Lighting DIY Guides

Outdoor Lighting Tips and Trends

feffendi — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:14:00 GMT

Outdoor Lighting Tips and Trends

A home’s landscape is a blank canvas on which the homeowners can express their distinct style. And as with any visual art form, lighting plays a key role. More and more property owners are focusing on personalizing their home’s exterior through tasteful outdoor lighting, while keeping security and safety in mind as well.

Here’s a look at some of the newest trends in exterior landscape lighting and also some alternative energy options available for the environmentally conscious.

Lanterns, Lamp Posts and Luminaries

An elegant lantern post cap with detailed metal filigree in a foliage pattern. http://pluck.homeclick.com/ver1.0/Blog/www.deckorators.com

A lantern is a great choice for the driveway. C hoosing one that mimics the overall design of the home will pull the entire look together. For e xample, rustic, brick homes match well with wrought-iron outdoor light fixtures. A beach home’s lighting outdoors might be made of distressed wood. C orner lamp- posts on fences , deck lanterns in gazebos and luminaries for high-traffic areas of the outdoor space all serve to enhance these outdoor spaces.

Recessed deck lighting is a trend that has gained considerable popularity, despite being fairly expensive. C onsumers can expect to pay anywhere from $120 to as much as $550 per light with installation, but the return on investment is a good one. Some units like the Step Lite louver square available on Lightology.com provide lasting quality and durability. According to Jeff Quintin, of Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS in Ocean City, NJ, the value of a home shoots upward by five to seven thousand dollars with the addition of permanent lighting enhancements, such as recessed deck lighting . He says, “It will allow you to set yourself apart from the competition and other homes and in addition these types of features with create the “wow” effect which will increase your home’s value”.

Aesthetic Ambiance

The key to lighting ambiance is subtlety. Functional lighting serves a purpose, but strategically placed and carefully planned accent lighting softens outdoor spaces, making them livable. There is lighting for seating areas, external fixtures on doors, accents that illuminate pathways and tree or shrubbery accents. For

Whimsical, functional lighting to accent any area whether for a special occasion or for an entire season, these fun string lights add flair and pizzazz to your outdoor space. http://pluck.homeclick.com/ver1.0/Blog/www.lunabazaar.com

special occasions or certain seasons , there are semi-permanent selections such as square lantern string lights or large, Chinese rice paper globe lanterns . String lights come in many varieties including themed, seasonal and solar-powered.

Scott Gregor, the owner of Master Plan Remodeling Design/Build, says homeowners want to highlight design elements with lighting rather than show the lighting itself. When transforming outdoor space for a client, the Portland certified graduate master remodeler conceals the fixtures themselves while using a mix of dimmers and electrical equipment designed to function “under the radar”.

Key Points To Consider About Exterior Lighting Safety

Choose products that meet minimum safety regulations and have them installed by a licensed technician or landscape firm. I mproper installation due to faulty wiring brings a potential for severe damage and risk of injury.

Visibility

A professional outdoor lighting installation ensures only the illuminating effects of the fixtures show, rather than the fixtures themselves. Unless, of course, the fixture is intended to be seen, as would be the case with driveway lanterns and other stylized fixtures.

Style

Increasingly, manufacturers are catering to all types of markets, including rugged styles that are suited to outdoor spaces such as cabins that feature rustic architectural details. Modern pieces made with angular clean lines plus whimsical, youthful lights are also available.

Finish

According to large home improvement department stores, the current trend is burnished metals such as brushed nickel or brass and bronzed finishes. Chrome and glass combinations for modern spaces are also popular as are novelty colors and styles.

Durability

Outdoor lighting must be able to withstand the elements. Given the cost of installation, maintenance and care of an outdoor lighting landscape plan, it is a good idea to invest a little more to ensure a quality and durable product.

