Building a new home in Winston-Salem or anywhere across the Triad is exciting, and lighting is one of the most rewarding parts to get right. It is also one of the easiest to leave too late. Here is how we walk our local clients through it.

Building in the Triad? See how our builder program works, from the take off after rough-in to allowance tracking and labeled delivery.

Lighting comes near the end, but you plan it early

Fixtures physically go in toward the end of a build, but the planning needs to start much earlier. The wiring, the box locations, and the switch layout all get set during framing and rough-in. If you wait until the walls are finished to think about lighting, your options have already been narrowed for you.

The sweet spot for a lighting walk-through is after rough-in and before drywall. That is when we can stand in the actual space, see where every box landed, and make sure you have the right fixtures planned for every room.

What to decide before drywall

  • Where the statement pieces go: the foyer chandelier, the dining room fixture, the island pendants. These drive box placement.
  • Ceiling fan locations: bedrooms, the great room, covered porches. Fan boxes are braced differently than light boxes, so this has to be decided early.
  • Recessed lighting layout: how many cans, where, and on which switches.
  • Switching and dimming: which fixtures share a switch, what gets a dimmer. Island pendants and dining fixtures almost always want their own dimmer.

Think in whole-home packages, not one room at a time

One of the things we do best is whole-home lighting plans. Instead of picking fixtures room by room as the project rushes toward the finish line, we help you plan the entire home at once so the styles, finishes, and feel flow together from the foyer to the back porch.

It also keeps you on budget. When you can see the whole plan, it is much easier to decide where to put the splurge fixtures and where to keep things simple, rather than overspending on the first few rooms and running short by the end.

Working with your builder

If you are working with a builder, lighting is often handled through a lighting allowance. We work with builder allowances every day, and we offer builder pricing, so we can help you understand exactly what your allowance covers and what an upgrade actually costs before you commit. For our local builders, we are glad to come out to the job site for that pre-drywall walk-through.

Why local matters

You do not have to drive to Charlotte or order blind off the internet to get designer lighting. Our showroom is right here at 1245 Ivy Avenue in Winston-Salem, inside the historic Thomasville Furniture building. You can stand under the fixtures, see the finishes in person, and work with people who know the homes being built across Forsyth County and the Piedmont Triad.

The best lighting decisions happen in person, under the actual light, with someone who knows your project.

Come see us early

If you are building, the best time to start the lighting conversation is sooner than you think. Walk-ins are welcome and appointments are preferred, so we can give your project our full attention. Bring your floor plan and let's plan a home you will love living in.