Seeking Opinions on Floor Plan and Lighting Design
Hi everyone,
Would you mind taking a look at my recently updated floor plan? It’s a gut renovation of a 1945 Cape house and I’d love get thoughts from this wonderful group. We poured a new 9’8″ foundation for the basement so planning to utilize that space.
We are a family with a 1 month old, and expect lots of visitors post pandemic. It will mostly be a summer house but will go there for holidays as well.
Right now I’m a little confused about the “difference” between the living areas on the first floor…there’s a thought to divide the larger living room into a bedroom when / if my parents would like to have first floor living but they aren’t ready for that — they have a house across the street.
One other question is about lighting. Do you all recommend I pay someone to create a lighting plan or just work with my electrician.
Thanks in advance.
It is located in Chatham, MA. Zone 7b, climate classification: Dfb.
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Replies
I'm not so clear on the first part of your question, but I am curious to know what you are looking for in terms of lighting. What are your priorities? I ask because I know a lighting designer (David Warfel), who might have some ideas to share, if you can better explain what you want to achieve.
Hi Kiley,
Part of the problem in doing this for the first time is not having an exact answer to your question. 2 of the bathrooms won't have natural light so I'm trying to find a way to make those bathrooms feel as bright and airy as possible.
And then I have questions on recessed lighting (do I need it in bedrooms), size of the lights, and some creative things to make the house feel more like home. There's also a cathedral ceiling, so i'd like to figure out what makes sense for that.
My main goal is to not make any big mistakes with the lighting on this first large scale renovation project. So would be happy to connect with David.
Thank you!
Recessed lights come with some penalties that you should be aware of (see: Rethinking Recessed Lighting). Surface-mounted LED lights are generally a better way to go. I know David would agree. Take note of the “Related Articles” box in that article—there are a number of posts that will help inform your lighting decisions. David is also a big proponent of LED strip lighting, which I have seen him use to great effect—it can help create that homey feeling you are after. You can read about his approach here: LEDs Offer Flexibility for Home Lighting Design . And, because it sounds like your parents factor into your long-term plans, you might find this story I worked on with David interesting too: Lighting for the Long Term: A Detailed Illustration of Ideal Kitchen Lighting.
For the usage[ guests etc] maybe more kitchen counter and storage