There's more to artfully lighting your home than just flicking a switch

Jim Reid has scoured lighting books, learning tips such as how to overlap circles of light and where to place lamps in various rooms.

But when it came to picking and placing lighting in their West Seattle home, Reid and partner Richard Smith focused on using light to create mood and soften rooms.

"We look better in soft, diffused light," Reid said. "I like lighting to be focused down and spotlighting not much more than the space that you would hold a book, or spotlighting an interesting pillow on the couch. I just don't want to be bathed in light."

Smith and Reid pored over catalogs and found paper-cone torchieres for two corners of the living room, colorful green pendant lamps that hang over the kitchen island and a cork-textured floor lamp for the bedroom that sends out a soft glow. They added dimmers to recessed lighting. One guest bathroom sports a round mirror encircled by light that women love for putting on makeup, Smith said.

It's all about mood, Smith said. "We tend to like candles and use lamps."

Darkness upon us

With daylight-saving time ending Sunday, lighting will become even more important in our homes.

Lighting 101

There are three types of lighting, according to Seattle Lighting's Web site:

• General lighting, also known as ambient light, provides basic, overall light for a room. It includes chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed lights and track lights.

• Task lighting is used for specific activities such as reading or cooking and includes recessed and track lighting, pendant lights and portable lamps.

• Accent lighting creates visual interest in a room and can be used to focus on plants or art. The category includes recessed and track lighting or wall-mounted fixtures.

What's good for what


• Torchieres flood light upward and, when put in a corner, reflect light against a wall.

• Reading lamps focus light down on reading material.

• Pendant lamps are decorative and work particularly well in kitchens or over bars.

• Table lamps can be used as accent pieces, but also work for reading.

• Sconces are decorative with a warm glow.

• Recessed lighting is focused and provides brighter light for a room.

Resources


• See www.be-jane.com for help on how to install lighting fixtures or recessed lighting.

• For more information and lighting ideas: www.seattlelighting.com/pages/
tips.html or www.americanlightingassoc.com/
info_lighting.php.

When considering lighting, people need to ask themselves what they want the lighting to do, said Mark Hills, a certified lighting consultant and assistant manager at Seattle Lighting's Southcenter store (www.seattlelighting.com).

Is it for reading? Is it to shed more light on a kitchen counter? Do you want mood lighting?

One common problem is dark living rooms, Hills said. For people who live in apartments and don't want to make long-term improvements, lamps are a good choice, he said.

"Often, it's the only thing they can do," he said.

Improving a dark living room usually requires two different lamps. A torchiere, or upright lamp, instantly will light up a room with indirect light.

"It's designed to be put in a corner," Hills said. "The light it makes all goes up and floods out into the room and makes ambient light."

Table lamps are another critical lighting choice for a living room. Hills said if people like to sit and read, they might consider a reading lamp with a halogen bulb, which provides a bright light without glare. A lamp with a shade or a swing-arm lamp also is a good choice for a reading lamp, he said.

To add mood lighting to areas like the kitchen, glass pendant lamps hung over a table or a bar area give a dose of color and style.

Track lighting is another way to brighten up a space. Curved tracks are popular now, Hills said.

A store's lighting consultants and Web sites can help customers learn the best ways to light their homes.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com