Light Up Your Life

We’ve come a long way since good old Thomas Edison invented that utilitarian light bulb way back in 1879, making our lives easier, safer and glitzier, too. Hmmm, a word he might never have thought of in describing his incredible invention.

The elements of interior design include cabinetry, flooring, tile, plumbing fixtures and the like. But lighting, from task to mood, has jumped into the forefront of importance over the last several years.

As designers, it is our responsibility to fill the space with light and to use the light and its fixtures as an integral part of a room’s design. This critical design element adds drama and elegance. For years, lighting manufacturers have continually produced a plethora of fixtures for designers to incorporate into their designs for every room in the home. Now, in the spirit of “green living”, they are including energy-saving product-benefits into all of them.

Light layering - ambient, task and accent lighting used together – provides the room with more dimension, depth and visual interest. The first layer of light is general — or ambient — light. It is an overall wash of light that making the room safe to walk through. This layer can have a subtle, quiet presence through the use of recessed cans. Or, it can be an impressive statement by using chandeliers.

Task lighting – light’s second layer - provides the kind of intense light required to perform tasks like reading or cooking. It can be under-cabinet lighting or simple pendants immediately above the work area giving brighter, more direct light to the space.

The third layer of light is accent, or mood, lighting. Accent lights generate interest and insert a bit of excitement to the room. Generally, accent lighting should cast at least five times more light to an area or object than the existing light of the room. Rope lighting placed above crown molding to accentuate architectural features is an example of accent lighting.

Today, standard 6” cans or down lighting are being replaced by mini pendants, both fixed and on movable tracks, for many areas of the home. Placing these lights over an island or vanity sink not only brightens up the workspace, but also adds color, texture and interest to the décor.

A fun way of providing light in hallways, stairways and baths is to use wall sconces in lieu of ceiling fixtures or stair step lighting. These fixtures can compliment the design of the home with color and texture.


Did you know that…

Using dimmers on incandescent bulbs increase its life and decreases the energy used?

The newest compact fluorescents (CFLs) don’t flicker and hum, and are dimmable, and provide a warmer color temperature than in the past. Visit earth911.org to learn how to dispose of these bulbs properly.

If every American home exchanged the 5 most-used bulbs with energy star-qualified bulbs, 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases would be kept out of the air providing a savings of $6 billion in energy.


Americans have saved $16 billion on the energy bills in 2007 with the help of Energy Star.