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Decorate Your Home Using Lights

1. Ambient lighting-provides overall illumination and comfortable level of brightness, allowing you to move around and see safely.  Overhead lighting is most common.  Use warm and natural light bulbs.
2. Task lighting-helps you perform a specific activity such as reading or cooking, by concentrating light in a particular place.  Use fluorescent lighting to light up work area.
3. Accent lighting-creates a mood and adds interest to a room by spot lighting certain area or objects such as paintings, collectables, or walls.  It is most effective when it is used sparingly and creatively.  Use long lasting halogen floodlights in your track and recessed fixtures to provide wide beams of clean lights.
4. Decorative lighting-becomes part of a room decoration such as chandeliers, candles, torch ere lamps, and wall scones.  Use incandescent light bulbs to bring out the tones of the room.  The bulbs can be used with dimmer switches.

• Use motion sensing fixtures and get light only when you need it.
• Install lights on either side of all doorways and above so the steps, doors, house number and locks can be seen easily.
• Light path evenly by overlapping the patterns of light.  Sharp contrast of light and dark can confuse or disorient your guests.
• Up lighting is the perfect way to add drama to trees, landscape features such as water fountain, and architectural elements of your home.  Place light at an angle and light the object from below.  Use heavy duty all weather bulbs designed to withstand harsh weather conditions.
• Back lighting creates beautiful silhouettes by placing objects you want to highlight in front of a lit surface.  For an eye catching effect, angle the light against the wall or fence behind the object.

• Sizing fixture to the space.  Place lighting fixtures every 8-10 feet in hallways.
• Placing some fixtures high on the walls in an entry to provide flexible lighting.  Directing lights downward will add drama and feeling of spaciousness.  Adjust the beam exactly where you need it.
• Dimmer switches are helpful in the entry way.  There create a lower level of light to help visitors adapt to the sudden change in light levels when coming in from the outside.
• For safety on stairs, place a down light at the top and a wall scone at the bottom of the stairs.  This defines the edge and depth of each step, including the bottom step where most accident occurs.
• In area with higher, vaulted ceiling (above 8 feet) consider using halogen track lights to highlight artwork in hallways and entry area.  Use torch ere lamp to soften the appearance of walls and ceiling.

• Recessed lighting is preferred to light a general area because the light source is also concealed. 
• Stone, brick and other textured walls can be emphasized by a wall washing technique called “grazing” (by position the light source to a wall or tree to bring out its texture).  Place recessed directional fixtures 6-8 inches away from the wall and 12-30 inches apart and aim the beam down ward for a dramatic visual effect.
• To highlight your art, collectibles, and other points of interest consider pools of accent lighting.
• Use translucent shades on table lamps to contribute to the ambient light level.

• Kitchen that is less than 100 square feet requires two-lamp fluorescent.  Down lights placed 18 inches from the edge of the cabinets and spaced them 3 feet – 4 feet on centers is ideal to generate additional lighting.  Use recessed halogen or fluorescent valance lighting or recessed down lights mounted directly over the sink.
• Cool white fluorescent bulbs will enhance cool color like gray or blue; warm white bulbs enhance warm color in your kitchen or dining room like yellow, red, and beige or to compliment wood cabinets.
• Use switches for general and task lights separately and use a dimmer for all halogen lights to create different moods for cooking and entertaining.
• Under the cabinet fixtures should be mounted as close as possible to the front edge of the cabinet to avoid glare on the work surface.  Use 2 watts of electricity for every linear foot of counter space.
• For accent lighting, use halogen track lighting fixtures to give your kitchen extra dimension and illuminate special objects or food presentation areas.
• A light fixture hung over an eating area will separate it from the working area of the kitchen.  Hang the fixture with distance of the bottom of the fixture to the top of the table no less than 30-36 inches.  Select a fixture 12 inches narrower than the top of your table.
• Keep your chandelier dimmed to avoid glare and shadows on your table mates.  Install small recessed down lights with dimmer switches on either side of the chandelier to supplement the ambient lights.

• Indirect lighting can offer a pleasant glow to relaxed bedroom environments.  Mood lighting uses bulbs around 40-75 watts; use with dimmer switches.
• Use swing arm or flexible bedside lamps on each side of the bed and you will be able to focus your reading lights where you need it.  Bulbs between 75-100 watts are the best for reading.
• Use task lighting to help in grooming at the mirror or a dressing table.  For a vanity table with seating, shade centers should be 15 inches above the table top.

• Personal grooming requires shadow-free lighting.  Position strip lights above and on either side of the mirror are the best way to eliminate shadows on the face.
• Use adjustable lighted magnifying mirror at the dressing table is also an ideal lighting for grooming and applying make up.
• Recessed down lights rated for wet locations can provide adequate lights for tubs and showers and for a nighttime ambience.
• Warm or cool white fluorescent bulbs will enhance appearance of skin tone, create better reflection off surfaces, and help you see yourself in true light.
• For closets, choose energy-efficient long life fluorescent bulbs with warm white color.