| How to Light your Home
Just as important as the details that moulding and paint color provide or the style of the room dictated by the furniture selected, lighting is a intregal part of your overall home decor. Lighting that is thoughtful and well planned can really pull a room together.
There are three basic types of lighting:
Task Lighting provides specific lighting to an area. Examples of task lighting include Table Lamps providing reading light to a desk or on an end table next to your favorite chair. It also includes our Tin Shade Lights which would provide task lighting over a kitchen sink or island.
Ambient Lighting can soften the mood or illuminate dark corners. Tin Accent Lights and Tin Sconces are good examples of ambient lighting. This type of lighting is also perfect for featuring art and architecture.
Some tips that can help you choose your lighting wisely:
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Do not use open bottomed fixtures in the middle of a room. These types of lights provide task lighting over a table, island or kitchen sink. You do not want to use them in a hallway since you will look up and see a bare bulb, creating a lot of glare.
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Table lamps and floor lamps should have a distance from the bottom of the lampshade to the ground of about 36-47 inches. This height will prevent direct view of the lightbulb and will give ample reading light. You can use different sizes of harps to achieve the proper height.
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A chandelier should be hung about 30" above the table. Too often, chandeliers are hung too high and seem disconnected from the table. For ceilings that are nine feet or more, a two-tier chandelier would work well to fill the space between the ceiling and the table.
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Dimmer switches are terrific for dining room chandeliers in particular. You can dim the light to create a nice ambience when entertaining.
Of course, lighting your home is important on the outside as well! Click on Outdoor Lighting to read about making good lighting decisions for your landscape, adding visual appeal and value to your home.
We hope that this information was helpful to you and would welcome you to Contact Us with any questions. |
