Lighting

With the number of options continually increasing, lighting has come a long way from the one overhead fixture installed purely for its functionality.

While functionality is certainly an important concern when incorporating lighting into your design scheme, options now give form and fashion to the functionality. Advances in technology also have increased the options in actual types of light radiating from the lighting fixture, such as florescent, soft white light, very bright, sparkling light or even colored light. Each apparatus provides different functionality for different needs and ambiances.

To start, it is useful to identify the categories you will have to choose from when making your decision: chandeliers or wall-sconce lighting, lighting specifically for the bathroom, pendant lighting, ceiling lights (which can be combined with a fan), rugged outdoor lighting, floor or table lamps, track lighting, cable lighting, monorail lighting, tech trak, or recessed lighting.

Within these categories, the choices can be overwhelming. This can make it seem difficult to know where to start when making a lighting decision, but it means you probably will be able to find the perfect style for your decorating scheme, combining the functionality you need with the ambiance you desire.

Here are a couple steps to help sort out the options:

Decide on a budget. Installing electrical work inside walls and ceilings will be much more expensive than floor or table lamps, wall sconces or simply replacing a fixture where there already is one.

Decide if the space you need to light will be a work area, an area in which you are adding decoration or drama, an area in which you want to add a mood or the option to create a mood, or general room lighting.

Decide on the style and feel you want the fixtures to have. Make sure they match your decorating scheme. For example, is your room classic, Victorian, modern or tropical?

For a work area, you will want bright, direct lighting. To achieve this, track lighting works well and floor or table lamps can be placed accordingly.

For decoration or drama, decorative lighting such as sconces, chandeliers, recessed or track lighting can be angled to give the desired highlighting effect.

For mood, dimmers are useful in allowing you to set the amount of light according to your desired ambience.

For general lighting, chandeliers and ceiling fixtures will be your best bet to provide an entire room with adequate light. Pendant lights and cable lighting might also work depending on the size and shape of the space.


Sources:

http://www.ehow.com/how_14483_choose-lighting-co mplement.html
http://www.formplusfunction.com/brightideas.htm< br />http://www.lampsplus.com/htmls/lightingnews/deco rate.asp