Advertorial Homeowner Checklist

Top 10 Lighting Mistakes Nairobi Homeowners Only Notice After Moving In

An attractive fitting can be the wrong purchase for reasons that never appear in its product photograph.

By EMalove Lighting & home planning 5 min read

Read the practical checks below

Illustrative scenario — not a customer testimonial.

The fitting you want is saved on your phone, and its price is within the budget. You are ready to ask about delivery. Then your installer asks how far it drops from the ceiling. You return to the photograph and realise you do not know.

The product has not become less attractive. Your decision has acquired a missing piece of information. The same thing can happen with bulb types, finishes, fixing requirements or a dimmer already installed in the room.

Finding that gap before payment is useful. Make a short list of what the supplier can confirm and what needs the installer. The ten checks below help turn a promising product into a considered purchase, without expecting you to know every specification in advance.

The mistake is often a missing decision

A light can be attractive and still be the wrong choice for the space. The issue might be its size, the position of the ceiling point or a bulb that does not suit the way you use the room. None of these problems is obvious from a small product image.

The ten checks below are designed to help you slow down at the right points before ordering. They are not rules about what every Kenyan home should look like. Different rooms, ceiling heights and tastes call for different choices. The useful question is whether you have considered your own room rather than assuming a catalogue picture answers everything.

Take the room to the product comparison

Keep a photo, dimensions and ceiling height beside you when looking at fittings. Add the position and size of the furniture beneath the light where relevant. This simple brief can rule out choices that look appealing but would be awkward in the actual space.

Then decide what the room needs from the fitting. Is it meant to be the feature above a dining table, a quiet addition to a bedroom or part of a larger scheme? Naming that job makes it easier to compare products without being distracted by whichever photograph is most dramatic.

Spiral Raindrop Crystal Chandelier installed in a finished Muthaiga-style stairwell

Start with the room you actually use, including furniture and ceiling position. Illustrative image.

  1. Choosing size by eye, not by room dimensions

    A chandelier that looked right in a photo can be badly undersized once it's hanging.

  2. Same fitting in every room

    Different rooms need different moods — a dining room isn't a hallway.

  3. Leaving your preferences out of the wiring discussion

    Agree the look and fitting requirements with your electrician before the ceiling is closed.

  4. Choosing light colour without considering the room

    Consider how you use the space and how adjacent lights look together. Compare the bulb options before buying.

  5. Assuming a fitting will work with your dimmer

    Confirm compatibility between the fitting, bulbs or driver and the intended dimmer before installation.

  6. Forgetting outdoor and gate lighting entirely

    The first light your guests see is often an afterthought.

  7. Buying bulbs separately, and getting the wrong fit

    Ask what's included before you order the fixture.

  8. No plan for the whole house, room by room

    Buying one fitting at a time means the budget runs out before the last room.

  9. Trusting a photo without seeing it in your room

    What suits a showroom doesn't always suit your ceiling height or wall color.

  10. Ordering too close to move-in

    Check actual stock and delivery or sourcing time for each selected fitting before setting your installation date.

Use the list before payment, not only after installation

Some questions belong with the supplier: dimensions, finish, availability and what comes with the product. Others need your electrician or installer: fixing requirements, wiring and compatibility. Put each question to the person who can confirm the answer rather than relying on an assumption from somebody else.

Write down anything that affects the total quote or the installation date. This is especially useful if you are buying for several rooms. You can see which decisions are ready and which depend on information that has not arrived yet.

In the opening situation, the right next step is a confirmed dimension, not a more persuasive product photo. Treat each unresolved item in the checklist the same way: name the question and ask the person who can answer it.

A statement fitting above a dining table
Separate design inspiration, not an after-photo of the earlier room. Confirm the real product dimensions and finish before ordering.

A whole-home view does not require buying everything today

You may want to finish the main living spaces first and deal with other rooms later. That can be a deliberate plan. The problem is forgetting those other rooms when allocating the budget, then discovering that the remaining fittings have become an unplanned expense.

Create the complete room list even if the order will be phased. Mark priorities and keep a note of the finishes you want to coordinate. This gives later purchases a direction while leaving you room to adjust the individual products and timing.

Ask for help with the decision you are stuck on

You do not need to send every detail of the house to ask a useful first question. Tell us which room you are working on and what is uncertain: size, style, positioning, compatibility or the complete cost. Include a photo or measurements when they help explain the issue.

Request the checklist on WhatsApp if you would like to keep the questions together. Use it with your supplier and installer before you approve the fittings. A more considered choice begins with a clearer brief, not with pressure to order the first attractive option.

How to avoid all 10, in one step

Send us a photo — we handle the sizing, tone-matching and planning.

  1. 1Send a photo of your room, or your full room list.
  2. 2We recommend fittings sized and toned correctly for each space.
  3. 3You see it rendered into your actual room before deciding.
  4. 4We deliver and fit — with free matching bulbs, so nothing's guessed.

Get The Full Checklist

Ask for the checklist on WhatsApp and tell us which room you are working on if you would like help applying it.

Send Me The Checklist

WhatsApp opens with your checklist request. Room photos are optional at this stage.

Before you get started

What happens after I enquire?

Tell us which rooms you are lighting, your location and your timing. Confirm the selected fittings, availability, delivery and any installation charges in your written quote before you order.

What should I have ready?

Room photos or a floor plan help us understand the space. Room dimensions and ceiling height are needed to check a fitting’s size and drop. Your installer should confirm site requirements before installation.

Room-by-room checklist Check dimensions before ordering Confirm bulb compatibility No obligation to order