What’s Your Lighting Type?

Lighting is divided by the type of lamp used and the style of the fixture. Lamp types include …
➤ Incandescent.
➤ Fluorescent.
➤ Halogen.
Each of these has distinguishing characteristics, as described in the following list. When it comes to fixture styles, the sky’s the limit. They range from antique reproductions to one-of-a-kind works of art (with prices to match). The following are some of the most common light fixtures:
➤ Flush-mounted ceiling lights that include square, mushroom, or round domes
➤ Hanging ceiling lights and chandeliers
➤ Surface fluorescent lights
➤ Recessed ceiling lights
➤ Track lighting
➤ Bath bars
➤ Sconces and wall-mounted lights
➤ Wall washes
➤ Undercabinet-mounted lights
➤ Outdoor lights (floodlighting, landscape lighting, pole-mounted lights, wallmounted lights, and security lighting)

All of these will light up a given area. You just have to decide whether they will provide light that you find both appropriate and pleasing to the eye. Your budget also is a consideration, especially if you’re buying fixtures for a major remodel. An outdoor landscaping light, for example, can be a simple pagoda light or an ornate—and expensive—leaded-glass lamp. (The latter is not recommended if you have kids, dogs, or errant adults running around the yard.)

Looks Are Something

The cheapest porcelain fixtures with 100-watt bulbs might provide safe lighting, but they won’t be much to look at. Visualize the appearance of the fixture and the lamp as well as their function. Some fixtures literally are works of art (Tiffany lamps, for example); others are designer-created and are very striking to look at. Do you want to look at a brass hanging light over the kitchen table or cobalt-blue steel? You’re going to be looking at them every day, so take your time choosing your fixtures.

Combining Lighting Styles

Most general living space will accommodate more than one lighting style. A closet
obviously doesn’t need accent lighting unless you make a point of giving your guests
a tour of your shoe collection. A dining room needs ambient light, but it can become
very dramatic with, say, floor-to-ceiling lights illuminating the side walls while the recessed
ceiling lights are off and a few lit candles are on the table. A mix of lighting
offers the most options and can present a room and its occupants at their best in a
variety of settings.

Whether you’re building something new or remodeling, keep your furniture in mind
rather than strictly installing lights by formula (so many per square feet at such and
such a distance from each other). You might have a grand piano ready to nestle in a
corner of the living room or a windowless wall just waiting for your collection of
family portraits. Either situation calls for very specific fixture placement.