Create Comfort and Beauty With Good Home Lighting

Proper lighting enhances a home, creating comfort and beauty. Lighting can make colors pop, set a mood, illuminate space and establish security.

Most rooms in our homes use a combination of direct light for ambience and tasks and indirect lighting for an overall feeling of brightness.

Direct lighting, such as an overhead down light, illuminates without reflecting off other surfaces. It shines more brightly on the object of its direction than the surrounding area. The more concentrated the beam, the more light hits the object directly, casting dramatic shadows.

A floodlight, on the other hand, spreads the light more evenly, blurring shadows and illuminating a larger area.

Indirect lighting brightens a space by reflecting off other surfaces, such as ceilings and walls. A central ceiling fixture is a good example of indirect lighting, creating a general light in a room.

Using direct light to create ambience through dramatic lighting is easy. Downlights placed strategically throughout a room use contrasting highlights and shadows to accent certain architectural or artistic features.

Table lamps and candles provide low light with soft edges, creating an elegant romantic atmosphere.

Conversely, a room washed evenly with light creates a relaxing, restful feeling. To achieve a washed effect, lighting needs to overlap from one source to the next. Multiple light sources are necessary.

Lighting is used in different ways throughout the house. High-function rooms such as the kitchen require task lighting and general lighting for occupants to function effectively. Specific task areas, such as the sink, island, countertops and range, all require direct light so shadowy areas are obliterated.

Under cabinet light fixtures are excellent choices for illuminating work areas. Track or recessed lighting will illuminate an island and a fluorescent strip or single down light is perfect for over the sink. A well-lit kitchen creates a light, airy space pleasing to most cooks.

Living rooms function in a different manner than kitchens. They are used for more formal entertaining or socializing with guests, therefore different lighting is required. Living rooms usually have a visual focus whether it is a fireplace or an entertainment center. This focal point should be accented with lighting to emphasize its importance. Besides the focal point, the living room should have adequate light for reading—typically, a lamp at chair-side suffices. A variety of light sources in the living room will provide a more than adequate amount of light for each task and will be flexible enough for variation.

Bedrooms generally don’t require any specialized task lighting other than for reading or dressing. Most rooms have a central overhead fixture and lamps or scones by the bedside for reading. Closets, especially walk-in ones, do need special consideration.

Bathrooms have their own requirements, depending on who is going to use them. For example, the lighting style in the master bath may be quite different from the lighting in a children’s or guest bath. All, however, need the same type of lighting, general and task. Because lights in the bathroom are used more often than those in other areas, and are the most often left on, the bulbs may require replacing more than in other areas of the house. Side lighting is best for seeing oneself in the mirror. If overhead lighting is used, portions of the face will always be in shadow.

Other areas of the home, such as an office, are likely to need the same type of lighting, only in different areas. Choose task lighting for workspaces and reading and indirect lighting to create overall luminosity.

 Courtesy of : The Kiper Team Offices:(636) 898-123, HOTLINE: (314) 729-1010 CLICK HERE to email us.