Experts offer tips for finding attractive, functional home lighting
With thousands of different types of lighting fixtures on the market, shopping for new lighting can feel like a daunting process. To narrow and refine your lighting search, Kevin Herdt, CLC, with Austin Bluffs Lighting in Colorado Springs, Colo., suggests you articulate your style of décor “so you can focus on something that will complement your interior design.”
It is also helpful, he says, to have in hand samples of wood used in cabinetry and flooring, as well as fabrics and colors. That helps the professionals steer you in the right direction.
When visiting a lighting showroom, in addition to having a handle on what style you like, says Kim Green, product manager with Ferguson Enterprises of Newport News, Va., “you need to ask yourself, ‘what is it that I am doing in these rooms?’” For example, will the lighting be used for tasks, or will it be mostly ambient or decorative? The answers to those questions will ultimately help refine the type of lamp needed.
Functional or task lighting, continues Green, is essential in places like kitchens, master bathrooms, entry ways and laundry rooms. Food preparation is one of the activities that demands ample lighting.
“This is more specific than just lighting a kitchen,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, the American Lighting Association’s consulting director of education and a professor of interior design at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design.
Usually, food preparation takes place on the kitchen counter or on an island or peninsula. Many houses - even upscale new ones - lack appropriate under-cabinet lighting, and fortunately, it is one of the easiest light sources to add. “Under-cabinet lighting is a good source of lighting because it reduces shadows significantly and it gives you the light exactly where you need it,” says Rey-Barreau.
Islands or peninsulas are typically lit with recessed lighting, although in the past few years pendant lights have become popular as they blend decoration with function. Rey-Barreau is quick to add that not all decorative lights can double as task lights.
Grooming is another activity that requires high light levels. Many older homes only have two levels of light in the bathroom - on and off - making them prime candidates for layering. According to Rey-Barreau, unlike the Hollywood strip lighting of old, bathroom lights have been completely updated in the last four to five years.
“Manufacturers have come out with hundreds of designs for bathroom fixtures. Most of the good vanity lights now have higher wattage and the light bulbs are shielded by shades so you don’t have a glare problem,” says Rey-Barreau. “And, all bathroom lighting should be put on a dimmer.
“The high level of light required for grooming is usually not required for other activities in the bathroom, so I strongly recommend that people use dimmers,” says Rey-Barreau. “Most people don’t think about doing it, but once they do it’s amazing how much they use that dimmer. Dimmers basically take one light fixture that gives you one quantity of light and turns it into a light fixture that can give you almost infinite lighting.”
When selecting lighting, really think about what you will be doing in a room. For example, the lighting needs of a family room where the only function is watching television are different from one where people may be reading or doing homework.
Bedrooms generally use softer light levels. One source of ambient light in a bedroom is usually sufficient, accented with table and floor lamps.
According to Herdt, recessed can lighting is still the most popular light source in terms of the sheer number of pieces sold, and is usually installed during new construction or remodeling. Track lighting can achieve the same effect as recessed cans without ripping up the ceiling.
To some, track lighting still conjures up images of the ’70s, shag carpeting and disco balls, but, Herdt says, “Track lighting has come a long way. There are some very stylish-looking heads out there now.”
One hot new trend is monorail, a variation of track lighting that offers the ability to curve the track into different shapes and which is available in both low voltage and line voltage.
Rick Wiedemer, CLC, president of Hinkley Lighting in Cleveland, Ohio, which mostly manufactures decorative lighting fixtures, says that knowing a room’s measurements, including ceiling height, is crucial to make sure lighting is properly scaled to a space. To Wiedemer, there is nothing worse than an undersized chandelier hanging forlornly over a dining table. Blueprints or a scale drawing of a room can help you get the best advice from a lighting consultant.
Quality is a concern for most consumers. “To determine the quality of a fixture you want to look at the way parts fit together, says Wiedemer. “The color and finish should be consistent among all the components, and glass should fit into the holder.”
Today’s wide array of manufacturers means you can get what you want on a budget. “There are lots of trendy styles out there at affordable prices….Lots of manufacturers offer similar looks and varying price points,” says Green. “It’s important to have a budget in mind and communicate that with your showroom consultant. The places to splurge are visible high-traffic areas like foyers and kitchens. Because lighting is so affordable, compared to most other kinds of interior furnishings, updating lighting is an easy and innovative way to change the look of a space.
“How best to light a room,” says Herdt, “depends on how you want to use the space. If you meet with a person in a showroom who is educated in lighting it will help you identify when to use a wall sconce versus an overhead light, when to use portable lamps in addition to the existing lighting, when to use track lighting - a lot of that is drawn out of the use of the room.”
For more information on lighting, visit americanlightingassoc.com or call (800) BRIGHT IDEAS for your nearest showroom.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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