What You Need to Know about Walk-In Closet Lighting
Getting a walk-in closet, no matter if you’re a man or woman, can be a really exciting prospect. It means you’ve been able to earn enough money to buy a big enough house that you have the luxury of a room just for clothes, regardless of whether you use it entirely for your wardrobe or not. No matter if you’ll be putting shirts, shoes and sweaters in there or having your walk-in closet double as a storage space, getting the right lighting in there is key. Not only does it help illuminate what’s already in there, but it also gives you the truest sense of space and dimensions you’re working with.
Think Safety First
This may seem like a silly point to you, but the type of lighting you use makes a big difference in terms of safety. You’re storing highly flammable items in there, and you want to make sure you’ll have a light that doesn’t get too hot or too close to the clothing. Because of this, incandescent lighting is definitely out (and it’s not particularly flattering, either). But if you don’t feel like remodeling and want to keep the incandescent light that already exists in there, make these important modifications:
If you need any incentive to redo the incandescent lighting in your closet, keep this phrase in your mind: building codes. Cities and towns are very picky about the kind of lighting that can be in walk-in closets for safety issues, so check with your council to find out what’s kosher and what’s not.
Consider Fluorescent Lighting
Most people, when they think of fluorescent lighting, imagine tacky, harsh, grating lighting that only highlights flaws and flatters nothing, but that’s not always the case. When contractors build walk-in closets today, they tend to hardwire them for fluorescent bulbs because they don’t give off a lot of heat and are very kind to your energy bill. Pro tip: if you have fixtures built for incandescent lights, just use compact fluorescent bulbs.
To achieve a pleasant, flattering look, position the fluorescent lights strategically. Use filters over the bulbs to lessen the harshness of its glow, install lights on side walls, and use track lighting to fine-tune where the bulbs show their light and where they don’t.
Try out a Dimmer Switch
After the bathroom, your walk-in closet is usually the second place you visit right after you wake up, and opening the door to a room blasting with light can uncomfortably yank you into the day, as opposed to gently coaxing you into it. But what if you had a dimmer switch that allowed you to minutely control the degree of lighting? You’d be able to let your eyes slowly adjust to the level of light, putting you in a better frame of mind to choose your clothes for the day.
It doesn’t take much work at all to install a dimmer light, especially if you call one of our contractors. After that, the only thing you have to remember is to buy bulbs that specifically work with dimmer light fixtures, and then you’re good to go. Make sure to put the switch outside the closet so you don’t accidentally leave it on inside, spiking your energy bill and shortening the lifespan of your bulbs.