Lighting a home is not like buying a sensible pair of shoes. It's about magic, sparkle, and the ability to tansform. No single element of design is as important as lighting. Without it there is no beauty. Of all inventions, artificial lighting is perhaps the most eloquent. From the electrified candle in the window to the fluorescent strip under the cabinents and the chandelier over the dining table, nothing is more flattering, makes tasks easier, and sets a mood better than good lighting.

In your home, you should use a combination of the three basic types: ambient, task, and accent light for aesthetic as well as practical purposes.

-Ambient Light
The word "ambient" means to go around or surround on all sides, and it's the term used for all-around illumination in a room. Ambient light is usually supplied from standard, ceiling-mounted fixtures, but it can come from recessed lights or wall sconces, too. Ambient light is just standard-fare general illumination.

-Tast Light
As the name implies, task light focuses on the task at hand. It illuminates the work surface, not the room. Metal architects' lamps are a perfect example. They do what they were designed to do very well: direct an intense beam of light onto a small surface. Other examples of task lights include under-cabinet kitchen lights, reading lamps, and desk lamps.

When designing or installing task lighting, it is important to think about when your body will be in relation to the work surface and the light source. If you place yourself between them, you'll cast a shadow, which defeats the purpose. On the other hand, if you aim the light directly onto the work surface, you'll create glare.

Optimally, task lights should be angled between you and the work. A reading lamp is best when it comes over your shoulder, for example. In the bathroom, vanity lights should be on both sides of the mirror, not above it. I learned this early on when I noticed a difference in the way I looked in my sister's powder-room mirror compared with my own. There was a single overhead light over my mirror, and my reflection looked haggard at 25. But when I visited my sister's powder room, where there were side-by-side sconces flanking the mirror, I looked young and cute. My overhead light caused the upper portion of my head to cast shadows on the lower portions of my face. My brows shadowed my eye sockets. My nose shadowed my lips, my lips shadowed my chin, and so on. Get the picture? It was not a pretty one. Overhead lighting is certainly not for looking in the mirror -- or for putting on makeup or grooming your hair. It's like the lighting in a department store dressing room, unflattering.

-Accent Light
Accent light is intended to show off or draw attention to something: the niche on the stair landing, the table at the end of a long hall, the art over the mantle. Accent light usually needs to be angled, typically toward the object it's illuminating. When you want to highlight something special -- an object, a photograph, a piano, or the fronds of a large potted plant, to name a few things -- be sure the light source is concealed. It is the object and not the light source that we want to see.

We need ample amounts of light for a lot of reasons. Besides brightening our world, light can visually manipulate space, amkeing a room seem larger or smaller. Light can define activity zones in multifunctional rooms. It can show off desirable aspects of a room and the architecture while obscuring or distracting from less-attractive features. Light, or the lack of it, even alters mood. Seasonal Affective Disorder, which occurs in the winter when the days are short, is a state of depression brought on by diminished amounts of natural light.

You can control and manipulate light in several ways: the angle from which you direct it, the intensity, and the color. We know instinctively that we need one kind of light for walking down the hall, another for reading, yet another for food preparation in the kitchen, and still another at the computer screen. Although we know what we want, we don't always understand how to make it happen. A good place to begin is a plan is choosing the proper light source.

-Incandescent Bulbs


These are the regular rounded bulbs (the type Thomas Edison invented) that everyone knows. Initially, they are the least-expensive lighting option to buy (but not the most economical to use), and they are still the most universal form of residential lighting. They emanate a warm, cozy glow that accentuates reds and yellows in a decorating scheme and are generally flattering to you and your interiors.

What's bad about incandescent bulbs? They are inefficient, which is reflected in your energy bill. The burning filament inside an incandescent bulb emits light as a by-product of heat. Because 90 percent of the effort goes into generating heat rather than illumination, the bulb gets hot -- sometimes dangerously so. That's why incandescent bulbs are not a good idea in a tight, confined space such as the interior of an airless desk unit or recessed under cabinets.

Standard incandescent bulbs also lose their luster with age and burn out frequently. Fortunately, there are new, longer-lasting versions. Even though they're more expensive, these bulbs should be considered for a hard-to- reach area, such as a stairwell that is accessible only by a ladder. Our porch latern is another such example. Without realizing it, we must leave the porch light on endlessly. The bulb always needs changing -- so, out comes the ladder again.

Halogen is actually a type of low-voltage incandescent lamp. These bulbs run on just 12 volts of electricity and are smaller and more energy-efficient than other incandescent bulbs. A 50-watt halogen lamp provides as much illumination as a 75-watt standard incandescent bulb, for example. Halogen bulbs are not interchangeable with standard incandescent bulbs.

While they cost more, halogen burn longer, giving you more kilowatt hours for your dollar. So you might pay more for a halogen bulb, but you'll have to change it less frequently. The light is whiter than other types of bulbs and is more natural looking, too. However, halogens are hot and produce a lot of glare because the reflectors inside the bulbs intensify the light. Newer, low-voltage versions are brighter, compact, and more energy efficient.

Halogens come with screw-in or snap in-bases. Wear gloves or use a soft cloth when installing them. The oil from your skin interacts with the heat produced by the lit bulb, which will make the bulb smoke, give off a burning ordor, and possibly explode. I recommend staying away from the older snap-in versions, which require expertise to properly install. Some halogen bulbs, the kind typically used in torchieres, can generate enough heat to burn your skin or start a fire if they're too close to flammable material.

