Family Home — The Kinney Home

Lighting Kids' Rooms That Grow With Them (Ages 3 to 13)

I've lit five kids' rooms over twelve years. The ones I didn't have to replace were the ones I chose for function, not theme.

Our playroom ceiling has taken a stuffed animal to the face more than once. Here's what we learned about playroom lighting.

Our family room was lit like a waiting room. One weekend later, it feels like somewhere we actually want to be.

Our front porch light is on every single morning and every single evening. It needed to be bulletproof.

The reading nook that turned our most screen-obsessed kid into a reader. Lighting was 50% of it.

Our youngest's room needed to be safe, functional for nighttime checks, and look like a place we designed rather than an impulse purchase.

Five kids create approximately 10,000 pieces of art per year. This is how we celebrate it without drowning in it.

Five years in this house with five kids. Here's every lighting decision and what I'd change.

We eat breakfast together every morning before school. The right light over that table makes 6:30 a.m. feel like somewhere worth being.