Choose The Right Light Fixtures

Lighting can mean the difference between a relaxing or energized space.

Lighting has a significant effect on the mood and overall design of your rooms. A light fixture can change a room from bright and cheery to dark and romantic in an instant. Choosing the right lighting fixtures for your home requires that you consider your overall goal for the room's atmosphere as well as the activities that will be carried out in that room. In most rooms, using combination of fixtures gives you more flexibility in how that room is used.

Instructions

1. Examine the uses of the room where the lighting will be installed. Most rooms will require layered lighting for flexibility. For example, sconces installed next to a desk in the family room are ideal for activities that require focused lighting and create a relaxing atmosphere when installed on each side of a mantel. Overhead lighting, such as chandeliers, brightens the space when entertaining guests.

2. Choose multiple lighting sources in kitchens and bathrooms. The kitchen is where food is prepared and where family gathers, so bright overhead lighting is necessary. Fixtures installed over counters and sinks or beneath cupboards provide focused light for chopping vegetables or washing dishes.

3. Select lights that are one-third the width of the vanity for bathrooms. This way the light illuminates both sides of your face while you're looking in the mirror.

4. Opt for lighting that creates an atmosphere of quiet relaxation in the bedroom, but also add focused bright spots for reading. For example, a ceiling fixture with a frosted shade evenly distributes soft light around the room and makes a good central light, but lamps or wall sconces on each side of the bed provide proper lighting for reading and relaxation.

5. Choose light shades and lamp bases in soft finishes and colors in bedrooms and family rooms to create a neutral palate. This enables you to change the decor without changing the lights.

6. Choose ceiling-mount lighting fixtures for foyers, hallways, bedrooms, stairways and high-traffic areas like kitchens to provide bright, even lighting at any time of the day.

7. Measure the room size before deciding on ceiling fixtures. To ensure ideal lighting from your fixture, the diameter of the fixture should equal the measurement in inches of the room diagonally. For example, if the room is 30 feet when you measure diagonally from one corner to the other, then the light fixture should be at least 30 inches in diameter.

8. Make note of the hanging height of ceiling fixtures such as chandeliers before making a final decision. Ceiling fixtures should fall no lower than 84 inches above the floor to allow for door swing and for taller people to pass beneath.

9. Choose wall-mounted fixtures to add accent or task lighting when you need light in a specific area of the room. Wall-mounted lights create a cozy, warm atmosphere in large rooms.

10. Choose pendant lighting fixtures, which are usually sconce or shaded lights suspended from the ceiling, to provide accent lighting over tables, countertops and work areas.

11. Create unobtrusive lighting with recessed ceiling fixtures, or can lights. These lights are more utilitarian than decorative, and serve to illuminate without dominating a room. Recessed lighting is ideal for accent lighting as well as for illuminating large rooms.

12. Install track lighting to highlight architectural details or artwork in a room. Track lighting also works for task illumination over desks.

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