Lighten Up

Throw out those boring old notions about what interior lighting should be. A couple of scattered table lamps and a run-of-the-mill overhead fixture do little to enhance the ambiance of your home.

Consumers now have a far more sophisticated mindset about the dramatic difference a well-executed lighting plan can make in creating an inviting environment.

Now more than ever, lighting is one of the most important and influential "accessories" homeowners can use to create a mood and define a room's character.

Like every aspect of interior design, lighting must be well planned in order to create harmony and balance.

"Lighting is an important, yet subtle, component in a room's overall decorating scheme," says Rick Green, vice president of retail operations for Ethan Allen Home Interiors in Tampa. "The goal of good lighting design is for guests to walk into a dramatically lighted area and say, 'I love this room, but I can't say why.'"

The first step in formulating a lighting plan is to determine how each room is used and which type of lighting can best meet those needs.

Three types of lighting should be considered, and each serves a specific purpose. The American Lighting Association, a not-for-profit lighting information resource, offers these definitions:

• General lighting provides overall illumination, creating a comfortable level of brightness that allows effortless visibility and safe movement within the home.

• Task lighting is critical for cooking, reading, sewing, homework, applying makeup and other activities that require close-up work. It must eliminate glare and shadows, while offering enough intensity to prevent eyestrain.

• Accent lighting is used to showcase paintings, photographs, sculpture and other works of art by providing a dramatic focal point within a room.

"The challenge is to effectively integrate lighting choices," explains Green. "Homeowners must first develop a theme for each room, and then make their lighting selections based on those themes."

Square footage also plays a critical role. "The average home in Florida is 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, but larger homes within the state can exceed 15,000 square feet," notes Jay Lyles, manager of Lumenair Lighting and Fans in Brandon. "It's very important to provide adequate, well-integrated lighting in every area of the home."

In addition to how fixtures work, how they look is important in a home's overall design scheme.

"Florida's casual, ranch-style residences are less ornate than homes in other areas of the country," says Dean Blaylock, who co-owns Blaylock's Lighting in Seminole with his wife, Heather. "In lighting, this translates into clean, contemporary lines."

Pendant lighting, for example, is extremely popular. These jewel-toned glass pieces, suspended from graceful cords in groups of two or three above islands in kitchens or bars in great rooms, are aesthetically appealing while providing general, task or accent lighting.

Electric wall sconces are another noteworthy lighting trend. These fixtures range in size from 12 inches to six feet, and are either streamlined or ornate in design. Dressed with shades made of glass or fabric, sconces can be used either as a major source of light in a large space or to cast a soft glow throughout a room when controlled by a dimmer.

As leather continues to dominate the home furnishings market, table lamps are also adopting leather coverings. The look, says Green, is "very clean, very architectural, very minimalist."

Providing instant ambiance, table lamps are also found in a variety of exciting shapes, forms, colors and textures. Most notable are the earthy olives, eggplants and burnt-orange tones and vivid Caribbean oranges and aquas.

Metal finishes, ranging from shimmering polished steel to subdued bronze and pewter, are also fashionable.

Chandeliers are coming back in a big way, too. Once limited to foyers and dining rooms, they now add a distinctive look in rooms large and small.

"In new construction, we're now seeing more chandeliers than recessed lighting," says Terry Richards, owner of Keystone Lighting and Fans in Clearwater.

Among this season's hottest chandelier styles are wrought iron, either alone or mixed with crystal, as well as black and clear crystal combinations. Nickel, bronze, silver and pewter finishes have replaced traditional brass for an upscale, sophisticated look.

To accommodate powder rooms, alcoves, wine closets, hallways and master bathrooms, "chandelettes" are scaled-down versions of popular chandelier styles that bring understated elegance to smaller rooms.

Commanding visual interest above a chandelier, decorative medallions, now made from lightweight materials rather than once-popular heavy plaster, are easily affixed to a ceiling and custom painted to complement the colors of a room.

Homeowners who prefer to revitalize rather than replace older lighting fixtures can now accessorize with crystal embellishments.

To update a vintage chandelier, Richards recommends choosing from the showroom's extensive selection of ornamental shades in beaded crystal or fabric-and-crystal combinations. She also suggests crystal trim in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Magnetized along their top edges, these decorative accents adhere to any metal edge or surface, giving new life to lampshades or chandeliers.

But how about energy efficiency? As utilities bills have soared, lighting manufacturers have made great strides in developing products that significantly reduce home lighting costs.

Once used primarily in commercial applications, cost-effective fluorescent lighting has become a residential staple now used in bathrooms, common areas and kitchens.

For general and task lighting, fluorescent lamps last up to 10 times longer and are three to four times more efficient than standard incandescents.

One of the major drawbacks of fluorescent lighting had been its tendency to distort color within a room. However, many newly manufactured fluorescent bulbs cast a warm glow that's more pleasing and true to life.

Low-voltage halogen lighting, which is closest to natural daylight, is another energy-efficient alternative that has recently been introduced in contemporary chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps.

Of special interest is Xenon lighting, which burns cooler and longer than halogen lamps, providing an estimated 10,000 hours of energy-efficient light.

LED lighting is another step forward. Emanating very bright, white light similar to a halogen lamp, a LED bulb draws one-eighth of the energy used by an incandescent bulb and lasts up to 30,000 hours.

LED technology is now being used in residential recessed lighting. With a special pigtail adapter, homeowners can conserve by converting their conventional recessed lighting cans to this new, energy-saving technology.

Despite the unlimited selection of styles and wide-ranging price points now available, experts agree that one factor should never be overlooked: value.

"Quality lighting has a very long life span and should be given the same consideration as any long-term investment," says Green. "Ultimately, interior lighting is a lifestyle choice that definitely deserves precedence over the purchase price."

SIX BRIGHT INTERIOR LIGHTING IDEAS

• Pay attention to corners. Got a shadowed corner? Install an up-light floor fixture to dramatically spotlight a plant or sculpture.

• Think in layers. Use layers of diffused light in rooms with multiple lighting sources, such as kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, so that glare-free illumination both focuses on key areas and also fills the far corners.

• Choose bulbs wisely. Use the same color bulbs throughout a room-and especially in the kitchen-to ensure that the floor, counters, cabinets and other furnishings are illuminated with equal intensity.

• Circuit lights separately. Zoned lighting is critical in rooms where general, task and accent lighting are used. Separate light switches allow ample light from all sources, as well as a controlled mix of subdued light when a more soothing environment is desired.

• Ask the experts. Many lighting showrooms have consultants on staff to help customers make appropriate choices. Bring digital photographs of problem areas, along with fabric swatches, paint chips and pillows that will give the lighting consultant a true representation of the room. Some lighting professionals even make house calls.

• Redesign lighting one room at a time. Experts at the American Lighting Association recommend a room-by-room approach to interior lighting renovations. Create a master plan, they advise, and then follow it meticulously to ensure the best results.