Just The Facts On Home Lighting Installations
History Of Home Lighting
It was Thomas Edison, in 1879, who brought home lighting to an entirely new level with his carbon filament incandescent light bulb. This incandescent bulb became the new standard for home lighting installations, putting POWER to American homes, workplaces, and streets. Workers no longer had to end their workday when the sun went down, causing an increase in American productivity! As an aside, Thomas Edison was a firm believer in DC, direct current, that flows in one direction, while Nicola Tesla, Edison's former employee, and George Westinghouse, advanced an AC, alternating current electrical system.
While early 19th century home lighting was basic functionality, 21st century Austin, Texas homes are more than a place to eat and sleep and require a home lighting plan that considers a home's architectural style and how the room space is used.
Three Types Of Home Lighting Installations
Ambient Lighting: This type of light gives general light to an entire room, and such lighting should be part of any room in a house. General lighting provides the 'mood' of the room; hence general lighting is also referred to as ambient lighting.
Task Lighting: Task lighting provides a localized light source where a project is being worked or where one sits to read the evening paper or a book. Task lighting is commonly found in the kitchen, office or den, bedroom, basement work area, or garage.
Accent Lighting: The purpose of accent lighting is to provide a central focal point in the room. Successful accent lighting will have eyes focus on the object without considering how the specific item is lit. Too much accent lighting in a room will make room lighting seem disorganized.
Choosing Indoor Lighting Fixtures
Home lighting should have at least two ‘layers’ of lighting: general lighting and task or accent lighting. The type of light fixture depends on the room or area in question.
ATX Electrical provides a room-by-room analysis of the best light fixtures for Austin, Texas households.
Foyer: A bright, ambient, flush-mounted, or semi-flush mounted ceiling light will light a path under the feet as one enters the home at dusk, evening, or late night. If a ceiling is vaulted, you would not be faulted for choosing an elegant chandelier or pendant ceiling light.
Living Room: Consider ambient lighting using floor and table lamps for tv viewing. Think about task lighting fixtures as pendant lighting for reading, knitting, and crocheting work. Include accent lighting in the form of track lighting along the ceiling for a cozy, soft light when entertaining friends, neighbors, and extended family. Wall-mounted sconces are another example of accent lighting focusing on room architecture, photos, and wall artwork.
Kitchen: Pendant lighting over the kitchen island where meals are prepared, under-the-cabinet task lighting for reading food labels and recipe books, along with abundant ambient lighting of a simple chandelier over the table, make for well-planned kitchen lighting.
Dining Room: The dining room used for formal dinners calls for bright ambient lighting in the form of an elegant chandelier and perhaps wall-mounted sconces. Consider dimmer switches for the chandelier for a 'softer lit' atmosphere when dining.
Bedroom: For the parent or child’s bedroom, desks for paperwork and working on the computer require task lighting of desk lamps, or pendant lights, or track lighting along the ceiling to shed light without much glare to computer screens. Recessed lighting or a flush-mounted or semi-flush mounted ceiling light or ceiling fan with lights brings an evenly lit room with the flick of a switch.
Bathroom: Wall sconces, pendant lighting, and recessed lighting within the shower are home lighting installation possibilities for the bath.
Outdoor Lighting Installations
Don’t forget such outdoor lighting installations as motion sensor lights for walkways, driveways, over the garage door, and back door, as well as landscape lighting to highlight a backyard pool, shrubs, floral design, fountains, and garden walls, and consider a floodlight to shine the light on the red, white, and blue of ‘old glory.’
Contact the experts at ATX Electrical for a free consultation regarding home lighting installation.