Lighting Makes a Home Comfortable

Lighting can make a big difference in how you feel about your home. It helps you perform tasks more easily, makes you feel safer and more comfortable, and allows you to enjoy your home to its full potential. And, it does so inexpensively compared to other home decorating or remodelling options.

Lighting adds beauty and drama to a room. It can make a small room look open and airy, and a large room appear cosy and inviting. It can create a stimulating atmosphere for a night of entertaining, or a quiet feeling of relaxation after a long, tiring day.

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Types of Lighting

There are three basic types of lighting that work together to light your home: General, Task and Accent. A good lighting plan combines all three types to light an area, according to function and style.

General lighting provides an area with overall illumination. Also known as ambient lighting, general lighting radiates a comfortable level of brightness, enabling one to see and walk about safely. It can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights, and with lanterns outside your home. A basic form of lighting that replaces sunlight, general lighting is fundamental to a lighting plan.

Task lighting helps you perform specific tasks such as reading, sewing, cooking, homework, hobbies, games, or balancing your chequebook. It can be provided by recessed and track lighting, pendant lighting, and portable lamps. Task lighting should be free of distracting glare and shadows and should be bright enough to prevent eyestrain.

Accent lighting adds drama to a room by creating visual interest. As part of a decorating scheme, it is used to spotlight paintings, houseplants, sculpture, and other prized possessions, or to highlight the texture of a wall, fireplace, drapery or outdoor landscaping. Accent lighting requires at least three times as much light on the focal point as the general lighting around it. This usually is provided by track, recessed, or wall-mounted fixtures.

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Lighting Options

Once you've selected what you want to light, you'll have to decide how you're going to light it. The Country Junction has a terrific display of lighting that showcases the many  different styles, sizes and shapes of lighting fixtures that are available.

Chandeliers
Hallway & Foyer Fixtures
Wall Mounted Fixtures
Ceiling Fixtures
Fluorescent Lighting
Bath & Vanity Lighting Strips
Track Lighting
Recessed Lighting
Under-shelf Lighting

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Plan Your Lighting

Lighting should be planned to complement your lifestyle. So, first you need to develop a home lighting plan that suits your individual needs and those of your family.

When planning your lighting, look at the activities that occur in each room, the atmosphere you want to create and the decorative elements you wish to emphasize.

Keep in mind that light can be absorbed and even wasted in dark-coloured rooms, or reflected and used as additional illumination in light-coloured rooms.

Finally, take note of those areas serving more than a single purpose and those that will require more than one type of lighting. If you need assistance with your plan, our home decor specialist would be happy to help.

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Lighting a Home Office

When lighting a home office, you will want to create a comfortable working environment that is free of harsh contrasts and distracting glare. You will need task lighting for reading, writing, and computer work, and general lighting for the surrounding area. You may also want to include accent lighting for prized possessions.

Two large ceiling fixtures, containing energy-efficient fluorescent tubes, will provide plenty of well-diffused general lighting, while eliminating shadows on the desk. Place the fixtures over head and to the right and left of the desk so the light comes over the shoulder. Lighting placed in front of a desk will cause troublesome reflections.

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Lighting a Bathroom

In the bathroom, you need plenty of even, shadow-free lighting for shaving, grooming, and applying makeup. In small bathrooms, mirror lights will illuminate the entire room, but in larger bathrooms, an additional ceiling fixture is needed for general lighting. A recessed infrared heat lamp will give you added warmth on chilly mornings.

For small mirrors, decorative wall brackets on each side will illuminate both sides of your face evenly. You can also mount a wall bracket across the top of the mirror.   Theatrical lighting strips provide excellent lighting.  Fixtures equipped with incandescent bulbs behind glass or plastic diffusers provide the most flattering light. If you opt for more energy-efficient fluorescents, choose warm white tones. They come closest to the color of incandescence.

Tub and shower enclosures can be adequately lighted by placing an enclosed damp-location recessed downlight in the ceiling. These downlights are also recommended over whirlpool baths or in saunas.

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Don't Forget Lighting the Outdoors

Outdoor lighting enhances the beauty of your property, makes your home safer and more secure, and increases the number of pleasurable hours you spend outdoors. And it is an investment that pays off handsomely in the value it adds to your home.

A well-lighted front entrance enables you to greet guests and identify visitors. Wall lanterns on each side of the door will give your home a warm, welcoming look, while assuring the safety of those who enter.

Under a porch or other overhang, you can use recessed, chain-hung, or close-to-ceiling fixtures. A separate rear or side entrance can be lighted with a single wall lantern installed on the keyhole side of the door. To conserve energy, consider post and wall lanterns that use new compact fluorescent or high-intensity discharge light sources such as mercury vapour or high pressure sodium.

For the safety and security of family members using the garage at night, you can install a wall fixture on the face of the garage. Fixtures equipped with high-pressure sodium bulbs will deliver more light per watt and last many times longer than those with incandescent bulbs. In addition, photocells are available that will turn fixtures on at dusk and off at dawn, reducing energy consumption and providing security when you're away.

For added security, illuminate any side of the house that would otherwise be in shadow. To conserve energy, install a motion- or heat-sensitive control that will switch on the light only if someone approaches that side of the house. An automatic timer can control a portion of your outdoor lights to turn off at a certain hour, while basic security lights can be left on through the night. Another proven safety measure is to use timers on interior lights to make your home look occupied when you're away.

Steps and paths should be illuminated to make sure family members and guests are able to move about easily and safely after dark. You can install path lights or post lanterns or attach lights to the side of the house. Low-level path lights, which spread circular patterns of light, will brighten your walkway, while highlighting nearby flower beds, shrubs, and ground cover. These close-to-the-ground lights are available in fixtures using energy-saving low-voltage current (see light sources). They are simple to install and can easily be moved to reflect changes in your landscaping.

Low-level path lights can also be used to define the boundaries of long driveways. Bollards, which stand 30 to 36 inches off the ground, also work well. Use shielded fixtures to avoid glare.

Decks, porches, and patios can be converted into romantic evening retreats by concealing low-voltage mini-lights under steps, railing, or benches.

Another idea is to install a spotlight in the branches of a nearby tree.

Don't forget to add stronger light over the barbecue or serving area. To accomplish this, install a recessed spot-light on an adjacent roof overhang or mount spread lights on a railing behind the grill.

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