Ah, 'let there be light.' Although light is the thing needed to see, when it comes to home planning and décor, it is often overlooked or at best, a small portion of your building or renovation budget. Light gives us the ability to see, from the moment we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night. In this article, we'll explore what you should focus on when planning the lighting needs of your home.

Planning the lighting for your home can run the gamut from simply deciding to purchase a new reading lamp to completely redesigning the lighting plan for your entire home and yard. Different types of lighting can create different moods, add beauty to your home, and of course help you navigate your rooms without bumping into the furniture. Simple light changes can be a very cost effective way to update, change the style of, or remodel your home.

As with all basic planning, it never hurts to understand the fundamentals that you should know and consider for your upcoming project. It's best not to be 'in the dark' about budgeting and style, so you get the most value for your investment of time and money.

When planning your lighting here are the first things you need to think about:

1. Budget - Establish a budget and know what lighting will cost, there's so much to chose from and you could get carried away…there can be too much of a good thing.

2. Style – Lighting should reflect the style and taste of your home. What decor makes you the most comfortable? A great idea is to look through magazines and find pictures of rooms that appeal to you. It's always a helpful idea to have color chips and/or fabric samples with you before making that final lighting decision.

3. Space - Know what the area is used for because different lighting is needed for different tasks. Is the space used for food preparation, reading, doing homework, dining, entertaining, or just passing through from one area to another area? It's more than likely you'll need to light the space for a variety of uses. One size – or light – does not fit all.

4. Electrical Outlet - Know where the outlets and electrical boxes are located. As rewiring can be expensive, it's important to know where your electricity is placed. If this is a new home or major remodel, it's even more important to plan for convenience now, rather than later.

5. Size – How big is the space you need to light? It's critical that you know the height of your ceilings if you plan for a chandelier and lighting a mirrored bathroom will be significantly different than a dining room.

6. Sun - Natural light plays a large role in the type of lighting you need, so it's equally important to understand what sunlight you get and how it might change throughout the day into night and throughout the year as the sun moves. Look at where the windows are and how much light they let in; also pay attention to large plants or trees that may partially block the sun's natural rays.

When planning your ceiling lights, you should know that there are two basic types of ceiling lamps, either they are flush or hanging. Hanging lights feature cords, bars, or chains between the lamp and the ceiling. Flush lamps touch the ceiling directly. With many types of ceiling lamps to chose from, you get to decide between pendants, chandeliers, lighted ceiling fans, track lighting, and pot lights. Here's a brief description so you'll know the difference:

• Pot lights are round and usually have metal trim. They are recessed or pushed up into the ceiling so that the base is flush with the ceiling.

• Track lighting systems are ceiling lamps fit onto metal tracking that is flush to the ceiling. Although often basic in style, track lighting offers an excellent choice for all kinds of work spaces. Track lighting is very useful in situations where traditional lighting may be problematic; lighting a piece of artwork or prominent design element would be a good example.

• Island lights are hanging ceiling fixtures that feature several lamps connected to one main section. They usually emit quite a bit of light and are used over work stations or kitchen islands where food is prepared.

• Lighted ceiling fans combines light and air circulation and are very popular in warm climates.

• Chandeliers are a classic and elegant type of ceiling lamp. Some chandeliers feature many crystal drops on elaborately curved metal pieces. Victorian style chandeliers have detailed metalwork and big glass globes as part of the design, while more modern styles of chandeliers tend to have much less detail.

• Ceiling pendant lamps are hanging lights that feature the lamp section lower down on metal bars or chains.

While this is only a start in all the choices you have for lighting, it should give you a head start so you can make 'light' of your home project and decide what's the best solution for ceiling lights that best fits your décor and style and within your budget.