Creating a Party Mood With Lighting

From all my years of hosting and entertaining I’ve amassed my own set of ‘rules’ for setting up and preparing. They include a variety of duties like getting the house ready on a fundamental level, preparing the guest room if needed, creating the right atmosphere and playlist, and having the right food and drinks to serve.

Lighting is a KEY element when setting up for a party, and with so much emphasis put on decorations and food, I think most of the time it gets overlooked or forgotten.

Create Ambiance

For most entertaining you want your room lighting dimmer than usual so people feel cozy. Lower lighting also makes everyone look better! There’s a reason they turn the lights down in a bar. I’m just sayin’.

In other cases like game night or activity-based gatherings, you’ll want brighter light so everyone can see details.

In our previous house we had several dimmers installed to control the brightness of some main areas like the dining room and family room. But when we built our current house the dimmers weren’t offered as an option and boy did I miss them!

Last year during a party there was a crowd lingering around the kitchen island, and you know how bright kitchen lighting is! I didn’t like it at all, so when Lutron offered to send me their light dimmer kit I was very excited to get it installed.

Dimmer Switches

Install a dimmer switch to control lighting in main rooms like dining room, living room, and kitchen.

Since the kitchen is so bright I knew this was the room I wanted to put the dimmer in. After all, I use lamps in the other rooms to control the brightness. My husband is quite the handy man and he installed the dimmer easily in about 10 minutes.

With the dimmer switch controlling the kitchen lights I’m able to have them on full power to cook and clean, but lower them for entertaining around the island. I. LOVE. IT. I’m excited to have this new feature during our annual Christmas cocktail party, and I’ll finally be able to set the mood just the way I want it!

The dimmer switch fits into our existing unit. The little slider virtually ‘disappears’ into the switch plate for a clean look. Just move it up or down to control the light level.

More Expert Tips

• Turn on lamps in auxiliary rooms where people may gather {instead of overhead lights}. In our family room I’ve got table lamps and floor lamps spread around the room, and will turn on a couple of those so people can go sit and have a conversation without feeling like they’re being interrogated.
• A dining room NEEDS a light dimmer for cozy dinner parties. If you’re setting the table up buffet style you can use lamps and candle light to illuminate the space.
• Add a nightlight in the powder room so guests aren’t fumbling to find the switch when they walk in.
• Add under-cabinet lights in the kitchen for a fabulous perimeter lighting.
• If you have space between your upper cabinets and the ceiling, you can tuck in string lights for a beautiful look.
• Add can lights in the corner behind a plant or chair for a light source that’s almost unnoticeable but creates the illusion of more space.