I suppose Nick would tell you that the bedroom needs to be a practical and comfortable space and it would be as tall or short as you need it to be in regards to being in & out of bed.
This is advice I have been waiting for! I live in an open concept contemporary home, and lighting my space is a challenge. Thank you, Nick, for making this a little less daunting.
When I worked in a big fluoro-lit office a few years back, you had the 4th option in overhead lighting of pink toned light--not just the 3 options mentioned here of blue toned or yellow toned or daylight tone. (By pink, I mean a subtle imperceptible effect, not the party colours shown in this video.) A colleague who had worked in modelling and portrait photography insisted we get the pink option, as it is so much more flattering to every complexion, and makes blemishes and imperfections invisible. I observed these different lighting tones on people's faces, and what he said is is absolutely true. Yellow-toned light can also reduce blemishes, but it will make blue eyes look dull, and make teeth and eye-whites look more yellow. Blue is better for eye-whites and teeth but it will emphasis wrinkles, skin folds and circles under the eyes, so it has an ageing effect. I hated having to sit under a bluetoned overhead light at work, I knew it made my olive tones skin more greenish. Pink light is the best all-rounder for complexions by far, if you look closely many RU-vidrs , not just in the makeup and beauty business, seem to be using it . BTW I have found I can't rely on box descriptions of the light colour, i have to test them myself. I have never found any standard lights that actually say " pink" on the box. They usually say "warm", but that can mean either yellow or pink. ""daylight" toned light often turns out to be blue. If skin appearance is important to you , if you can't find pink toned light, I would choose a TRUE "daylight" wherever possible.
Do you have any specific products you recommend? This is interesting advice but I don't really know what I'm looking for, so some specificity might help as to what items/brands exist that carry this type of lighting.
@@lifeontheledgerlines8394 sorry I dont. It might have been a Phillips brand fluoro and the tubes came from an office supplies wholesaler. If you are after fluoros, you might contact a lighting/electrical wholesale store, whose staff are usually ex-tradespersons and who often know a lot more than regular retail staff. failing that you light get lucky with staff at a large hardware chain store. The "pink" option made a difference at work because the ceilings and walls were pure white and the furnishings and floors were grey- which meant that the background colour was already overly cool, casting ashgrey shadows If you are thinking of pink lights for your home, the effect would depend on your existing colour scheme. A personal colour consultant would advise you to choose a colour scheme throughout your home which blends with your skin tone for all-day flattery; so you then wouldnt have to think too much about the colour of your light globes! But too bad if you dont want pink tones everywhere in your decor LOL! Seriously though, if you have yellow in your scheme e,g. honey timber floors, then adding pink is going to give a slightly orange result. Green foliage reflecting green light through the windows will also alter the interior background colour, and tend to neutralise pink. Its like buying paint colours; i dont think there is any way to get around trying out lights in your own home light conditions, which are so different from anywhere else you might test them such as a store or lighting showroom. I have actually chosen cool lights for my home (surprise surprise) because the warmer globes I could find seemed to produce an overheated "sunset"effect in my cream colour scheme that i didnt like. good luck with your light shopping!
Outdoor lighting: yes, I agree that it is important for making you home more consistent. That said, I live in a large urban apartment building and most of the apartments have terraces (balconies...whatever) and there is a series of balconies that are outside our bedroom window. The lighting that some folks are using on their balconies is obnoxious bright white lights. I would have liked for you to have added that outdoor lighting should take into consideration your neighbor's windows. Yes, I do know about blackout shades but still.,,,
In an open concept town house how would one create consistent lighting on the ceiling with out over doing or making the ceiling lighting look tacky or what have you?
Ok so I'm not the only one checking continuously to see if Nick Lewis has posted... Also, drinking game idea: one shot every time NL says the words "ratan" or "jute."
I would suggest that people re-evaluate if they really need lots of outdoor lighting, it can be harmful to wildlife/birds especially during migration season, and increase light pollution in cities. I know it looks so lovely to light up your yard just to look out at it from inside your house but the consequences outweigh the benefit of it for me unless you're responsible about it and only use it when you need it!
The only time you should use a daylight temp bulb is DURING the daytime in an area that needs a boost of “natural” light. Some Wi-Fi lights can adjust like this automatically just like the blue light filter on your phone or computer monitor.
I am new subscriber!! Moving from California to Michigan in my 60s. I sold everything and I am starting from the very beginning. Some times I agree, some others not, but still feel like I do need your thoughts before big decisions. Thanks!!!!
I'm glad you discussed diffused light. This trend of fixtures with bare bulbs for me is not a good one. I find it so harsh and just not pretty. I am very sensitive to light and need diffuse light. Also being in a room where the room is mostly backlit, like from one window is quite harsh. Has anyone had to sit across from someone who has a window behind them and this is the primary source of light in the room, you just don't see them and it will eventually hurt your eyes.
