Custom Iron Lighting Design & Placement
IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTING PLACEMENT
When you purchase a home, you may not think much about the lighting that comes along with it. But over time, many homeowners notice that the style and placement of their lighting doesn’t meet their needs. That’s because builders sometimes cut corners on lighting with few or low-cost fixtures because they don’t understand the necessity of beautiful lighting. Thankfully, custom lighting design can help create a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere in almost any space.
It is the icing on the cake, the jewelry with the gown. Trust your lighting designer to know what the builders don’t.
LIGHTING DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE
Did you realize that the style, placement, and quality of lighting can affect almost 20 different factors for humans, energy efficiency, and architecture? That’s according to the International Association of Lighting Designers.
LIGHTING TIPS FOR EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE
Of course, people are the most important factor in any type of residential design. Good lighting can improve physical factors such as visibility, safety, and the ability to accurately distinguish between colors and details. However, it can also improve mood, atmosphere, and social interactions. The same qualities also apply to lighting fixtures for commercial locations such as offices, restaurants, and retail stores.
KITCHEN LIGHTING
The kitchen is primarily a work area, but it is also a gathering place for family and friends. Lighting that is comfortable as well as functional is required.
Under cabinet/ Under shelf Fixtures offer both task and accent lighting. Under kitchen cabinets are designed to light a countertop. In a display cabinet they show off prized possessions. They’re used in a workshop or anywhere you need lighting right at hand. They include slim, energy-efficient fluorescents, miniature track lighting, and slim low-voltage mini-lights.
Pendants can provide both task and general lighting. They can be LED, xenon or halogen, indirect or direct lighting with shades or globes to avoid glare, and they are suspended from the ceiling over dinette tables, game tables, kitchen counters, or other work areas. The use of a dimmer control gives you the flexibility to vary the light to suit the occasion. The use of mini pendants has become very popular from both a good lighting perspective, as well as to bring together the rest of the room.
A large ceiling fixture, equipped with energy-efficient fluorescent tubes will supply plenty of well-diffused general lighting, but it may leave you working in your own shadow at the sink, range, and countertops. These areas need supplemental task lighting. For example, two track lights or recessed lighting over the sink will give you the illumination you need for washing dishes and scouring pots and pans. Recessed lighting well placed in a kitchen can give fantastic task lighting. This, in combination with other task lighting, can be both beautiful and functional.
LIVING ROOM LIGHTING
To meet the varied needs of a living room or family room – entertaining, watching television, reading, playing games, accenting artwork – three to four layers of lighting should be used. These might include recessed lighting around the perimeter of the room, a chandelier or central decorative fixture for general lighting, wall sconces for mood and portable lamps for reading and other tasks. Use dimmers whenever possible for maximum control of all fixtures.
Reading requires task lighting that comes from behind the reader’s shoulder. This can be accomplished by placing a floor lamp either at the right or left of the reading chair. The bottom of the shade should be located at eye level to avoid glare. Table lamps, floor lamps and torchieres (floor lamps with an up light component) are available in a variety of styles to complement your interior design.
DINING ROOM LIGHTS
Dining room lighting should be both beautiful and functional. This requires a mix of general, task, and accent lighting that can set the mood for a number of functions, including a formal dinner, a family get-together, and other activities such as homework, hobbies, or family bookkeeping. Dimming controls will enable you to vary the light for each occasion.
Chandeliers can add sparkle and style to your dining room while giving you the general lighting you need for dining and entertaining. Chandeliers can have either direct or indirect light. From traditional to contemporary, the choices of finish, light source and style make it easy to find the perfect fixture for your decor. The addition of a dimmer control lets you alter the intensity of light to suit the mood and activity.
BATHROOM LIGHTING
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.
Wall-Mounted Fixtures can furnish general, task, and accent lighting. Tub and shower enclosures can be adequately lighted by placing an enclosed damp-location recessed down light in the ceiling. These down lights are also recommended over whirlpool baths or in saunas. Today, recessed lights are not only functional, but decorative as well.
BEDROOM LIGHTS
When lighting a bedroom, you will want to create an overall atmosphere of quiet relaxation, while providing some bright spots for reading and other activities. A combination of general and task lighting that takes into account the age and lifestyle of the occupant(s) is needed. Remember, dimming controls give you the flexibility to vary the light to suit different moods and activities.
Wall-Mounted Fixtures can furnish general, task, and accent lighting. Today’s choices of wall-mounted fixtures are vast. You can select a decorative theme that can be carried throughout the home or a look designed to blend into your bedroom decor.
Semi Flush or Ceiling Fixtures provide general lighting. They are practical in areas such as foyers, hallways, bedrooms, kitchens, baths, laundry rooms, playrooms, and dens. They are available with incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, xenon, and energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Another idea is to hang pendants next to the bed, or install recessed down lights in the ceiling over the bed. A way of directing light over the top of the bed is to properly place two recessed lights independently switched to control each light individually.
As you can see, custom lighting design will help you make the most of your entire home.
Professional custom lighting designers are experts in all of the above areas and more.
