A good lighting planned for your living room is often one of the more difficult plans to make. Why? Your living room lighting planned must be flexible enough to serve multiple functions. And some want their lighting plan to change as they decide to change the arrangement of furniture in their room. As the result much thought should go into what type of lighting you use in each area. Ceiling and Recessed Lighting You might be installing recessed or track lighting to provide light all over the room or to light a specific area in your room. Regardless, you'll need to use the same principles. Placement of fixtures isn't something we'll get into here, but the type of light bulbs you'll need is something I want to recommend.
If you are using recessed lighting all over your room, you'll want to use a light bulb that will give you all over lighting. Using incandescent standard A19 style light bulbs or going to a compact fluorescent twister style or A shape will give you an all over light. If you need recessed lighting to light a specific area, you will then want to go to a flood or spot light type light bulb. Over a fireplace is the most common place to use these. Some also like to use wide flood light bulbs in recessed lighting. They give a large section of light without a total bright room and provide some interesting contrast of light. Portable Lighting What do I mean by portable lighting? Anything you can pick up and move, mainly table lamps and floor lamps. These need to be placed at the end of sofas or beside chairs and sometimes in corners or areas not well lit by other lighting options. Use portable lighting not only to light a reading area but to give a different dimension to your lighting plan either when overhead lighting is on or not. Mini Deco Twister CFL light bulbs are perfect for these as they are super energies efficient and you don't see the bulb....Or shouldn't.
Art or Photo Illumination There are three ways to illuminate art work or photos on your walls: sconces, recessed lighting or track lighting. In this application you will definitely want to use a spot light bulb in your recessed or track lighting. Depending on the fixture you use, there will be different specifications as to how far from the wall and the angle in which you have your can. Sconces can use much light bulbs. Sconces will give more of an indirect light effect where it's not spot lighted but just brightened. Which application depends on the desired effect you have for the piece of art or photo.
If you are using recessed lighting all over your room, you'll want to use a light bulb that will give you all over lighting. Using incandescent standard A19 style light bulbs or going to a compact fluorescent twister style or A shape will give you an all over light. If you need recessed lighting to light a specific area, you will then want to go to a flood or spot light type light bulb. Over a fireplace is the most common place to use these. Some also like to use wide flood light bulbs in recessed lighting. They give a large section of light without a total bright room and provide some interesting contrast of light. Portable Lighting What do I mean by portable lighting? Anything you can pick up and move, mainly table lamps and floor lamps. These need to be placed at the end of sofas or beside chairs and sometimes in corners or areas not well lit by other lighting options. Use portable lighting not only to light a reading area but to give a different dimension to your lighting plan either when overhead lighting is on or not. Mini Deco Twister CFL light bulbs are perfect for these as they are super energies efficient and you don't see the bulb....Or shouldn't.
Art or Photo Illumination There are three ways to illuminate art work or photos on your walls: sconces, recessed lighting or track lighting. In this application you will definitely want to use a spot light bulb in your recessed or track lighting. Depending on the fixture you use, there will be different specifications as to how far from the wall and the angle in which you have your can. Sconces can use much light bulbs. Sconces will give more of an indirect light effect where it's not spot lighted but just brightened. Which application depends on the desired effect you have for the piece of art or photo.