Going Green

This Tiffany-style, solar powered post cap creates an elegant ambience with soft undertones and a warm glow of accent lighting. www.deckorators.com

With the environment at an ever-precarious state, more homeowners are turning to “green” options when making home upgrades, including home lighting. Lighting is one of the easiest ways to utilize natural resources in an aesthetically pleasing way, while saving energy and money. There is a plethora of popular alternative energy lighting sources and methods of conservation available, including solar products, low voltage fixtures, motion or photo sensor equipment, timers and various light choices like fluorescent or high-intensity discharge.

Using photovoltaic cell technology, solar lighting relies on the sun’s energy throughout the day so after-dark functionality is available without a connection to any man-made power source. An added bonus is that property values increase with the installation of energy-conserving lighting. Solar powered lighting accents are anything but unattractive. Products like the Turtles On A Log solar garden accents by Moonrays offer a modern look that softly lights up an area with glow-in-the-dark shells. Years ago the costs associated with solar panels would cause consumers to shy away from this option, however as they become more commonly used, solar energy products are more affordable.

Another hot trend is the use of low voltage fixtures, since the wiring required does not need to be run through electrical conduit. This eliminates the need to comply with electrical code, a common concern and one that adds considerable cost when installing conventional outdoor lighting fixtures.

Light Up Your Kitchen For Fun and Function

mflietner — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:56:00 GMT

Light Up Your Kitchen For Fun and Function

Laurie DiGiacomo Interiors designed some fun in the lighting over this kitchen table with an unusual fixture with appealing lines.

© Lauriedigiacomointeriors.com.

Changing lifestyles and emerging economic realities demand that kitchens today play a vital role as a multi-tasking room.

Have Fun With Fixtures

Working with your lighting design can help make this “live-in” space both functional and fun. While task lighting and overall lighting are always needed, thoughtful choices can make a difference.

“Inject some fun into your kitchen lighting by adding texture, color and pattern,” says Laurie DiGiacomo of the full-service design firm Laurie DiGiacomo Interiors, of Ho Ho Kus, N.J.

Rethink the lighting over your island or kitchen table. DiGiacomo suggests looking for some out-of-the-ordinary fixtures. Those made of capiz shells will shimmer when illuminated. Unusual shapes such as a paper lantern or an artichoke design, similar to one based on the lamp released originally in 1958 by Poul Henningsen, provide simple yet appealing lines. Pendants made of textured wood provide a fun and interesting option, says DiGiacomo.

Lamp shades, not typically a kitchen lighting consideration, also have been making a big comeback recently.

“Choose lamp shades with a graphic print or bold colors. You can hang a large shaded chandelier over your table, or two medium-size shaded pendants over an island,” suggests DiGiacomo.

Take it a bit further. “Create a special piece that’s both fun and functional,” says Ruth Delf, ASID, LEED GA, interior designer with Susan Fredman Design Group of Chicago. “Have a fixture created from repurposed items, such as milk or wine bottles. Another option is to incorporate a family heirloom, allowing you to truly enjoy the piece every day.”

Delf also suggests installing lighting underneath your bar or island for an unexpected touch. She said this works particularly well if there are onyx or resin surfaces.

Add Lights Under and In Cabinets

Other ideas? Undercabinet lighting has been growing in popularity, and for good reason. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, undercabinet lighting presents a great opportunity for savings. Several brands use ENERGY STAR® qualified light-emitting diodes or LEDs, which can be more efficient than CFLs.

The DOE advises that there are many factors to keep in mind if you are choosing undercabinet lights. Two are related to the light itself. One is the correlated color temperature or CCT. That’s the lamp light’s general "warmth" or "coolness." According to the DOE, the color temperature for residential kitchens is typically 3000K or lower, providing a warm look.

Another is the color rendering index or CRI. This is a measure of how well the light reproduces the colors of your food, your decorative finishes, even your family and friends. A sickly grayish-yellow look to your face or hors d’oeuvres may turn off party-goers!

