Best House Floor Plans

Is it possible to evoke a feeling with home lighting design?

Whether it’s stunning or bland, home lighting designs influence the ambiance, stage the setting and inspire the mood. Have you ever noticed how a dark, dreary room makes you feel tired or how bright and airy spaces have a way of lifting the mood? This week, we’ll review three lighting techniques to engage the senses, and polarize visual appeal.

Introduce an element of drama

The living room, library and even the bedroom are spaces to introduce an element of dramatic lighting. With accent lighting, the contrast of surrounding light conjures a visual illumination, accentuating the room’s depth and texture. Accent lighting is effective for highlighting a specific piece of furniture. Due to its high contrast, it has a tendency dictate a space’s ambiance.

Home lighting design tip: Select accent lighting a minimum of three times the brightness of the contiguous space with a contrast ratio of 5:1.

Inspire comfort and warmth
Not all light fixtures evoke the same moods. Shadows, focal points and aesthetic iridescences present warming effects. For instance, the decorative pendant light serves multiple purposes. Both aesthetic and functional, the pendant light casts shadows of intimacy above the sofa as well as over the bistro fashioned table.

Home lighting design tip: For the best placement, the pendant light should be adjusted 30” – 35” above it’s focal point or the feature presentation (furniture, art work, etc).
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Which features are important facets of the accessible floor plan or conducive for the physically-challenged?

Accessible floor plans are not an innovative concept in the home design arena. The term, “accessible floor plan” is interchangeable with “universal design. Originated subsequent to World War II, veterans, returning home with an injury, renovated their homes to accommodate their disability.

Long after residing in a home for years, it is quite common for homeowners to modify their domiciles with an accessible floor plan. As 35 percent of the population approaches retirement, the accessible floor plan will emerge as a popular choice. Nevertheless, these handicap-friendly home designs are quite conducive for anyone and deemed intelligent architecture for diverse abilities.

Use these specifications to help you find an accessible floor plan:

Focus on floor plan with expansive entryways and rooms.
Consider each space’s functional attributes: Approachability (How easy is it to navigate from room-to-room?), purpose (What is the purpose of the room to sleep, shower entertain?), and the accessibility (Are the utilitarian qualities reachable, such as the closet doors, door knobs, outlets, etc.?)

Think in terms of accident prevention.
Accessible floor plans reduce the chances of having an accident, as well as the adverse outcome of any potential hazards. For instance, a low-pile carpet, not only prevents falls; but, is suitable for individuals who use a wheelchair or walker for mobility. No slip tile is another way to prevent accidents from happening around the home.

Ease reach and accessibility
To simplify the accessibility for opening drawers, cabinets, replace knobs with levers. Also, higher mounted electric outlets, coupled with lower placed light switches minimize the strain of adjusting lighting and plugging in electrical items. For the best accessibility in the kitchen, opt for cooking appliances with front-mounted controls.

Easing day-to-day mobility, functionality and assuring unobstructed navigation are the primary requirements of the ultra-accessible floor plan.