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