Undercabinet lighting usually comes in round/oval or strip/bar styles. Be sure to consider whether you like the multiple distinct shadows that can be produced by some set-ups. The light needs to be as bright and uniform as you need for a work surface or a night light.

Bring that lighting fun to kitchen cabinet interiors. “To create an ambient glow, light your cabinets from the interior,” says Delf. The lights also will showcase accessories in your glass-paneled kitchen and china cabinets.

This family-friendly kitchen features four different types of lighting, including an abundance of natural light, lighting underneath the cabinetry and hood for cooking, overhead can lighting and a decorative pendant with a dimmer to create the desired atmosphere.

© Susan Fredman Design Group.

Color Your Kitchen

Have some fun with that under- and incabinet lighting. Colored lighting – picture shades of blue, green or red! – is gaining interest, says DiGiacomo. Let a tinted light enhance your kitchen’s color scheme or use a hint of color to change the mood of the room.

LEDs are a particularly interesting choice in these areas. According to DOE, LEDs are not inherently white light sources as are incandescent and fluorescent lamps. Instead, LEDs emit nearly monochromatic light, making them highly efficient for colored light applications.

Enough But Not Too Much

What are some of the biggest mistakes in kitchen lighting?

“Not adding enough,” says DiGiacomo. “There needs to be lighting at all levels in the kitchen. Strategically placed recessed lighting gives overall illumination, as well as perfectly highlights cabinetry. Undercounter lighting is necessary as task lighting for prep work and cooking. Pendant lighting over islands, peninsulas and dining areas are also important and the perfect way to add functional and interesting lighting to your kitchen design.”

Delf agrees that not enough lighting is a big mistake. But she also finds that lighting that is too bright is another problem.

“Ideally a kitchen should have four sources of light – natural light, undercabinet lighting (for specific tasks), overhead lighting (cans, tracks, etc.) and decorative lighting (pendants, light fixtures),” says Delf. “It’s important to make sure you have enough to see well when working in the kitchen and flexibility so that you can create different moods depending on the occasion. Dimmers are a great way to add flexibility to any lighting plan."

How Much Lighting is Enough?

kqueen — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:00:00 GMT

How Much Lighting is Enough?

A variety of floor lamps work well with ceiling fixtures in a living room, providing decorative accents and varied layers of light.

To paraphrase a popular saying, don’t curse the darkness—switch on a light.
Actually, instead of switching, sliding—or turning—a dimmer switch is even better. When you plan lighting for a room, allow for the maximum level of lighting – with dimmers to ramp back when needed.

“There’s never too much lighting,” says Kathryn Salyer of My Design Coach in Williamsburg, Va. “I always opt for going much brighter than needed and then using dimmers. You can always make I darker, but you can’t make it brighter.”

Light Quantity

At your bathroom vanity, you want about 120 watts over each sink, says Joe A. Rey-Barreau, architect and lighting designer in Lexington, Ken. Elsewhere in your home, a good rule of thumb for incandescent lights is 2.5-3 watts per square foot.

But don’t put all that wattage in one fixture. If you have a 10-by-10 foot bedroom, you might use the recommended 300 watts as follows: two table lamps with 75-watt bulbs and a ceiling fixture with two 60-watt bulbs.

If you’re using CFLs, you can get by with .75-1 watt per square foot.

Leery of using CFLS? You needn’t be. They’ve come a long way. CFLs no longer flicker as they turn on. Nor do they produce that unappealing bluish light.

For changing the mood, dimmers are your friend. With dimmers, you can achieve the optimal lighting level when you want it—for cleaning, reading, getting your game face on—and pull back when you’re relaxing. Some dimmers even have a pre-set so you can fade the lighting to the level you want … and keep it there. For a bedroom, consider a portable dimmer with a remote—you can gradually dim the light as you read in bed and unwind from your day.

Dimmers Set The Mood

“You want to achieve those levels, but you want to put dimmers on everything,” says Rey-Barreau. “If you need lots of light for cleaning or other purposes, you have the ability to get that light. If you’re sitting in your easy chair, you can use dimmers. It’s kind of crazy how often you use dimmers once you have them.”

