Many people have an instant reaction to a particular room or decorating
style, either positive or negative,
but just can’t put their finger on what it is. When creating an attractive room
interior the most important
element to its success is proper lighting.
You will find that well designed lighting plans eliminate “hot spots”, draw your
eye to key elements of the
room, and are overall pleasing to the eye. To achieve your optimal effect you
will need to use a
combination of several different lighting applications.
Ambient Lighting
This is the term for the general room lighting which is used to make the space
safe and comfortable. One
common type of ambient lighting is recessed lighting. These lights feature cans
which disappear into the
ceiling with trim pieces that can be found in a wide variety of styles and
colors. You can make adjustments
to how the light is spread throughout the room when using recessed lighting. The
power source is
connected to the cans through the attic. There are also other types of light
housings which can be used
when it is difficult to access the attic. Fluorescent ceiling panels are another
example of general ambient
lighting.
Task Lighting
This is the additional light that is needed for specific tasks, such as chopping
vegetables, reading, or
paying bills. Commonly pendant, recessed, or track lighting fixtures are used to
provide the task area with
additional light. Often kitchen designers use under cabinet lighting to give
adequate light to countertops
without having visible light fixtures. You will get warmer light with either low
or line voltage halogen or xenon
bulbs than you would with fluorescent ones. You will need a transformer to
convert the power source from
120 volts to 12 volts when you install either low voltage halogen or xenon
lighting fixtures. Depending on the
fixture itself you may have the transformer including in the fixture or
separate.
Accent Lighting
This lighting needs to be about four times as bright as the ambient lighting in
the room in order to be
effective. You can draw attention to special features in the room through the
use of accent lighting. While
many people choose either incandescent or fluorescent fixture for this purpose,
you will actually get a
brighter appearance from halogen lighting. You want a lighting fixture that
allows you to aim the light exactly
where you want it. There are some museum quality fixtures that allow you to
pinpoint light with great
accuracy.
Wall Washing
This type of accent lighting works great if you have a grouping of photos or
paintings that you want to wash
with light. You will also create a nice ambient light effect in the remainder of
the room.
Wall Grazing
This is the opposite of wall washing as it highlights a specific feature of a
wall, such as bricks, curtains, or
stones. You can highlight the three dimensional effect of the light by placing
ceiling light fixtures close to the
wall.
Display Lighting
This type of lighting often consists of low voltage lighting used to highlight
cabinets, bookshelves, etc. Often
the same types of fixture used for under cabinet lighting are used here. You
will get the most flexibility from
xenon fixtures used on a "mini" or "linear" track. You can place the tiny
fixtures anywhere you would like
along the track. There are also many different choices when it comes to bulb
brightness, allowing you to
choose bright task lighting or a subtle glow. Often the bulbs are hidden by a
baffle which also holds the
track.
Cove Lighting
This type of lighting illuminates the areas where the walls and ceilings meet to
give the room a more open
appearance. The halogen or xenon track lighting is often concealed within a
soffit or large crown molding
placed around the room’s perimeter. You get the best appearance when there is a
smooth wash of light.
You will need to determine the proper spacing and bulb wattage based on the
distance and brightness
level desired. A room that is dark will often need more light than a bright
room.
Installing functional and attractive lighting is a great investment in your
home. You can find displays of many
of the fixtures listed above at your local home improvement center. There are so
many choices available it
pays to do your research and only purchase your lighting fixtures from a
reputable dealer. You can also find
very competitive prices on a variety of top name fixtures from online retailers. |
