Tips From The Pros

Here are some decorative lighting ideas to help you light up your new home like a professional — no matter what your budget, style or needs. With these helpful tips from the American Lighting Association (ALA) you can create the right lighting to enhance the overall look and feel of your home — inside and out.

• It is important to plan your lighting early when building a new home because the location and type of electrical installation you will need to discuss this with your builder/electrician so they can make the necessary changes to your house plan before construction. Also, many light fixtures need to be ordered, which can take up to six weeks.
• Create a master plan of how you want your finished home to look — both inside and out. Do you want mini-pendants or recessed lighting over your kitchen island? Do you want lots of ceiling fans and light fixtures or do you envision lots of decorative floor and table lamps?
• Consult with ALA certified lighting designers to learn about the newest products, trends and options and have them walk you through each room in your home, particularly areas of high task like the kitchen, bath and home office.
• Dimmers are relatively inexpensive and help set a mood and conserve energy.
• You can easily enhance the look of a room by using accent lighting to illuminate a decorative wall, bring focus to certain pieces of furniture like a wine cabinet, bookcase or curio. Many people are using lighting fixtures as decorative accents to their home and a fresh alternative to traditional wall art and mirrors.
• Rooms without much sunlight can benefit from using halogen lights. It is cooler and clearer than incandescent yet warmer than fluorescent.
• While buying decorative lighting fixtures do not forget the practical purpose of lighting the room. To get the best performance and styling from your fixture, be sure you purchase the best quality for your budget.

There is plenty of lighting information available to homeowners, particularly the American Lighting Association — www.americanlightingassoc.com and LAMPS PLUS, where certified designers are available in every showroom and online at www.lampsplus.com.