In a bedroom, layered lighting can include a beautiful ceiling chandelier with bedside lamps on either side with dimmers so you can brighten up the room to read or lower lighting to relax.

In addition to dimmers, you can layer your lighting by using different sources. For example in a kitchen, in addition to the main ceiling fixture you could use under cabinet lighting and recessed lights.

“I love recessed lighting,” says Salyer. “It takes up no design space and it gives good bright lighting. Under cabinet lighting is relatively inexpensive and can make a huge difference. It can make a cave of a kitchen look like a bright, wonderful space.”

Salyer also favors Xenon lights as tried and true technology. “I’ve had my Xenon bulbs in my under cabinet lighting for 11 years and I leave them on 20 hours a day,” she says.

You hear a lot about LEDs, and they are getting better, but Salyer doesn’t like to use them. “Everyone tends to jump on the latest bandwagon,” she says. “I don’t like the look of LEDs.”

Colors aren’t as true with LEDs, she says. Salyer recently helped redesign a beauty salon and the salon owner insisted on LEDs. But under LED lighting, it’s hard for the stylists to determine the exact color when tinting hair. “It’s impacting his business,” she says.

Plan For The Future

Whether you’re building a new house or renovating your existing home, think of all the current and future uses for the room.

“Lighting sets the tone of the room,” Salyer adds. “Think about the little study in the front of your house. It may eventually become a home office. You want to use each room to the fullest over the lifespan of your home. Lighting impacts your life. It can put you in a good mood … or a bad mood.”

How to Update Your Kitchen With New Lighting

kkrueger — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:10:00 GMT

How to Update Your Kitchen With New Lighting

It's amazing what a difference the right lighting can make in your kitchen. If you want to freshen up the look of your kitchen without doing a complete remodel, simply updating your kitchen lighting may be the answer. It's a more affordable one, too.

Layers of lighting create ambiance in a kitchen. Photo courtesy of Kichler Lighting.

Layers of Light

A central ceiling fixture and lighting over the sink and stove were the basics of kitchen lighting for many years. Today, the importance of kitchen lighting to sufficiently illuminate work surfaces and enhance the visual appeal of your kitchen is being recognized by experts in the industry.

“Toe kick lighting and over-cabinet lighting can provide an inviting glow to your kitchen, as well as serve as a night light for midnight snacks,” says Travis Miller, licensed architect at RemWhirl LLC in Crosslake, Minnesota. He encourages his clients to include as many lighting options in their kitchens as possible. “Under-cabinet lighting is important to light up your countertop work spaces,” says Miller. More people are seeing it as important part of their overall kitchen lighting scheme. When you're working at a kitchen counter, your body and the upper cabinets block the ceiling light. Under-cabinet lighting provides the illumination necessary to see what you are doing.

Including this variation in lighting options within a room is referred to as 'layering' in the lighting industry. These various layers of light allow for more task- orientated adjustments to the lighting in a room. During food preparation, you need plenty of bright light in your work area, but casual entertaining around your eating bar may call for much more subtle lighting in that area. With the

Kitchen work areas need to be brightly lit. Photo courtesy of Kichler Lighting.

proper layers in place, each of these lighting conditions can be achieved by turning on and off certain lighting fixtures in the kitchen area. When you add dimmer controls to these lighting layers, you increase your control of lighting functions even further.

Jeff Dross, the Corporate Director of Education and Industry Trends for Kichler Lighting, advises consumers to account for new finishes when updating the kitchen.

“If you are upgrading to stainless steel appliances, for instance, you may want to choose light fixtures with nickel or chrome finishes to coordinate with the new appliances,” he says.

Kitchen Island Lighting

When it comes to lighting over your kitchen island, how the island is going to be used should be factored into your fixture selection. “If your cooktop or main kitchen sink is located in your island, you will want stronger lighting than if it is simply used as an alternative eating area,” Dross suggested.

