Having the proper type and amount of lighting in a room can dramatically impact how a room looks and how it is used. You need to carefully consider what kind of lighting will work best in a particular room while assessing how the room will be used.

For instance, living rooms and bedrooms can be difficult rooms to light because they generally serve a wide variety of functions. Ideally you should have background lighting that can be dimmed in order to create a different type of mood in the room. Background lights usually come in the form of up-lighting that will reflect light off the ceiling. Then you should have lighting that highlights the different focal points of the living room or bedroom that are controlled separately from the background lighting. Finally, you need to have task lighting options, such as a reading lamp on an end table or nightstand which can be used for specific tasks. Directional reading lamps are perfect for this task because the light can be focused on the book and not a sleeping partner in the bed next to you.

You can also use light to highlight specific areas of a room, such as a stairway or artwork. Recessed down-lights are perfect for illuminating tight corners, hallways, or darkened stairways. Consider installing motion detector switches on the walls in these areas so they only turn on when someone is passing by. You can also use wall mounted spot lights to feature wall art or cherished family photos. Adding lighting to a bookcase or china cabinet is a great way to highlight your favorite collectibles while also creating background mood lighting for any room.

Tags: Amish Furniture Styles, Interior Decorating, Interior Design, Lamps, Lighting

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 10:32 am and is filed under Decorating Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.