Light can paint your home in an altogether new light – quite literally! Warm, ambient lights can make your home look inviting and cosy, whereas poor lighting can take away all the charm from even the best-decorated homes!
Currently, there are tons of options available in the market when it comes to lighting up your home; there are an equal number of lighting fixtures and accessories. Using these, you can bathe your home in a soft, warm glow like that of the sunshine or set up a mood lighting system that changes colours with how you feel! While most of these are direct lighting options, you may have also come across indirect lighting systems, such as cove lighting. Here’s taking a look at everything you need to know about it.
What is Cove Lighting? How Does It Work?
Cove light detail is a unique form of lighting that highlights the ceiling, accent walls, or other features of your home. It makes use of a series of fixtures that are concealed behind coves, recesses, niches, crown mouldings, or valances. They project light onto the wall or the ceiling, which reflects this light downwards. The resulting illumination is in the form of a soft, diffused light that accentuates the aesthetic of your home. You may have even seen cove lighting in commercial settings like malls, art galleries, or museums.
Cove lights are typically used in tandem with other traditional lighting solutions.
Where Can You Use Cove Lighting Detail in Your Home?
Given its beauty in simplicity, cove lighting systems can be installed across various locations of your home. Some common locations include:
Living room
Since living rooms are often at the receiving end of elaborate decorations, there are several ways in which you can incorporate cove lightings here. Pair a chandelier with a cove light ceiling and boom! You get an enviable living room enveloped in soft, ambient light. Alternatively, you can use it to illuminate the accent wall or the gallery wall for an exotic look and feel.
Stairway or Foyer
Given the welcoming nature of the cove lights, it makes perfect sense to light up the stairway or the foyer. Your guests are going to be wowed the moment they take a step into your home! Apart from the aesthetics, it also takes on a functional role in this application as it can highlight each stair or the railing and make the passageway well-lit and easy to navigate.
Kitchen and Dining Area
While it was rather unusual to have cove light details in the kitchen, the trend is soon catching up. Once again, it is due to the fact that it combines form with function. Items like shelves and cabinets may block the traditional light coming from the ceiling. Cove lights can overcome this issue by detailing the countertops and dining tables, making the place even more inviting.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are the classic locations for cove light ceilings. Whether you wish to make your bed the focal point of the room or set aside some spotlights for the reading nook in the bay window – you can do it all using cove lights.
Bathroom
Much like kitchens, bathrooms may also have areas competing for light. Against this background, cove light details wash the entire space in uniform light and make the area appear well-lit and intimate. They can be used for detailing the counter, lighting up the ceiling, or even backlighting the mirror!
What Is the Best Light for Cove Lighting?
Cove lighting systems may utilise different types of lights depending on your preferences. Some common options include:
- LED: LEDs are immensely popular as they are highly luminous and energy-efficient. They come in various colours and last a good long while, which adds to their utility. Even though they may be expensive, they are worth the investment.
- Fluorescent: Fluorescent lights are energy-efficient and affordable. They produce a harsh light and since they come in different shapes, it is easy to incorporate them into different cove light details.
- Tungsten: While tungsten lights are not energy-efficient, they are pretty affordable. Plus, they emit a warm, yellow light that is almost natural-looking and adds to the old-school charm.
- Rope light: Rope lighting fixtures are inexpensive and pretty versatile when it comes to cove light detailing. From cove light ceilings to staircase bannisters, they can light them in a soft glow.
- Low voltage linear lights: These are more typically used for illuminating accent or gallery walls. They feature movable lights that you can manipulate to get the desired look.
Congrats! You now know all that there is about cove lighting and how to use it to beautify your home. However, putting this knowledge to practical use can be tough. Plus, cove lighting is a lot more than just lights, it is about getting the architecture right, building coves, installing crowns – and more. Get in touch with a HomeLane expert and they will design the perfect cove lighting solution for your home!