Carlene Anderson, an interior designer, whose company, Redstone Interiors, operates out of Crosslake, Minnesota, says that she's seen a change in the trends for island lighting recently. “My clients seem to be opting for larger light fixtures over their islands lately. Instead of three single pendant lights, they may go with two larger drop down lights or even one fixture with several bulbs.”

Current Trends

LED lighting under cabinets and around toe kicks. Photo courtesy of Kichler Lighting.

As you look at current light fixture options, you may note that many of today's fixtures have cleaner lines and less ornate finishes to them. This fits with the overall trend in home finishes. Older cabinets often had glass inserts that had a golden tint. Today's cabinet door glass has a white look to it. This remains true even when the glass is combined with bronze trim. The door styles chosen for today's kitchen will follow this trend by having sleek smooth finishes rather than the raised wood panels of the past. Cabinet hardware, like the light fixtures, will have a more modern look. Simple understated styling in nickel and chrome finishes are much more popular today than the antiqued brass you will find in older homes. Mixing and matching your new kitchen lighting finishes and styles to complement your kitchen's existing look is a big part of the fun in this essential kitchen upgrade project.

Whether you are doing a full kitchen remodel, or simply changing out the lighting, you'll find many kitchen lighting options to choose from. Remember the layering factor, especially if the kitchen is intended to be highly functional.

Energy Efficient Lighting Basics

kkrueger — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:33:00 GMT

Energy Efficient Lighting Basics

Energy efficient lighting is a great way to save money on home utility costs. It is also an area that is rapidly growing and changing. Keeping abreast of the changing terms and options available is necessary to choose your light fixtures and light bulbs for your home wisely.

Choosing Your Bulbs

The 9-watt GE Energy Smart® LED light bulb. New technology in a familiar package.

Different kinds of bulbs produce their light through different means. It is this difference that accounts for their measure of energy efficiency. We'll examine the three main types of light bulbs available today and determine what makes one more energy-efficient than another.

An incandescent bulb uses heat. The larger the wattage of your incandescent bulb, the more heat it will generate. That is why consumers are cautioned not to place higher wattage incandescent bulbs in lamps or fixtures than are recommended by the manufacturer.

Halogen bulbs create their light in the same way that incandescent bulbs do, but they have a much longer life. The difference is the halogen gas within the bulb. The gas in the halogen bulbs keeps the filament of the bulb from 'burning out' as fast as an ordinary incandescent bulb. “Halogen is an incandescent technology with a big efficiency advantage over standard incandescent bulbs,” says John Strainic, global product general manager, GE Lighting.

Fluorescent bulbs also contain a gas. When electricity flows through this gas, it creates invisible ultra-violet light that bounces off the white coating of your fluorescent bulb and produces the light that you see. Since no energy is needed to produce heat, as in the incandescent bulbs, less energy is used by a fluorescent bulb to create the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb.

LED – These three letters stand for “light emitting diode.” Electronic items have been using LED lighting for many years, but it is only in recent years that it has become available for home lighting. Very little energy is needed to create the photons that produce the LED light. LED lights also have a much longer life than incandescent bulbs.

If you are choosing your light bulbs based solely on their energy efficiency, then LED lights will be your choice, with fluorescent being a close second. However, there are other factors to consider. One of those factors is the price you pay for the different types of light bulbs. LED lights will be the most expensive, even with their long life. The types of fixtures the bulbs will be used in should also be considered. Fixtures designed for one type of bulb cannot necessarily be fitted with another type of bulb. When purchasing light bulbs for existing fixtures, you will be limited to the bulbs available for that type of fixture, but that does not mean that your choices are few. There are many compact fluorescent bulbs and halogen bulbs that have been designed to be used in incandescent style light fixtures.

Fixture Choices

There are more stylish, energy efficient lighting designs than ever before.

