Great Designs - Lamps and Lighting

By Lauren Tyler

Lamps and lighting fixtures for the home are in abundance - in shops and malls, designer outlets, mail order catalogues and online. The home decor market has increased as consumers have become more style savvy, with more disposable income not to mention the explosion of home makeover television programs.

That the home lighting market has gone into such overdrive should come as no shock. In particular the last decade has seen a great rise in lighting manufacturers and a proliferation of many innovative and highly creative lighting designers.

But lets not forget what really lies behind this exciting new upsurge in the design of light fittings: lamps and light fixtures for your home.

A good quality light fitting is one which satisfies the aesthetic requirements (for example, has colors which will match and/or complement the colors of its surroundings) and adheres to safety guidelines as well as being properly constructed. For instance, floor lamps need to have sturdy, robust bases so that they do not tip over easily. For safety reasons, properly manufactured light fixtures should not overheat and scorch the shade or object of light focus, and so forth. As well as these other factors for consideration are the ease of installation, ease of maintenance, portability, durability, economy and adjustability.

To choose the correct light fixture for your surroundings, try to visualize the lighting effect you desire:
What do you want the light fitting to do?
Will the light source provided by this fitting be adequate for the task at hand?
Will this light source be complemented by other light fittings in the room?
How will this light fitting be controlled?

Depending on the type of light fitting you have in mind, the distribution of its light is affected by using the principles of diffusion, refraction or reflection and are further affected by the type, shape and style of fitting and the materials it is made from. For example, spotlights, desk lights and ceiling-mounted downlighters emit a precise and focussed beam of light on the objects they are directed at.

Baffles and louvers are other light-manipulating devices commonly used in light fixtures. A "baffle" is a device attached to a light fitting to help prevent glare. The grooved indentations often seen on the inside of many cylindrically shaped light fittings are "baffles". The grooves have the effect of reducing apparent brightness when you look into the light fitting from certain angles.

Louvers are blades, made from translucent or opaque plastic and metal, which reduce glare by preventing a direct view through the opening of the light source fixture. Despite the use of louvers and baffles in many lighting designs, the most common way of manipulating artificial light in a room is the shade. This could be an integral part of the light fitting (as with spotlights) or separate (as with the traditional table lamp). The choice of lampshade is highly personal and is affected by factors such as the color, fabric and size of the shade. Of course, one is so spoilt for choice these days that it should not be too difficult to find the exact lampshade you need to match a particular style or color theme.

There are many factors to be taken into consideration in the design and creation of lamps and lighting fixtures and we should be thankful that this task is taken care of by highly skilled designers and manufacturers.

This leaves us, the consumer, free to think about the type of fitting, Tiffany lamp or wall light? And the different colors, styles and designs they come in.

How To Choose The Right Lighting To Maximise Living Room Impact

By Tracey Aldous

Lighting is an important feature in home décor. It highlights our surroundings and enables us to perceive colour and texture. Valuable time is spent selecting colour, furniture and accessories for the living area. Choosing the right lighting is essential to maximise their impact.

Lighting plans for a living area or family room must always take in to account what activities will occur there. Most people will want to include general lighting for watching television and entertaining, accent lighting for artwork, plants and interesting architectural aspects and task lighting for reading or sewing.

For ambience in the living room, use a combination of overhead light fittings, table lamps, floor standing lamps and wall mounted fittings. For an increased level of ambient light, use translucent shades on table lamps instead of opaque.

Small living rooms can be made to feel bigger by lighting an entire wall. This can be done by using recessed light fittings that are mounted on the ceiling. They will need to be and equal distance from the wall and each other to get the best effect. This idea can also be used to highlight walls with interesting textures or features.

Brick or stone fireplaces can be emphasised by installing recessed downlights in the ceiling above the mantle creating a charming grazing effect across the surface. The use of wall sconces on either side of the fireplace will draw attention to the area as well as providing general lighting for the living room.

Task lighting can be accomplished by placing a floor standing lamp either side of the reading chair. The light should come from behind the reader’s shoulder and the bottom of the shade should be located at eye level to avoid glare.

Paintings can be highlighted with low voltage halogen picture lights. They are usually frame mounted and provide bright, white light across the painting.

Large houseplants can be accented by using up-lighting floor lights behind the plant, creating a silhouetted feature which will brighten up any dull corner.

Glass cabinets with collectables make a sparkly feature to any living room when the right type of lighting is used. For the best effect try using recessed adjustable light fittings with low voltage halogen light bulbs.

To make your living room seem larger, carry the atmosphere outdoors by lighting gardens, shrubbery and water features that are visible from the windows in the room.

Tracey Aldous is a trainee accountant who enjoys freelance writing in her spare