I feel people are placing cool and bright lights in the bathroom, and sincerely, why do you want them? when you use the bathroom sometimes in the middle of the night and your eyes are in shock just turning on the switch... Do we realized that we need very very sweet lights especially in the bathroom and it's not even common to have them there.
Could there be different lighting temps for different layers of lighting? For example 4000K for the ceiling lights (because if the ceiling lights are on I'm wanting more light in the area) and 3000K lights for the floor and side lamps?
I use 3000K for ceiling lamps and 2700K for everything else (except for the closet and bathroom that have 4000K so I can see things properly). I really like this combo, it's warm without getting too yellow and it's easy on the eyes. 3000K looks great during daytime and 2700K looks best at night, and they're close enough that it works well at any time of the day. 4000K can be quite harsh.
Lighting design is something that should be paid attention to. When dad finally had softer lights installed in the corners of all the bedrooms in our house, it made a HUGE difference. I never used the main light in my room ever again. He also had lights installed underneath the overhead kitchen cabinets to illuminate the countertops and EVERYONE was always in the mood to cook afterwards.
While I agree with you absolutely on the importance of including outdoor lighting in your lighting plan, you have to keep in mind the issue of light pollution and the very real impact it has on us, our neighbors, and the environment at large. Strongly considering dark sky friendly outdoor fixtures is a good way to have the best of both worlds.
We just bought our first home and I've been binge watching all your videos. I love that you give reasons for why something may or may not look good or work.
As someone who has often had to use their bedroom as their workroom (I’m a tailor for a living) the most gamechanging thing I ever did for myself was put in a light that I can change the temp on. Helps me wake up in the morning (and helps when I really need to be able to see what I’m doing) then at sunset I can change it to warm!
Soft pink light is great for cocktail parties. Everybody looks amazing and the BBC place looks different and special. Not bright pink, soft pink. The one exception that proves Nicks warm white led rule.
@@mirabella2154 Why so angry? Everyone can contribute positively and negatively. Just because some people or companies have more power than others, doesn't mean everything else doesn't count. We all can help make the world a little better. Every bit counts.
@@mirabella2154 No she's absolutely right. Musk's satellites do disturb the night sky and are a problem for astronomers, but most light pollution comes from buildings and city lighting, which have a huge negative impact on plants, pollinators and other wild life. So her warning is totally warranted. And even if she were wrong there would be no reason to get salty about it.
@@lsamoa Then take out all your light bulbs and sit in the darkness. Or go live in a cave. You won't find light there. But stop telling other people what to do. It's none of your business.
Shouldn't the light in my closet be bright cool light (hospital vibes) to bring out all the colors in the clothes so I can make a better decision on what should I wear?
I’m feeling so personally attacked over the “daylight” bulbs hate. I have 75+ houseplants and only one south facing window so I put 5000K bulbs in *almost* all of my light fixtures lmao
In my house we don't go over 3000 kelvin except in the garage where 5000 is allowed. Most my bulbs are 3K but I have occasional 2700 where appropriate.
Great video, consider talking about light-pollution and light-trespass solutions. Caring for our nocturnal animals, access to dark skys, and sleeping neighbors can result in beautiful lighting solutions and health! US GBC LEED has the best standards for this.
I'm guessing you mean the LED light strips that comes in rolls? Yeah, you need light strips that has an opaque covering to diffuse the light. If not, you'd be able to see each individual bulb and that will look cheap.
Nick, I wanted to install LED lights beneath cabinets in kitchen and bath but there are no ready made “kits”. I am not hiring an electrician just for that.
Can you do a video for lighting in odd spaces that typically have no windows (laundry rooms, hallways, mudrooms etc.)? These spaces typically have the classic boob light yet, in my opinion, the boob light is hard to replace. For example, I have a hallway with no windows and a boob light ...I'm struggling with finding a light fixture that isn't too extravagant but also isn't boring like a flat led light. Help would be much appreciated, thanks!
Me watching this video: "Okay, I think I got it." Me immediately after watching this video: [Goes into otherwise dark kitchen and stares lovingly at the decorative little night-light.]
Thank you for your videos! Can we mix recessed lights and modern magnetic strip lights on the ceiling? Can you please guide if we want to use magnetic strip for accent or focus light along with recessed ambient light.
Hey Nick thanks for the video! Do you think you could do a video on how to design a room with carpet? A lot of designs that you look at online are all beautiful hardwoods and it seems like carpet gets forgotten about.