Your choice of fixtures doesn't have to be limited for energy efficiency's sake, according to Kim Mager, Marketing Director for Hinkley Lighting in Cleveland, Ohio. “Many of our fixtures can be converted to LED or fitted with energy-saving sockets for CFL bulbs,” says Mager. “And that includes indoor and outdoor lighting options.” For the environmentally and energy conscious homeowner, this is an important feature to consider when ordering light fixtures for their home.

Hinkley Lighting released two new collections in 2011 that specifically utilize LED lighting technology, the LOFT and ZEN collections. “I wanted to create a design that was the physical translation of the many benefits of LED technology,” says Hinkley Lighting designer Joel Tomlinson. Joel combined the LED elements of durability and environmentally-conscious technology into the design of the ZEN collection.

Summary

In your search for energy efficient lighting, you must first look to your bulbs. You will have a wide selection of options to choose from, when selecting bulbs to fit existing incandescent fixtures. You will need to compare the amount of energy used by the bulb, the expected life of the bulb and the price that you are paying for each of your different options.

If you are purchasing new light fixtures, you will want to choose your fixtures based on the type of bulbs you plan to use in them. Not all lighting fixtures will have the same versatile options, as are provided by Hinkley Lighting, so be sure to order fixtures that are suited to the types of bulbs you desire to use.

Careful selection of your bulbs and lighting fixtures will ensure that your home lighting is providing you with the maximum in energy efficiency.

Set the Mood In Your Bathroom With The Right Lighting

kqueen — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:25:00 GMT

Set the Mood In Your Bathroom With The Right Lighting

Progress Lighting's Addison collection is inspired by the delicate texture of seashells and features graceful, curved arms and scalloped glass shades with an etched glass finish.

Bathroom lighting used to be an afterthought. You’d pick out a ceiling fixture, add a strip of globe lights above the vanity and call it done. Today as bathrooms become luxurious sanctuaries, layered lighting and decorative fixtures set the mood for the day and evening. You can get a range of lighting shapes, designs, and finishes from traditional to modern.

“In the past, builders would put in one of those strip lights and you wouldn’t have to make a lot of decisions,” says Joseph A. Rey-Barreau, an architect/lighting designer and professor at the University of Kentucky.

Now consumers can create a spa-like bathroom and lighting sets the mood for pampering, says Kim Banks, marketing specialist with Progress Lighting in Greenville, S.C. “We see people using the bathroom as their sanctuary,” Banks says. “Not only is the bathroom a place to get ready in the morning, but it’s also a place to unwind after a long day.”

Today’s trends include clean minimalist fixtures with colors and shapes inspired by nature, such as glass fixtures with the scallops of a seashell, Banks says. Brushed nickel and polish silver remain popular finishes along with antique bronze and more contemporary finishes.

But the most important issue is still to think about the tasks you’ll be doing—cleaning, shaving, applying makeup--and make sure you have the right amount of light, Rey-Barreau says.

To make sure you have enough light for shaving or getting your lipstick just right, opt for a fixture with two bulbs and at least 60 watts in each, if using incandescent) or 18 watts, if using compact fluorescent lights. (Note: new federal lighting standards are phasing out incandescent bulbs by 2014. With CFLs, you can usually use about one-fourth the wattage you’d use with an incandescent, Rey-Barreau says).

Start With the Vanity

The vanity is the logical place to begin. “That’s where most of the major tasks where you need lighting occur,” Rey-Barreau says. “You want to make sure the vanity is properly taken care of. I tell people that selecting a bath vanity light is as important as selecting a chandelier.”

