Lighting Effects for the Home

There are more benefits to room lighting than meets the eye

by: Lisa Parelli-Monaghan

Lighting effects improve the look of a home. When you think about the activities that occur in each room, it’s easy to imagine why they benefit from distinct lighting arrangements. Gone are the days of simply turning on the light in the middle of the room. Today, lighting is placed all around the room for a variety of reasons and effects, not just to see more clearly. Lighting creates ambience and sets the mood for a room…let’s all agree…it is fun to play with and can go as far as your own imagination takes you.

1The obvious – lighting makes it easier to see everything in a room by utilizing both general and task lighting. General lighting is for the entire room or a particular section (i.e. downlights); task lighting is for a specific use in a smaller area (i.e kitchen countertops or a desk). As an example, Pendent lighting is a popular task lighting source. It is a way to highlight a section of a room, such as an eating area while adding a decorative touch.

2Lighting can change the mood of an entire room -- or just a corner. By utilizing color and placement, lighting can reflect a specific personality or help set the tone of a special event or party in the home. In a home theater setting, LED lighting can be adjusted at the touch of a button to match the “mood” of the movie.

3Lighting can emotionally “brighten” a room. A well-lit room can make occupants feel better and more energetic. In fact, lighting therapy is known to help fight depression and physical ailments caused by emotional stress. As an example, Chandeliers create a bright light source from a central point in the ceiling. These fixtures also serve decorating needs in bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, family rooms and foyers.

4Not only can lighting be used to highlight art, it can be art. LED tape behind a wall ornament makes it come alive and pulls it from the wall; colored lights overlapping at angles and directed to a section of wall creates an artsy feel; lighting can also be installed within an alcove and directed downward across an entire wall, changing colors to coincide with time of day.

Lighting effects make it easy to appreciate other home décor effects in any room. If you aren’t sure what lighting arrangements will work in your home, hire a certified remodeler or designer to recommend lighting arrangements.

What is your name and the name of your business? I’m Sarah Kaushik and my home bakery is called Love & Lou Bakery.

How long have you been in business? I officially launched Love & Lou in 2020 but I have been a long time home baker. Sharing baked treats with neighborhood friends brings me so much joy, and thanks to their encouragement I made the jump into offering those treats for purchase.

Tell us about your business. Love & Lou primarily focuses on selling French macarons, not to be confused with the also delightful coconut macaroons. During the holidays, I offer a seasonal selection of macarons. This year’s box will have: candy cane, toasted sugar and vanilla with dark chocolate filling. Most of my business comes from word of mouth, Instagram (@ loveandloubakery), and special orders for baby showers, birthday parties and other events. I’m hoping to offer a monthly flavor on a regular basis in 2022!

What inspired you to do what you do? Baking is a source of so much joy and contentment for me. I love the precision and chemistry involved in getting macarons just right. And even more than the process itself, I love sharing my baking with others. I know how it makes me feel to have a fresh baked treat, and being able to give that to someone else is just the best. Macarons in particular are well known for being challenging to bake at home. When I was able to consistently bake them successfully and started sharing them with friends, it felt like an extra special treat. I started Love & Lou to focus my love of baking, and it’s a great feeling to be a small part of people’s celebrations. Tells us a favorite story or two about your business. One of my favorite orders was for a virtual baby shower in 2020. The hostess had a Paris theme, I boxed up 30 mini cubes with pairs of blue and white macarons that she put into virtual party packs she then delivered to everyone attending via Zoom. The momto-be reached out after and said she was so happy to feel connected to her family and friends when they had a toast and macarons together virtually.

photos courtesy of Sarah Kaushik

How long have you lived in Canyon Creek? Our family moved to Canyon Creek in the summer of 2016.

What brought you to Canyon Creek? When our twins were toddlers and in a phase when they would only nap in the car I spent a lot of time driving around North Dallas and Richardson. I kept finding myself driving past Prairie Creek Park. We were living in Far North Dallas when we found out we were

expecting our third baby and we knew we wanted more space. I knew where I wanted to look first. The house we ended up buying happened to be on a street with two other sets of twins, one set, Cammy & Cade, are the same age as ours!

What do you love most about living in Canyon Creek? The sense of community here is truly unique. Our street is full of neighbors who are also close friends, Halloween is epic, and people are always out enjoying the park. I love that our kids can walk home from school, and explore the creek with their friends.

Tell us about your family. My husband is Samir, he is a Partner at Jones Day. We recently celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. We have 3 kids. Deven and Reena are 9 and are in 4th grade at Prairie Creek Elementary. Elena is almost 5 and in her last year of preschool at the Northaven Cooperative Preschool. We also have 2 dogs. Max, our covid pet, and Elvis our elderly beagle.

Share with us a funny or awesome story of living in Canyon Creek. Our house sits on a hill. During snowmageddon in February at breakfast we would hear neighborhood kids sledding in our front yard. It was really fun because it was the signal to our kids that it was time to go play in the snow. The adults got to get out of the house and see our neighbors and check in with them, while we all watched our kids sledding. We ended up getting creative trying out different non-sledding items on the hill like cardboard, storage box lids, and pool floats.

Anything else you’d love for your neighbors to know about your business or you? Love & Lou’s best seller is macarons, but I’m always tinkering with cookie recipes. I really enjoy working with customers to find what fits their needs. But at heart, I just really love to bake what I think sounds delicious. After watching Ted Lasso I had to make his famous biscuits, if I can track down those tiny pink boxes I might have to make them a regular item for sale!

photo courtesy of Stephanie Marchant Portraits