Allow me to shed some light on the subject of lighting. Please, no need to applaud over that amazingly clever play on words.
Lighting is one of the most understated aspects of decor. Having a well-lit place is essential; it can make or break your living space. So what does this mean? A lot quite frankly. Lighting can mean everything from the wattage bulbs you have to how many lamps to what kind you have in your bachelor pad.
WATTAGE: Less is more, usually. That doesn't mean run out and buy a whole bunch of night-lights for your living space. It just means don't toss 250 watt bulbs in your IKEA paper lantern. This is true for obvious reasons, one of which the fire department can enlighten you on. 3-way bulbs are the best. 50-100-150 is a great combo. This ranges from mood lighting to indoor lighting to lighting for entertaining guests. This also requires a lamp that can accept a three-way bulb. If your lamp doesn't accept a 3-way bulb, 50-75 watts is usually the best for all purposes.
TYPES OF LAMPS: You have several options here. The right lamp depends on a multitude of things. Floor lamps are good for main room living (i.e., living room, family room, sun room). They can offer a lot of light for a little space and whose main strength is vertical illumination. Table lamps on the other hand are the best go-to lamp. They offer both vertical and horizontal lighting and can fit on tables, nightstands, bookshelves or whatever.
A good general rule of thumb is to have a lamp for every 200 square feet in which you live in. Table lamps are a great way to fill this void. Recessed lighting is a third type of lighting that needs addressing. Usually your living space will already have this type of lighting. Downward facing spotlight bulbs or floods are the correct type of bulbs for this application. The purpose of which is to provide a blanket of light for your overall living space. In the event that you move into a living space that has light fixtures that extend below the ceiling (I call these “boob lights”), then replacement with recessed lighting is almost a necessity.
SHEDDING SOME
LIGHT ON THE
ART OF LIGHTING