Studies show that art hasn’t just helped shape society. It can also help shape the human mind. Experiencing art decreases stress, helps us process emotion, and triggers contemplation. 

Displaying your favorite art in your Olivenhain home is a great choice, but you will need to choose the right artwork lighting to make it stand out. Allow us to go over how you can make the right choice and display both your 2D and 3D pieces the correct way. 

General Lighting Tips 

Regardless of what type of artwork you’re trying to display in your Olivenhain home, avoid placing it in direct sunlight at all costs. UV rays can prove harmful to paint, stone, plastic, and other materials. It can cause fading and subdue both the color and quality of your artwork. 

Types of Lighting 

Heat damage can also come from artificial lighting. Fluorescent lighting specifically has a lot of UV energy that will fade and distort your work almost as quickly as sunlight will. Incandescent lights also give off too much warm light and are inefficient as well. 

Instead, consider LEDs that give off very little UV radiation or heat while retaining a long lifespan. Halogen bulbs are also a great choice for those looking to cast cool light. They have higher heat levels but are not going to harm your pieces from a few feet away. 

Warm vs. Cool Lighting 

Warm lighting is softer than cool lighting. It has a yellow-orange glow and showcases art in a cozy and inviting way. It’s relaxing, making it the perfect choice for organic artwork, classical-style statues, or vintage pieces. 

Cool lighting has a blue-white feel and is bold and bright. It gives off an energetic and focused feel so that those who gaze upon it feel invigorated. It’s great for contemporary artwork, metal art, and paintings or sculptures with sharp edges and lines. 

You can display your artwork to greater effect when you choose between warm and cool lighting the right way. Note that you can have warm LEDs for some displays and cool halogen bulbs for others. Mixing and matching is a great way to bring out the best qualities in all your favorite pieces and really make them stand out in your Olivenhain home. 

Paintings and Photographs 

Picture lighting is the most specialized artistic lighting type. It sits directly above any wall-mounted piece. This can be a painting, a photograph, or a sketch. 

These lamps are small and covered. They’re angled down slightly so that they can show off the artwork in the best possible light. 

If you have a lot of wall-mounted artwork in one location, you also may be interested in wall washers. These sit directly at the top or bottom of a wall to flood the entire thing with light. They give off a museum vibe and invoke the feeling of an art gallery. 

All wall-mounted lighting can be covered with metal to integrate it into the wall seamlessly. Metal coverings also work to direct light toward your 2D artwork to keep it the focal point of the room. People’s eyes won’t go to the bright lights but instead to the illuminated wall art. 

3D Artwork Lighting 

Picture lighting is not ideal for 3D artwork because it will not illuminate a statue, porcelain bowl, clay figure, or bust. It would cast a sheen on the top of the work and not much more. 

Before determining how to illuminate your 3D art, you need to choose an appropriate location for display. 

Alcoves are usually the best choice because they allow light to bounce around perfectly. They look professional and beautiful. Your art will look as though it is in a gallery. 

However, many Olivenhain homes do not have artistic alcoves. Pedestals are the next best thing. Get a wooded, porcelain, or stone pedestal and erect it in an artistically designated corner of your room. 

At this point, you can begin to install lighting. Regardless of what lighting type you choose, it should hit your 3D art at a 30-degree angle. This is the best way to accentuate its curves, lines, and shapes. 

Accent lights are a good choice for 3D art displays. They’re mounted to the ceiling and can illuminate your artwork at a precise 30-degree angle. They’re adjustable and can be recessed in the ceiling or mounted to its surface, depending on your tastes. 

Track lights also work well if you have a flat ceiling rather than an alcove. Track lights are multiple tiny and flexible lamps that mount to the ceiling on a track bar. They’re easy to readjust so you can move your art around and spruce up your space whenever you want. 

Display Cases 

If you want to make your home feel as much like an art gallery as possible, you also may consider installing display cases. They work for both 2D and 3D art. If you want to create a horizontal display, they make it look classy while keeping all the art in it safe. 

You can easily light a display case by adding lighting around its top edges. This is true regardless of the case shape. 

Make sure to use dimmer lighting than you would for a wall-mounted or 3D piece of art. Light will bounce around in the display case and you don’t want too much glare. 

An expert can help you install lights in cases as well as in all areas of your home. They can also help you choose between bulb types, colors, and intensities. Your display case will look as though it’s in a museum. 

Get the Right Lighting for Your Artwork in Olivenhain 

Choosing the right lighting to display art can be a challenge, but it’s an important part of making your Olivenhain home look sophisticated and elegant. Now that you know the basics of artwork lighting, it’s time to enhance your interior decor. 

Lighting Distinctions is committed to giving you high-quality artistic lighting at an affordable cost. During the 3-day trial period alone, we will set up and fine-tune temporary lights so that you can preview the system. Schedule a free lighting consultation today to learn more about what we can do.