-Fluorescent Bulbs
Fluorescent bulbs give a lot of light. One 20-watt fluorescent bulb generates the same amount of brightness as one 75-watt incandescent bulb. That's a difference of almost four to one. Plus a fluorescent bulb lasts 10 times as long as a standard incandescent bulb, so you won't need to replace it as often. Fluorescent light won't fade or diminish in intensity over time, either. No wonder these bulbs generate most of the light in the world today. Because the light they produce is cool, fluorescent bulbs are great for illuminating the kitchen countertop -- you won't work up a sweat while chopping vegetables on a surface that already bears the heat from toaster ovens, coffeemakers, and other appliances. In addition, tube fluorescent bulbs can be quite narrow. Small, compact versions are ideal underneath wall-mounted cabinents. Larger ones work well in basements with low ceilings.

With so much going for them, why do fluorescent lights have such a bad reputation? Well, when you sit under one of them, you look like a laboratory specimen. fluorescent light makes your skin color look awful, even ghoulish. Not pretty. The old standard types give a cool light that dulls those flattering, healthy, youthful red and yellow skin tones. Instead, they bring out blues and greens -- colors that mek you look sallow or seasick. Furthermore, light from fluorescent tubes cannot be directed or diffused. You can't dim most fluorescent light fixtures, and the bulbs hum when they need replacing.

Today's new choices in fluorescent bulbs are an improvement over the old standard type. They come in green, rose, and several shades of white, including cool white, warm white and a blue-white version. In addition to slimline, miniature units, there are circular and compacted shapes. Considering the bang they give for the buck, I do champion their use in the right place.

If you still strongly dislike the look of any type of fluorescent bulb but want to illuminate your countertop or work surface, another option is a 25-watt incandescent lamp called a T-lamp or C-lamp, which looks like a string of tiny Christmas lights. However, these reflect back as a clutter of hot, bright-white dots over a shiny material such as marble or granite. Use them only in combination with a matte-finished surface.

I used to think that a low-watt bulb was just weaker than one with higher wattage, something like lukewarm versus hot water. But wattage isn't about the amount of light produced by a bulb, it's actually a measurement for the amount of electricity used to generate the light. According to some experts, on average lighting can consume as much as 15 percent of total household electricity. That means you can save money lighting your home using the right bulbs and fixtures.

Ever wonder why people comment about your carpet, the color of your walls, and your kitchen cabinents, but no one says anything about your lighting? Good lighting is perceived but not seen. Notice I didn't say it doesn't exist. I have a friend whose decorator has done a beautiful and expensive job of decorating her home. The textiles, furniture, and rugs are chic, practical, and perfect. Yet there is not a single light source in the room. In order to see this extraordinarily appointed interior, you have to look at it during the daytime. My friend says they are getting to the lighting next. Next? That's rediculous. Skip a throw pillow or ottoman and buy a lamp! If you're on a budget, don't skip the lighting. Buy some of the new furniture and accessories and some of your lighting fixtures now; then add more things a little later.

When I entertain, my mother says all the light in the upstair rooms, including the attic, should be on so the house looks as warm and inviting as a candle in each window on a dark night. Let's not forget that this also makes the house appear larger when people approach it. On the main floor, set the stage with lots of lights, controlled with dimmers or by the correct wattage bulbs in lamps. One way to determine correct wattage is through a process of trial error. Obviously, in rooms like the living room and the dining room where functions tend to be more leisure- and pleasure-oriented rather than task-related, a more subtle and subdued lighting is preferable. I use a combination of low-wattage light bulbs -- nothing more than 60 watts each with overheads and sconces on dimmer switches. However, in the kitchen and family room, I need more task-specified and brighter light. For example, in the family room I rely on an over-head light also on a dimmer and three-way bulbs in my lamps with settings for removing splinters, reading, and napping. Be sure you check the lamp for the maximum wattage that is recommended before you load a 100-, 150-, or 200-watt bulb into it.

For every day, a good lighting scheme or overall plan will combine general lighting for background with specific task lighting, then touches of accent lighting for decoration. Ideally, all three sources will be on dimmer switches.

In any situation where a light will burn for long periods serving different functions and activities at various times of day, it's best to use a dimmer switch. Dimmer switches, available in a few types, range in price from $6.50 to $150 and are found at any hardware store or home center. My advice is to keep it simple. You don't need anything expensive. The toggle switch with a sliding dimmer works for me.

Certain qualities about light are helpful to understand when you're devising a plan of action. For example, eyes are drawn to the brightest element in the room. Use this attraction to create visual tricks. At night a light in the garden can visually extend a room into the outdoors, for example. Also keep in mind that numerous lights are fine in a space that we pass through quickly, such as a hallway. But when we settle, the amount of light must be gentle. A room with dark walls will gobble up light, while a light-colored room will reflect and amplify it. So the darker the room, the more supplemental light you'll need.

Designing artificial light is further complicated by natural light. Although sunlight is the most wonderful form of illumination, it's not like water from a tap that we can control just by turning it on and off. Furthermore, just because it's daytime doesn't mean you don't need extra light to illuminate a task. Weather conditions, how much sun comes through your windows, the color of the natural light all influence the supplemental light you'll need.

Address what you do and how you live in the room you are lighting. Act it out. Take notes. Do this for the big and little lighting decisions, including where to locate a switch. For example, if you're devising a lighting plan for the kitchen, enter the room with groceries in your arms. Where does your hand naturally reach? Almost all rooms benefit from a centralized light source. A simple ceiling mounted fixture made from milk glass or frosted glass will give uniform general illumination. Yet this type of lighting in areas where you spend extended periods of time is tiring to the eyes to say nothing of boring. How you plan to use the room will determine the amount and the type of lighting you will need.