The Light Life

Illuminate your home with options, both functional and beautiful

By Melanie Wanzek
CTW Features

Image courtesy Sea Gull Lighting Products

Balance. It’s hard in any area of life, and living room lighting is no exception.

“I have this truism,” says Barbara Bain, interior redesigner at Redesign Today, Jacksonville, Fla. “People under the age of 40 don’t have enough lights and just rely on the ceiling fan; people over age of 65 have on every lamp they ever owned.”

If you would rather fall somewhere in the middle, listen up: Volume and variety are the keys to successfully lighting a living room. Bain, as well as interior designer and redesigner Pam Smith say one overhead fixture is never enough. Instead, form a triad of at least three main lamps to create enough general lighting.

“It will be extremely functional, useful and can be pretty,” says Smith, of Pamela Smith Redesigns, Thousand Oaks, Calif. She suggests incorporating jewelry pieces in other locations, like tiny decorative lamps, candles and uplights. “Things like that really add dimension, depth and character.”

Bain adds that since a variety of things happen in the living room, it’s important to have a variety of lights to meet those needs. Floor lamps, spotlights, sconces and recessed can lighting can help aid reading, working or other activities. She says using a dimmer can also transition a living room from a room for reading to one for watching TV or having a party.

And don’t forget to consider going green with compact florescent light bulbs: “Lighting is evolving,” Smith says. “Most of my clients weren’t liking [CFL’s] because they are kind of twisty, almost like soft serve ice cream. But now there are some encased in a regular-looking bulb now, so there’s no excuse – you’ll be saving energy since the life is typically years and they’re very efficient and good for the environment.”

Below are some tips on lighting your life right from the American Lighting Association:

Fireplaces made of brick or stone can be emphasized with recessed downlights installed in the ceiling over the mantle to create an intriguing grazing effect across the surface. Wall sconces on each side of the fireplace are an attractive addition that draws attention to the fireplace area, while providing general lighting for the living room.

Reading requires task lighting that comes from behind the reader's shoulder. This can be accomplished with a floor lamp at the right or the left of a chair. The bottom of the shade should be located at eye level to avoid glare.

House plants can be accented by aiming an uplight can at the wall behind the plant, creating a dramatic silhouette of the plant against the wall.

TV, video games, and computers require low-level general lighting that does not wash out the screen's image nor reflect into the viewer's eyes. Miniature track lighting can be installed under shelves to provide both general and accent lighting. Choose from accent spots, mini-lights, and compact or linear fluorescent light sources.

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