In the past, many bathrooms featured that strip of exposed globe lights, also called Hollywood lights, above the vanity, Rey-Barreau

Victorian: Progress Lighting's Victorian Bath Bronze is a Delta Bath Match family, allowing consumers to coordinate lighting fixtures with other elements of the bath and vanity area, including faucets.

says, and that trend is still popular. But you have more options now. You can mount a light fixture directly onto a plate glass mirror, but Rey-Barreau doesn’t recommend this option because about 50 percent of the time the mirror will crack. Instead, if you have a double vanity, consider a fixture above each sink. For extra light and a decorative touch, add wall sconces on either side of the mirror, Banks and Rey-Barreau say. Wall sconces are a nice touch to create impact in a smaller powder room too, Rey-Barreau says.

Illuminate The Rest of the Room

The center of the room is your next most important light source. If the bathroom is larger than 40 square feet, you need a light in the middle of the room, Rey-Barreau says. “That lighting can be as decorative as you want,” he says. “There’s a movement toward mini chandeliers in bathrooms.”

No one wants to shower in the dark and without a light, a shower can be a dim place. Today, you often can get shower lighting up to 75 watts for incandescents, with 18 watt CFLs providing an equivalent amount of light. “Especially if you have a pretty large shower area with granite or tile, you can get a nice effect by using higher wattage,” Rey-Barreau says.

Note that light fixtures above the tub or shower require special wet-rated fixtures that won’t be damaged by water, he says.

If your toilet is in a separate room, one approach is to use recessed lighting, Rey-Barreau says. But decorative ceiling fixtures make a nice touch also and are a good way to highlight decorative crown molding near the ceiling.

Dim The Lights To Set the Mood

Just as chandeliers are making their way from formal dining rooms into the bathroom, so are dimmer switches. “Dimming is not a common subject you think about in the bathroom,” Rey-Barreau acknowledges. “But if you’ve never had a dimmer on your vanity and then you put on one, you’d be amazed at how often you’d change the lighting. When the lights are dimmer, it creates a more comfortable environment.”

When you’re just brushing your teeth or washing your hands, you don’t need the same level of light as you do to get your game face on for the day. That evening soak in your garden tub is another good time to dim the lights. When you stumble in during the night, you don’t want a brightly lit room—just enough light to get where you’re going.

Above the tub is another great place for dimmer switches, he says.

Lights Are All in the Family

Too many decisions? Not to worry. In the past, you might pick out each bathroom fixture separately. Now many lighting companies offer families of coordinating lights. In some cases, you can even coordinate light fixtures with your faucets such as Delta’s Bath Match family, Banks says.

“It’s easy to select light fixtures that have the same textures, finishes and features,” Banks says. “You can create the same theme throughout your bathroom. You can even have a complementary theme throughout the entire home.”

How to Use Lighting to Transform a Room

feffendi — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:20:00 GMT

How to Use Lighting to Transform a Room

Lighting is a power tool. Home lighting can be c ategorized into three areas: Ambient, Task or Accent. Using these three lighting styles one can alter the design of a room or space to add depth and dimension, texture and variety.

Ambient Lighting

This private residence shows how surface mounted accent lights create drama on plants, fireplace and accessories. Design by Bouyea & Associates, Inc.

Ambient light primarily focuses on the overall illumination of a space. This typically involves overhead fixtures designed to provide even light levels throughout a room with mainly a functional purpose. Ceiling fixtures, lamps or track lights are standard sources of ambient lighting. Though on its own ambient lighting may not be enough to illuminate an entire room, it can work together with one or both of the other lighting techniques to create an overall well-lit area. If left to stand alone, ambient lighting can be harsh, but adding additional layers of accent and task lighting will soften the effect.

DINING ROOM: Try c handeliers or similar overhead lighting that gently but powerfully lights up the entire dining area. Use d immer switches that allow for customization depending on the occasion and desired ambiance.
LIVING AREA : Ceiling fans and overhead light fixtures.
KITCHEN: Use Ambient Lighting to c learly light any walk-through spaces . Use o verhead, hanging pendulum or fixed lighting units.

