If you’re planning a self-build or renovation, lighting probably isn’t the thing keeping you awake at night. It’s more likely to be worries about the structure, budget, planning permission, building control, windows, and the list goes on. Lighting often feels like something you’ll “sort out later.” And that’s exactly why so many beautiful homes end up with disappointing lighting.
After 25 years designing residential lighting, I see the same mistakes again and again, from smart people with sensible budgets and great architects. But the lighting still gets compromised. Here are the most common mistakes I see, and how to avoid them.
- Leaving Lighting Until It’s Too Late (That’s at First Fix)
This is the big one. The first fix electrics go in. The cables are run. Downlight holes are marked in the ceiling. Then someone says, “Have we really designed the lighting?” At that point, your flexibility has already shrunk. Circuit layout drives control and control drives atmosphere. If the circuits aren’t defined properly before first fix, you’re boxed in.
Avoid It
Lighting design should happen alongside your all the other planning – not after.
Before the cables are installed, you need:
- Circuit separation
- Defined zones
- Dimming strategy
- Driver locations
- Wall light heights
Once your plasterboard is up, regret gets expensive.
- Assuming More Downlights = Better Lighting
Rows of evenly spaced downlights look fabulously neat and ordered on a plan. In reality, they can create glare, shadows, and a flat, office-like feel. I sometimes call it the “grid of doom”! Homes are not supermarkets – they need depth and subtlety.
Avoid It
Use downlights strategically, not automatically. And balance them out with:
- Other ambient (general) lighting, like decorative lighting
- Task lighting
- Accent lighting
Layering light creates interest. Grids create blandness.
- Not Thinking About How the Room Feels at Night
Most lighting decisions are made during the day on bright white paper, under site lighting, or with natural light flooding in through the openings. That might be a great representation of your home at midday in July (when you don’t tend to need the lights on). That doesn’t help you at 8pm in November. UK winters are long and dark and so artificial lighting needs to carry both practical and emotional weight.
Avoid It
Design for evenings. Ask yourself:
- What will I be doing in here?
- What will I want to look at?
- How do I want this space to feel?
- Where do I need softness?
- Where do I need brightness?
Good lighting supports mood as much as function.
- Putting Everything on One Circuit
You walk into your kitchen and one switch controls:
- The Downlights
- The Island pendants
- The under-cabinet lighting
So, it’s either all on or all off. There is no nuance and no chance of creating mood and atmosphere. This isn’t an installation problem – it’s a planning problem.
Avoid It
Separate circuits by function, for example:
- Ambient lighting
- Task lighting
- Accent lighting
- Decorative lighting
Zoning brings flexibility and flexibility gives atmosphere.
- Treating Lighting as Decoration, Not as Infrastructure
Lighting is not the finishing touch – it’s a major part of the infrastructure. It intersects with so many things including:
- Plumbing routes
- Ceiling depths and heights
- Joist location
- A/C & MVHR equipment
When it’s treated as “we’ll pick fittings later,” it never gets the attention it deserves. And you end up trying to create atmosphere using decorative lighting alone. That’s like trying to heat a house with candles.
Avoid It
- Design the structure first and choose fittings second.
- The wiring and planning do the heavy lifting, and the pretty bits enhance it.
Why These Mistakes Keep Happening
Because lighting sits between disciplines.
- Architects draw the space.
- Interior designers choose finishes.
- Electricians install the wiring.
But unless someone takes ownership of the lighting strategy, it becomes fragmented and fragmented lighting rarely feels intentional.
If You Want to Avoid These Mistakes…
… And a whole load of others, I’ve put together a free guide “20 Biggest Lighting Mistakes Made by Self-Builders and Homeowners.” It will help you spot potential problems before they’re wired into your ceilings, walls, and floors. Because lighting isn’t something you notice when it’s done well. Because when it isn’t you’ll feel it – every – single – evening.
Download the guide now, before your first fix electrics begin. Your future self (sitting in a beautifully lit living room on a dark January evening) will thank you…
