Light is an important design component for your home. Your light fixtures may be crucial details incorporated into the layout of your walls and ceiling, or they may be smaller pieces of decor like a desk lamp. You can utilize a light fixture in a number of ways to create the ambience you want for each room.
So which type of light fixture is right for you?
Architectural lighting is incorporated into your room’s permanent structure. This type is split into three kinds–soffit, valance, and cove lighting. Soffit lights are built into the edges and corners where the walls meet the ceiling. They point downward, illuminating the walls with light. Valance lights are strips installed along the tops of walls; their light is emitted from both the top and bottom, but the bulbs are shielded from view. This creates a lovely soft light that is evenly distributed without shadows or glare. Finally, cove lights are set atop the tops of cabinets or ledges and reflect their light off of the ceiling to light up darkened corners of the room. Altogether, these lights create a lovely ambience and provide the majority of the light in the room.
Next, you have recessed lighting. This type of fixture is set into the ceiling, so that instead of protruding downward the lens sits flush with the rest of the ceiling. An electrical contractor is required to install this kind of light, since it involves cutting into the ceiling, installing insulation around the light, and wiring it correctly through the ceiling. Recessed lights can serve many purposes, depending on the type of bulb you choose to use–it can give off bright ambient light, send a focused beam for task lighting, or with a soft, warm bulb it can create some accent lighting.
Track lights are suspended from a horizontal frame. Each bulb head can be rotated and angled to provide lighting wherever and whenever you need it. This is great for task lighting over a counter or table where you do most of your veggie chopping or your kids do their homework. If you don’t have room for track lights, consider under cabinet lighting. Puck lights or battery-operated strip lights can be adhered to the undersides of cabinets to provide task lighting.
Pendant lights hang down from the ceiling. The bulbs usually have a conical shade around them to make sure the light is directed straight downward to provide great accent and ambient lighting in your kitchen or dining room. The shades come in a wide variety of styles and colors to perfectly match the design of your room.
Like pendant lights, chandeliers also hang from the ceiling. However, they instead shine their light upward, illuminating the ceiling and surrounding areas. Since chandeliers are pretty big, they are mostly used as ambient light sources.
Ceiling light fixtures are the most common type of light. These are the fixtures that hang slightly down from the ceiling, and either share one shade over all the bulbs or have one shade over each bulb. These have been used in homes throughout the last century as a room’s main ambient light source.
Finally, your decorative lights like desk lamps and wall sconces provide accent lighting. They not only help illuminate the space a bit better, but they also can bring the finishing touches to your room’s style.
