The lighting in your tiny house loft area is a critical design feature that allows you to create an open and inviting space for relaxation, work or sleep.
There are many different tiny house loft lighting options you can choose from when it comes to brightening up your small space. The easiest way to add light is with multiple loft windows, but you’ll also want to consider how to keep your house warm through the cold winter months.
In this article we also cover other lighting options that you can add to your tiny house loft that ambient, task and and accent lighting. Let’s go.
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Best options for tiny house loft lighting
Space is vital in a tiny home, so you’ll generally want to avoid any bulky light sources such as lamps or hanging light fixtures. Instead, concentrate on windows, ceiling lights, and under-the-counter lights, which bring brightness to your home without taking up too much space.
Always start with natural light. When building your tiny house loft, be sure to factor in how you can maximize the amount of natural light coming into your home. It’s best to place windows on the sidewalls of the house to maximize the natural light while minimizing heat and glare.
It’s a good idea to go big with the windows; you can use blinds or curtains to reduce the amount of light entering your room, but you can’t do anything to increase the light if you make your windows too small.
There are three main types of tiny house loft lighting: ambient, task, and accent. We’ll explore each type in more detail below.
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting is the natural light in your room. Windows are a great source of ambient lighting, but when the sun goes down, you’ll need to rely on other, easy to reach sources of lighting such as ceiling bulbs that can provide ambient tiny house loft lighting effectivley.
Skylights
Skylights are great because they add lots of light to your home while saving valuable wall space. Skylights increase the amount of natural light while maintaining your privacy. In addition, some skylights open, allowing you to create a chimney-like effect that circulates the air in your room, keeping it fresh and improving its overall quality.
Ceiling lights and LED lights
Ceiling lights are a popular source of ambient loft lighting in tiny homes. These small lights can sit “on” the ceiling rather than needing to be recessed. This not only makes the fit-out easier but also helps to prevent moisture from penetrating your insulated areas.
LED lights are a great artificial lighting source if you’re running on solar power. Generally, these bulbs run on a 110 volt AV and include a built-in voltage transformer.
These LED lights are a very popular option with the ability to customise the color of the background lighting. You only need a small amount of these to light up a tiny house loft in whichever color you choose.
In addition, LED lights are durable, produce very little heat, and can be color adjusted to suit your environment.
Using 75% less energy than other light sources, in addition to being cost-effective, durable, and adaptable – there’s no doubt that LED lights are the best artificial light sources for tiny house lofts.
Back lights
Backlighting is a popular and versatile option that allows you to brighten up a dull living space. In your loft, you could add backlighting behind your bed or cupboards for a nice amount of ambient light in your sleeping space.
LED backlights can be attached to many surfaces – the back of your TV, underneath the bed, or down the stairs.
Task lighting
Task lighting is the light required to carry out specific tasks, such as cooking. If your loft area is a bedroom, you may want to consider a light fixture near your bed to read in the evening.
On the other hand, if your loft space is an office, you’ll need to provide sufficient desk lighting that allows you to carry out all of your tasks effectively.
While bulky lighting such as a lamp is not generally recommended in tiny homes, they do have a place in certain circumstances, and it’s crucial to think about the purpose of your loft before you decide what types of light fixtures to fit.
Bed side lamps are essential for tiny house bedroom lofts, especially if you like to sit and read in bed.
Here’s an example of a low cost lamp that you can use in your tiny house loft.
If you use your tiny house loft as an office, then you’ll want to illuminate your desk space for when you’re reading and writing.
A great space saving idea is having a desk lamp that can attach to the side of the desk, rather than having to use the desk space.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting focuses light onto specific tiny house loft furniture or highlights other key features of your loft space. This type of lighting is not as essential as the other two and is a lower priority for a tiny home loft.
Having said that, accent lighting can be instrumental in changing the feel or ambiance of a room, and using small loft lights to highlight your stairs or wardrobes can add an airy and spacious feeling to your loft area.
These can also provide you with great tiny house loft lighting since they can attach to the wall or ceiling and act as a bed-side lamp too.
Why should you keep your loft well lit?
Because tiny homes by nature are relatively small, they face the problem of looking dull and gloomy. If you don’t include windows or in your loft space, it will become an apparent dull zone of your home and look unappealing.
In addition, natural light is essential for our bodies as it helps us produce vitamin D, increases our focus and productivity, and helps to regulate our sleep cycles.
Whether your loft is for sleeping, studying, or working, the right lighting is essential to make the most of your space for both aesthetic purposes and your wellbeing.