Diffused or not... LED and fluorescent are terrible. Not to mention, unhealthy, "Dirty Electricity". Halogen is borderline. Using a dimmer? It is still unhealthy. *I'm an artist, so forgive my ranting* ... Give back our *Thomas Edison* , incandescent lighting .
i struggle with my living room because i don’t have recess lighting and only floor lamps and it gets so dark! but i don’t want so many lamps in my living room. even though it’s big 18x12 i don’t want it to feel crazy with lamps
Yes thank you so much! I really want to improve the lighting in my home, but it can obviously be pretty costly the replace them all at once. The tip to unify the color of the light bulbs is such a great idea in the mean time to help elevate my space!
Late to the party but with questions - I love accent lighting in principle, eg subtle LED lighting, little lamps on shelves, etc but I don’t understand how to power it all. Do you have everything on batteries? Power cords snaking all over the place? Do you have to get electricians in to hardwire everything? If so do you add extra switches? Would love a short video on the practicalities of “ok but how do you actually do lighting” if you ever get the time!
I personally find LED lighting strips always look very commercial to me, even in the pics Nick shows here as examples where it’s done right. It looks like a shopping mall hair salon to me. (The exception I’ll grant is under the upper kitchen cabinets, where it serves as task lighting for the countertop below.)
I was thinking before you said about bright hospital lighting that “but I want my place to look as bright and white as a hospital” and yeah I do. Yellow low lighting makes me tired. It makes me want to be lazy. I have energy health problems and bright white light makes me feel more alert plus makes my white and silver decor even brighter whereas if there was yellow light everything would be dull. I also am in a basement which is a large space but only has two basement windows. The walls are a beach blue and I basically have all my lighting switched to bright white except for one light (that I can’t seem to get open) in my bathroom. I want it to be a very cool toned space and having yellow lighting just won’t make it what it should be. Might be too much for some people but I can’t function without it.
Very practical tips, thanks! What about daylight lighting in a home office? For me, I feel like a very warm light (even Edison bulbs) in a home office/studio is gonna make me fall asleep instead of working. But I definitely wouldn't want that stark cold hospital lighting. Do you have any tips on home offices in general maybe? 👓🙌
When we were staying at hilton hotel, the bathtoom had an led mirror with a warm temperature, i think it was 3000k. It was the most warming feeling. Ever since that day, ive been wanting to get a led mirrror.
Wonderful video! I tend to ignore these general advice kind of videos lately, as most of them seem to be so similar to each other. But this one has so many fresh ideas! I loved all of them. Nick, You are the best
I think an interior door video would be great! To paint them dark or light is my million dollar question. Thank you so much in advance if you’re able to!
Any ideas on how to add ambient light when you don't have overhead lighting and you don't have the ability to add that? I have lamps but they don't create enough lighting at times. Living room and bedrooms tend to get dark.
Thanks Nick...this video came at a perfect time for me. I've been thinking about adding outdoor lighting to my patio that is surrounded by trees and shrubs, for the reasons you stated here... but I'm having difficulty deciding on a quality brand of solar lighting. Do you have any recommendations?
Hey Nick! Quick question, would it be fine to club 2800 K and 3000 K (or 3500 K) lights, light fixtures usually look better in extra warm range but I would be sceptical about using the same range for ambient lights.
Tip on color temperatures: bluer/whiter light is what we're used to during the day, and softer/oranger light at night, so I really love "dim-to-warm" bulbs! These are LEDs that give daylight temps when turned on all the way (which makes sense when it's bright outside but you want some additional light, you'll probably have to turn it up all the way to make a difference) and get orangey when dimmed. There are app-controlled "multi-white" bulbs as well, but I really hate that interface in terms of convenience and accessibility, and esp for guests! Coincidentally, the "dim-to-warm" function mimics how incandescent bulbs behave when dimmed, which is why folks often prefer/miss them, even though they're so inefficient.
I argue manufacturers haven't figured out LED lighting strips. Manufacturers can do insane cheap, or insane color stuff, or insane expensive. For example, good luck going to Amazon and searchig LED light strips and get an honest answer for the color temperature.
Good information, Nick. I agree about dimmers, they are the easiest and least expensive way to make a difference. I use my pendants over my island on high beam for food preparation (task) then dim before guests arrive because everyone seems to want to congregate around the island upon arrival. We all want to look our best😉.
I have vision issues and do better with cooler light (AND am used to hospital light lol). But I am using warm light only because Nick said so. I know it looks better and makes me feel calmer.
Ok so this isn't really what you are talking about but I actually have leaned in to the warm and cool light....but the cool light is actually the night mode of my aquascape in my dining room and is deep blue. I noticed in the evening when it is on it creates this beautiful gradient across the room as it meets the very warm light in my living room. So I found art pieces and furniature that kinda enhance the effect with different textures. It makes the space feel very sultry, I love sitting in there listening to the tinkling of the water from the aquascape and watching the blue, pinkish and soft warm light play across the room.