Task Lighting

Specific tasks that require intense light are best illuminated with task lighting. This can be through desk or floor lamps, spot lights and other forms or fixtures that directly focus on a specific area. Task lighting is much brighter than ambient lighting and is especially prevalent in areas like the office, kitchen or bedrooms where activities like reading, working or food prep take place.

DINING ROOM: Think t rack lighting in informal dining areas to spotlight table items.
LIVING AREAS : Floor lamps that cover a certain corner near a chair or seating area work well as task lighting without illuminating the entire room.
KITCHEN: Spot lighting that focuses on display areas or work spaces is perfect for this space.

Accent Lighting

The softest of lighting sources, accent lighting’s main function is to add interest to a space by breaking up the monotony using strategically positioned directional light beams. This works especially well in unison with ambient lighting in main areas of a home. In a kitchen, for example, while the overhead fixture provides overall illumination and track lights focus on the center island, accent lights are those that highlight the backsplash space under cabinets. Sconces and recessed lighting are also good sources of accent light, adding depth and interest to a space while showcasing specific items like wall art, plants or a small area.

DINING: Buffet lamps or decorative wall sconces in a dining room add a soft glow and enhance the mood while infusing personality and dimension to the space.
LIVING AREAS: Wall sconces and concealed fixtures designed to subtly highlight plants and dark areas provide great accent lighting in living areas. A rt lamps can be used for drawing the eye to a notable piece or hanging.
KITCHEN: Accent lighting in the kitchen can come by way of r ecessed lighting within and under cabinets, in lower beams and in other dark spaces. This o ffers a gentle glow and layered light effect, providing soft lighting when only some illumination is needed.

Outdoor Lighting

E xterior spaces can require up lighting, backlighting and accent lighting to showcase outdoor attributes. Entryways should be handled with ambient light, providing clear visibility and security for nighttime use. Other than pathways, exterior design elements that look best when illuminated are trees, landscaped areas and specific areas of the home’s structure. Decks, gazebos and other outdoor seating spaces look best when accented with recessed or back lighting.

Uplighting fixtures s hine light vertically to showcase trees and large outdoor landscaping features.

Backlighting can provide a soft but strong silhouette accent light through the back end of outdoor plants, trees and shrubs.

Accent Lighting p rimarily illuminates the exterior of a home, focusing on key outside areas and showing off the physical features of the home’s exterior after dark.

Professional Illuminators

Under-cabinet lighting creates “floating” nightstands in this bedroom design by Bouyea & Associates, Inc. Up lighting on indoor plant adds depth to the space.

Many people hire professional lighting designers to evaluate and implement their lighting landscape. Barbara Bouyea of Bouyea & Associates, Inc. is a well-known lighting designer based in Washington Depot, CT who has an extensive client list servicing the hospitality, residential, restaurant and retail sectors. Her broad experience lends her a legendary status in the world of lighting designers. “An element within a lighting project can cost anywhere from $45 per foot for under cabinet lighting to $1000 for swing arm lamps mounted to the wall, depending of course on the elements desired by the client, ” Boyeau explains.

“Lighting projects managed by designers can range anywhere from $150-$200 per hour with the cost largely depending on the project size, ” says Matthew Zelkowitz Assoc. IALD, IC of Available Light. His firm primarily deals in commercial endeavors though they have done some residential properties as well.

Tips From the Pros:

Use lighting in layers so you can adjust lights according to your needs.
Use dimmers to control the mood. A room can go from bright and open to warm and intimate in seconds.
Place recessed lighting in a way so as to highlight the space in front of you to avoid shadows.
Highlight art, indoor plants or other strategic spots to engage people and draw them in, in the same way a lit window would attract attention.
To create a range of lighting conditions use dimmers in more than one light installation within a room.
Position backlights behind indoor plants to add interesting depth and multi-layers to the space.

Unless hiring a lighting designer, develop a plan. Carefully assess the use of each room, listing each of the three types of light and how much of each is required according to your needs. Keep in mind that adding layers adds variety, which creates mood and a mixed bag of looks that keeps the space interesting.