The rule of 3’s. They’re the triple threat of lighting design. Three types of lighting: ambient, task and accent. Three levels of design: top, middle & bottom. For today’s blog post I’ve put together a quick reference guide on what the different layers are, along with a few tips on how to use them to pull your space together.

Three Layers of Light: Ambient, Task & Accent

this interactive picture that shows the dramatic difference in a kitchen after under cabinet lights were added. (That’s next on my project list!)

3. Accent lights add depth & dimension and showcase individual items or areas. A favorite painting or photograph displayed under a picture light on the wall is a popular way to accent with lighting. One of my favorite examples of decorative outdoor accent lighting are Annie’s original post to see if you’re right.]

Three Layers of Design: Top, Middle & Bottom

If, like many Des Moines homeowners, you’re considering sprucing up or renovating your kitchen, you should absolutely consider a carefully mapped out lighting strategy. This sounds strange to many people, as light is considered to be a foregone conclusion when designing a space; this couldn’t be further from the truth, as properly utilized light is necessary to get the most out of any kitchen. Today, our electricians will share some basic strategies for improving your kitchen’s lighting.

To get a grasp on what it takes to best lay out your kitchen’s lighting, it is important to understand how a kitchen relates to the three main types of lighting available through natural and house wiring: Ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting.

The easiest to understand and utilize is ambient lighting, which is essentially just lighting designed to help us see and navigate inside of a room. Ambient lighting often comes from other rooms, widely dispersed lamps, grid-style can lighting, or natural light streaming in from windows or semi-translucent skylights. This lighting should used to create a generally visible room without any other sources of light on; think of ambient lighting as your basecoat layer of lighting, ideal for illuminating the room, but not great for a highly specific task.

Just as it implies, task lighting is ideal for illuminating a given task; for a kitchen, task lighting is perhaps the most important to properly plan out and execute. If your kitchen features nothing but recessed can lighting, then you will sorely miss the absent task lighting whenever prepping, cooking, or cleaning your kitchen. Lighting a single direction alone, such as the ceiling, will do a very poor job at illuminating spaces under cabinets, in sinks, or on the floor; additionally, one-dimensional lighting creates unsightly shadows and can cheapen the effect of your space. Having specifically utilized pendant lighting over an island or under-cabinet lighting for your countertops can make all the difference in the way your kitchen is used and displayed.

While accent lighting may seem to be the least necessary of all lighting types, as it provides little functional lighting in terms of ambient or task lighting, it can make the largest difference in the display of your kitchen. If you’re hoping to improve the look of your kitchen with an electrician alone or from an entire renovation, then you should put plenty of thought into your accent lighting. For instance: Task lighting under your cabinets can provide vital under-counter illumination, highlight your beautiful green glass tile backsplash, or both, depending on the electrician doing the installation.

Whether you’re concerned about your cavelike kitchen or planning an upcoming renovation, be sure to contact Des Moines’ trusted local electricians at Electrical Gurus today; we have the skills and experience necessary to transform your house’s wiring into the best possible lighting for your home’s kitchen.

Get in touch with our Des Moines electricians today!

Smart technology is poised to take over the home appliance market. We already have smart thermostats, smart lighting and even smart refrigerators. If that's not enough for you, there are some new contenders on the market that allow you to turn any electrical device in the home into a smart item. The best part is that it's a simple DIY experience – no need to find an electrician to hook it up. It’s the smart plug, a small box that you plug into your home's outlets. From there, you can use your smart phone to control whatever light, television or other electronic appliance routed through the smart plug. Read on to learn more about these remarkable efficiency devices.

Control and Monitor Your Electronics

There are a variety of smart plug options on the market: The Satechi IQ Plug, the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, the D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug and the Valta Starter Kit, among others. The cost and functionality of the different brands vary, but they all operate on a similar principle – allowing you to set schedules and remotely control whatever device you choose.

The smart plugs connect to your phone via Bluetooth or wireless Internet, so you can switch them on or off from anywhere in the home – or even from the other side of the country if you have an internet-optimized model. You can also program schedules so the plug automatically activates an appliance at appointed times – turning a coffee maker on first thing in the morning, for example, or switching on a space heater before you go to bed in a chilly part of the house.

Retro Meets Modern

The upshot is that there's no need to wait for cutting-edge smart devices to come out to keep your home on the cutting edge of technology. Imagine impressing your neighbor by demonstrating the new smart functionality of a retro 1950s television, or your old Victrola vinyl player.

Smart plugs also monitor how much electricity a given device uses and when, so you can make informed choices about increasing your energy efficiency though disaggregation, breaking it down appliance by appliance. You can also save energy by using the smart plug to turn off the power to devices when you aren't actively using them, preventing your electricity bills from skyrocketing due to always-on settings or “energy vampires.”

Savings and Control All at Once

If you have additional questions about smart plugs and how they work, find an electrician who can show you their utility and functionality. With surprisingly little effort, you can harness their power to save energy and control devices all throughout your home.

If you are living in an older house, you may notice some outlets do not work all the time. You may experience the problem of when you plug things in; the plug is loose and falls out easily. Another common occurrence is a black mark on one side of the outlet. All of these problems are indicators you need a Beverly Hill electrician to come out and take a look.

There are several reasons why an outlet may not be working properly. Typically, it can be attributed to loose wires disturbing the connection. It could also be due to rodents using the wires as chew toys. In any case, loose wires and a faulty electrical outlet are a serious safety hazard. Those wires are a fire waiting to happen. In most cases, all that is needed to remedy the problem is a replacement of the outlet. This is a job you can do on your own if you have knowledge about working with electricity. You will need to make sure you cut the power to that outlet before even attempting any work.

If you are not sure how to check for loose wires, you are not alone. This is a job an electrician in Beverly Hills can certainly help you with. There is no need for you to mess around with electric wiring if you are uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the basics. The electrician will check the outlet for power with a volt meter. From there, the electrician will pull outlet away from the wall and check the wiring. In some cases, especially with older homes, it is a good idea to have an electrical inspection completed to check for other wiring issues that could potentially be dangerous fire hazards.

If the electrician determines it is simply a case of loose wiring, it is an easy fix and you get peace of mind. Call The Electric Connection in Beverly Hills to arrange an appointment.