Dormitorio Fresco: LET THERE BE LIGHT

Friday, January 6, 2012 Posted by Arfin at 5:41 AM

There are many types of lighting thatcan be used in various rooms of the home.

Ambient light: A hidden source of light that washes a room with a glow. Itflattens an interior and creates very little shadow. A wall sconce is anexample of ambient lighting.

Accent lighting: Directional lighting or lighting that adds interest orhighlights a certain object or unusual architectural feature in a room. Halogen spotlights and table lamps with opaque shades are goodways to achieve accent lighting.

Task lighting: Task lighting is just that; lighting that's used to performdaily activities such as reading, computer,cooking, shaving, putting on makeup, etc. Itneeds to be glare-free.

Different banks of task light areuseful in the kitchen — near the stove and chopping areas are places for thistype of lighting. Task-lighting sources are never seen and any task lightshould have a reflective shield. Ambient lighting and task lighting go hand inhand. Pools of light created by several spots produce a lovely effect.

Aesthetic lighting: Lighting itself can be a work of art. A purely decorative lamp is an example of aesthetic lighting. A spotlightilluminating a statue on a pedestal or portrait on the wall is also artistic.

Natural lighting: Sunlight, candlelight and firelight; this is light that moves andis sometimes referred to as kinetic. The quality of natural light, sunlight inparticular, depends on many things — time of day, weather, what season it is.

There are many ways to light a room.And the room's function greatly determines the way it should be lit. Some examples: If a room is too tall, use lowluminaries that let no light out the top to help shorten those high ceilings.

If a room is too small, visually pushone wall open by washing it with light.

If a room is too wide, illuminate thenarrow ends. Conversely, if a room is too narrow,

illuminate the wide sides.

If a room is too tall, use low luminaries that let no light out the top to help shorten those high ceilings.

Dark walls and floors reflect lesslight than light-colored ones. White walls reflect all light.

A balancing act is important in allrooms when it comes to light. Up lights, down lights and wall washers work welltogether. They make a good team in almost any room and if dimmers are addedthey can perform well in any atmosphere.

Here is an an array of options for illuminating your world: