The Best Cozy Lighting Options for the Colder Months

As soon as the weather hits below 70 degrees, it's officially cozy season. There are many ways to add cozy vibes to your home. One of the more overlooked options is through the use of cozy lighting. Strategic use of light fixtures can help you create a warm and inviting space for the colder months. Start here on your journey to create a cozy household. 

• Warm light bulbs. Without beating a dead horse, light bulb temperature is so so important in every home. Lighting Design recommends light bulb temperatures at either 2700K or 3000K for optimal home lighting. For even warmer light, you can select a 2000K or 2500K bulb. We typically don't recommend this as it can warp the colors in your home. However, one or two of these color bulbs selectively placed won't hurt and can provide a nice warm glow in the Winter months.
• Lamps. Table lamps, floor lamps, desk lamps, and more! Lamps are the staple to any cozy lighting. They are the perfect lighting option to use in a room. With lamps, you can choose to use them as your only source of lighting. This results in a dim and inviting environment by not blasting you or guests with bright and uncomfy lights. It can also help reduce glare as you curl up in a blanket to watch your favorite show.
• Shaded light fixtures. Light fixtures with shades can also help bring cozy inside your home this Winter. Shades on lights help to diffuse and spread the light so that you aren't poked in the eye when you approach a room or light. You can get any type of lighting with a shade. Think shaded chandeliers, sconces with shades, pendants with shades, and more. Of course you can always choose a light with a glass shade. These can be great selections if you need more light in a room or don't want to cut into your line of sight with your lights. For a more intimate lighting feeling, select fabric (such as linen, cotton, etc.) shades for your lights. 
• The three layers of interior lighting. The layers of interior lighting is probably one of the most important lighting concepts. Implementing it in your home can give you the ultimate comfort lighting. For a full breakdown of the three layers of interior lighting visit our blog on it. For now, here are the basics. There is ambient (think can lights), task (think pendants or chandeliers), and accent lighting (i.e. undercabinet lighting). Try to use each of these types of lighting in every main room, such as a living room, bedroom, or kitchen.  This way, you can have (1) a fully lit room and (2) light options. Using one layer of lighting at a time is a great way to provide cozy lighting in the colder winter months.
• Dimmable lighting. This tip is exactly what it sounds like! Lighting that is dimmable. You'll find that there are many dimmable lighting options available. Just be sure to check if a light is dimmable in the description. From there, you'll want to select bulbs that are also dimmable. And finally, you'll want to know how you will dim the light. Does the light have the dimmer attached to it? Or will it be used through a dimming wall control? Once you figure all those details out, having dimmable lighting can provide homey lighting by offering several (typically three) amounts of lighting to give off.

Are you going to try any of these lighting tips for the cold Winter months?