As any artist or home decorator will tell you, you’ll find that there are many different options open to anyone who is interested in making sure that their home is comfortable and beautiful, but the truth remains that one of the most impressive and effective things that you can do in order to make sure that your home and the rooms in it look their best is by making sure that you take care of the lighting. Your home’s lighting serves to illuminate things, of course, but you will also soon realize that by paying attention to things like the lighting fixtures and the table lamps that you will be able to make sure that your house absolutely shines!
When you are considering what kind of lighting to bring into your home, don’t forget that you need to think about directional control. You’ll find that you should make sure that all of the light that is coming from your light source should be pointing down, and that it should be shielded in some way to ensure that you are are not blinding people when the light comes on. You’ll find that this is an important effect of making sure that your lighting fixtures will work for you, rather than against you, which is altogether too common.
For instance, take a look at the charm and grace that a well-placed table lamp can bring to your home. You’ll find that table lamp offers you a respite from the glare of an overhead light, which may very well be too garish or too bright for you to really see what you are doing. When you are considering taking the time to make sure that your lighting is good, remember that your table lamp can add a very powerful decorative cue in your decorating. Make sure that it complements the room around it, rather than fighting the existing decor.
Of course, you should also not forget the charm that you can bring to the room through the use of a desk lamp. Do you have a place where you write or study a great deal? You’ll find that a desk lap, with its small but powerful circle of light, will be able to keep you focused without distracting you with the glare of a larger, overhead light fixture. If you are looking to use something really special, consider taking a look at the Tiffany lamps. Tiffany lamps originated at the turn of the century and even today, they continue to enchant with a stained glass lampshade made in brilliant colors.
Take some time to make sure that your home’s lighting is giving it that wonderfully elegant look that comes with good lighting. Far from simply making sure that you don’t bump your toes, your home’s lighting options are as much an element of its design and its presence as the art that you hang on the walls. Make sure that your home won’t fall short of its potential, and put some time into making your home glow!
By: Des Smalls
Posts Tagged ‘Table Lamp’
Bedroom Lighting Tips
January 24th, 2010
The first step for bedroom lighting tips is to decide how much you would like to spend on artificial lights. There is a diverse range of models from which to choose.
Then, have a good mix of task and background lighting so you won’t leave the house with one brown shoe and one black shoe. Tungsten and halogen are the principal types of light used in the bedroom. Tungsten is a traditional, soft, and gold-tinted light, while halogen light is newer, crisper, and whiter.
Comparatively, tungsten light is perfect for warm background lighting, while halogen works well in low- and main-voltage lights. It is especially suitable for task lighting, often working better than traditional tungsten lamps for reading in bed, particularly in fittings mounted on the wall or attached to the bed head
Try these bedroom lighting tips to create a relaxing atmosphere while providing bright spots for reading and other activities:
• Dim it – Try not to have too many lights in the bedroom. Sometimes all you need to prepare for bed are soft lights from matching bedroom lamps.
• Blind it – When natural light gets too bright, like at the tropics, use well-designed blinds to diffuse and control the light.
• Light color – The color of the bedroom walls will affect how much lighting is needed, so bear in mind that dark tones absorb light, and pale colors reflect it.
• Bed switch – Just as you can switch lights on at the door, you should also be able to switch them off from the bed. This is to prevent the need to get out of bed prior to nodding off.
• Private reading – For reading in bed, use an adjustable glare-free wall-mounted lamp that casts the light where you want it, so you don’t disturb your sleeping partner. A table lamp with an adjustable arm and shade will also do. Just make sure the lamps are compatible with your room decor.
By: Lester Fong
Home Lighting Design Ideas For Each Room Of Your Home
December 10th, 2009
Getting the right light fixtures and bulbs for each room of your home can be a challenge, but if you plan it out correctly, they can help you enjoy the time spent at home so much more. Let’s take a look at some sample home lighting design ideas for different rooms of a typical home.
For the living room, you’ll want to have enough general lighting for such a large space. This general lighting can come from one or more main ceiling fixtures, or perhaps several indirect lighting fixtures that reflect light down from your ceiling and provide soft illumination for the entire room.
However, you will also most likely want to include specific task lighting for certain activities that may be performed in the living room. This could include reading or sewing. Task lighting is usually best accomplished by a floor lamp or table lamp situated right next to the task area, and equipped with a sufficient bulb to prevent eyestrain while performing the task.
Living rooms can also have features like a fireplace, or perhaps a large painting on the wall. Why not install some recessed ceiling lights that are focused on these special features to highlight and bring attention to them?
In the kitchen, sufficient lighting is an absolute must to be able to safely cook and prepare food. Most likely a large ceiling fixture, perhaps equipped with energy efficient florescent tubes will do well to supply the overall general lighting for the room. But then consider installing strip lights underneath your cabinets that will clearly light up your countertops and work areas. And perhaps a few recessed lights in the ceiling can focus even more light on your sink area and range. Generally speaking, the more specific task lighting you can have in a kitchen, the better.
Bathrooms have their own specific lighting needs, including a recessed downlight in the ceiling over your shower or tub area. But perhaps the most common area for lighting fixtures in a bathroom is around the mirror. Here’s where you want really soft and gentle lighting that leaves no shadows under your eyes, nose, and chin. Very often this is accomplished with lighting strips on each side of the mirror that contained several small wattage bulbs. Many people find that soft white fluorescent bulbs seem to work best in this area.
In the bedroom a general lighting fixture is very useful for illumination of the entire room. But then installing specific task lighting at the dressing table area can be very beneficial too. And recessed lighting on the ceiling placed on a dimmer switch can be used very effectively to set a romantic mood whenever you desire.
Hopefully these home lighting design ideas and suggestions can help you think about how you can better focus the available light in your home from room to room in the future.
By: Thad Pickering
