When people think about lighting options for their home they often focus on fixtures, such as floor lamps, pendants or sconces. However, lighting experts consider fixtures just one element of a lighting design — the blueprint for using light to create the look and atmosphere in a space.
“A lighting design is integral to an interior design, not only to provide form and function of a space, but to define the look and feel of your room,” said Michelle Poley, director of lighting for CNN’s Washington Bureau. “Proper lighting sets the feel of a room and with its variation, can completely change its character.”
When remodeling, consider lighting as important as color scheme. Poley, winner of three Emmy awards for lighting design, said lighting is “how you steer the overall look and feel of a room. We have a saying in TV lighting, if it’s not lit, it’s not seen.”
One mistake people often make when lighting a room is using the wrong color light. The introduction of energy-efficient CFL and LED light bulbs has changed how we light our rooms. But a rush to go green has left some spaces looking blue.
“I have a neighbor who I can see his house from down the street because it’s completely blue,” said David Cramer, manager and lighting designer at Burgess Lighting in Fairfax. “Numbers on the back of the box tell you what type of color the bulb will give off, but most people don’t know what those numbers mean.”
Cramer said a lighting designer can help consumers navigate through the many choices in lighting. “People need to consider what they want the light to do for them instead of simply matching fixtures to their décor,” he said.
He pointed out that builders put chandeliers in dining rooms because it’s traditional and inexpensive.
“It’s one light source and one outlet,” Cramer said. Treat a chandelier like jewelry for a room, something that sparkles and adds interest. Then add task lighting, such as recessed lights and lamps for more flexibility, he added.
Poley suggested mixing bulbs in light fixtures. “Keep one of the lamps florescent and the other can be a lower wattage clear lamp. The fixture’s pattern appears on the ceiling and you are still saving money and because CFL takes time to warm up. The added tungsten (incandescent) lamp will offer instant light while the CFL warms up.”
“Adding a few dimmers to your home not only creates different looks, but also helps save money,” said Poley. “By dimming a light slightly you [extend] its life, say about 20 percent”.
