In-the-Mood Lighting

There’s more to ambience than the flip of a switch.

By Dan Weeks

Choose the Right Bulb

There are four major types of lightbulbs. Each has its own advantages: Incandescent has a low initial cost and is great for rarely used fixtures, such as attic or storage-room lighting, that aren’t active often enough to make more efficient bulbs cost-effective. Halogen quartz creates a bright, crisp white light with excellent beam control that’s great for task and display lighting. Fluorescent tubes are highly energy-efficient and ideal for lighting large areas inexpensively. Their long, narrow configuration minimizes shadows, and they’re available in several color temperatures—warm, cool and daylight, to name a few. Compact fluorescent brings fluorescent efficiency to most lighting fixtures.

Dramatic, inviting, laid-back or demure — lighting choices personify your home. The right radiance can make a room feel warm or cool, intimate or expansive, cozy and relaxing or bright and energizing. But misguided light can make a room seem drab or dreary.

As the days shorten and you begin to spend more time inside, you may realize fall is a wonderful opportunity to update your home’s lighting system and create the atmosphere you really desire. If you’re making do with a generic ceiling fixture and a lamp or two in each room, you’ll be amazed how easily you can transform the feel and function of your world by paying a little attention to each room.

First let us shed some light on the three types of illumination:

General or Ambient. This is the broad, overall luminescence of a room. It’s generally created by fixtures that radiate light throughout or reflect it off large surfaces, creating a diffused, even brightness. This method is sometimes called background lighting.

Accent. Low-level, or accent, lighting adds contrast, drama and interest. It can highlight an architectural element, such as a fireplace, or define a space within a room, such as a corner reading nook. “Light enhances moods, and the proper lighting is essential for creating the desired atmosphere,” says Tracy Valenta, owner of the Mr. Electric ® franchise in Fresno, California.

Task. Strong, directional lighting brightens a specific area so a particular task—reading, cooking, applying makeup or working at a desk—can be accomplished safely and easily. Light type, intensity, placement and direction are especially critical with task lighting.

Certain areas of your home require particular consideration. Entryways, dining rooms, kitchens and baths have specific lighting needs. A few changes can improve how these four spaces function in your home.

Inviting Entryways

The main entrance of your home is a transitional area from outside to inside. Entryways need good ambient lighting from wall fixtures, ceiling fixtures or both. It’s best if these fixtures are on dimmer switches so you can adjust the light level as appropriate for the season and time of day—from a bright, cheerful welcome in early evening to a cozy glow at night. That way your eyes can adjust gradually to the lighting level of your home’s interior.

Intimate Dining Rooms

Save Energy

Home lighting represents about 7 percent of your total energy costs. Here are several devices that can help you cut costs while improving your home’s comfort and mood. (Remember, a good rule of thumb is to look for the Energy Star label.) Compact fluorescent lightbulbs ( CFLs) use about one-third of the energy of conventional incandescent bulbs and produce far less heat (reducing air-conditioning costs). This saves about $25 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. Dimmer switches reduce energy consumption, which is directly proportional to light output. So if you dim an incadescent lamp’s brightness by 50 percent, you also cut its power use in half. Motion-sensitive fixtures on outdoor security lighting ensure that the lights come on when you need them and turn off when they’re no longer necessary. Occupancy sensors automatically turn lights on when someone enters a room and off when the room is empty. Lighting timers turn outdoor decorative lighting, seasonal decorative lighting and interior security lighting on when they’re needed and off when they aren’t, saving energy while foiling burglars.

Dining rooms benefit from more than one light source because overhead lighting alone can create harsh shadows and glares, making dining and conversation unpleasant. Accent lighting, however, makes the silver sparkle and sets a restful, romantic mood.

“We do quite a bit of work in dining rooms,” says Colt Easley, owner of the Mr. Electric ® franchise in the Denver, CO, area. “In one house, the owner wanted to accent a beautiful buffet, so we installed a couple of sconce lights on the wall behind it for overall illumination. Then we added adjustable ‘eyeball’ lights on the ceiling to highlight the wood grain. It made for a gorgeous focal point.”

It’s critical to give each ambient fixture, accent light or group of accent lights its own dimmer switch to accommodate the room’s various moods—low light for romantic dinners, medium for cordial gatherings and bright for table setting and cleanup.

A dining room may also function as a conference room, home office, den, library or study. Flexible lighting plans and ample fixtures ensure that this space can function in a variety of ways.

Industrious Kitchens

With all the chopping, baking and cooking common in a hardworking kitchen, task lighting is imperative. It focuses a beam of brilliant white light wherever you need it: over sinks and work islands, for example.

Undercabinet lighting is great for illuminating countertops for food preparation. Because the lights are close to the surface and hidden under the cabinetry, glare and shadows are kept to a minimum.

If a dimmer controls these lights, they work very well as low-level accent lighting when the work is done. Dimmers also allow you to lower the light level if the kitchen is used as a dining room or casual gathering space.

Toe-kick lighting provides a dramatic mood around cabinetry and islands. Typically these are low-voltage rope lights installed under floor-mounted cabinets.

Soothing Baths

A mix of accent and ambient lighting can transform your bathroom into a sanctuary that’s still practically lit for grooming. If you illuminate areas over sinks and vanities from both sides and not just from above, you’ll avoid casting shadows precisely where you need the greatest amount of light. For makeup, consider daylight-balanced fluorescent lights.

Use separate switches for ambient and task lighting. That way you can vary the level according to your needs—high for makeup, low for bathing. You may also want to install a dimmer switch on the ambient lighting: You’ll be glad you did when you stumble into the bath first thing in the morning or want to relax with a long soak in the evening.

When you consider the needs of each space in your home, tailor your lighting choices to create the mood you desire and maximize comfort and pleasure.

Dan “Dim Bulb” Weeks is a big fan of adjustable lighting levels. As a result, he frequently trips over the cat.