Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a house brimming with natural light. But despite lighting problems caused by things like small windows, low ceilings or shadows cast by buildings across the street, it's still possible to use fixtures to light a home in a way that's both pleasing to the eye and functional.
- LIVING ROOM: Most interior designers agree that the key to good lighting in living rooms is balance - no overly lighted patches and no dark pockets or corners. One way to achieve balance is to place light sources at several heights within a room.Teri Seidman, a Manhattan designer, said, "You need three-dimensional lighting, from at least three heights: low to the floor, mid-height and ceiling level."
For low-level lighting, designers recommend placing an uplight - a can-shaped spot that sends light upward - on the floor behind a tree or plant. For mid-level lighting, the choices include table lamps, standing lamps, sconces and a small accent lamp that lights up a painting or an art object.
Margot Gunther, a partner in the Manhattan design firm Gunther-Watson, advocates experimentation.
"Don't be afraid to use big lamps!" she said, noting that table lamps or standing lamps should have translucent shades so that light pours out evenly in all directions. Positioning the bottom of the shade at eye level (from a seated person's vantage point) prevents direct light from hitting the eyes.
For the ceiling level, most designers opt for recessed lighting or track lighting (recessed lighting is sometimes prohibited because of a concrete ceiling, an apartment lease or condominium restrictions).
"We use track lighting with halogen bulbs that are spot bulbs, and we wash the walls with them," said Robert Clark, a partner in the Manhattan design firm Clark/Le-Cuyer. He added that in traditional settings, he tends to paint all elements of the fixture, other than the bulb, so that they blend into the ceiling.
Clark advised testing track lighting from different places in the room to be sure that guests won't be blinded by harsh, direct light.
When a lack of natural light requires lighting an apartment by day as well as by night, designers advocate making extensive use of dimmers for greater flexibility.
"You should be able to control all sources of light," Clark said. "You want to be able to turn the light up so you can sit and read properly, or down for when you entertain."
How much lighting does a living room need? Predictably, many manu-facturers say that the more lighting in the room, the better, arguing that the interplay of different lights at different intensities makes for a more pleasing environment.
Keep in mind that older people tend to need more light to see and that rooms with dark walls or furniture, which absorb light, need extra lamps.
- BEDROOM: Like living rooms, bedrooms require general lighting (for routine chores) and task lighting (for reading or working in bed). Small accent lamps can also be used to make the room feel more intimate.
Drastic changes in brightness tend to tire eyes out, so for late-night reading, a three-way lamp or a lamp with a dimmer may be preferable to a small, bright light focused on the page with total dark-ness in the rest of the room.
Once again, the bottom of the lampshade should be at eye level.
Many designers are big fans of swing-arm lamps at bedside, which are very functional and offer control over the light's direction.
- DINING ROOM: In many cases, dining rooms are open spaces with entryways to other rooms, so it is wise to avoid harsh changes in lighting intensity between the different areas.
A dimmer-controlled chandelier positioned over the table is a traditional choice for the dining room. But for a nice glow that guests can enjoy before and after the meal from, say, the living room, many designers suggest using dimmer-controlled candlestick lamps on a buffet or miniature lights running inside a china cabinet.
- BATHROOM: Although care must be taken to keep cords away from water, even the bathroom, which in many homes has expanded to include a whirlpool, has been getting increased lighting attention.
Dimmers in the bathroom help to accommodate activities as diverse as shaving and soaking in the tub.
"And I'm not opposed to putting a lamp in the bathroom, either building a shelf for it or placing it on the commode," Clark said.