LIGHTING Lighting fixtures come in a wide variety of styles for various functions. The most important functions are as a holder for the lighting source, to provide directed lighting and to avoid visual glare. Some are very plain and functional, while some are pieces of art in themselves. Nearly any material can be used, so long as it can tolerate the excess heat and is in keeping with safety codes. An important property of lighting fixtures is the luminous efficacy or wall-plug efficiency, meaning the amount of usable light emanating from the fixture per used energy, usually measured in lumen per watt. A fixture using replaceable light sources can also have it's efficiency quoted as the percentage of light passed from the "bulb" to the surroundings. The more transparent the lighting fixture is, the higher efficacy. Shading the light will normally decrease efficacy but increase the directionality and the visual comfort probability. Lighting is classified by intended use as general, localized, or task lighting, depending largely on the distribution of the light produced by the fixture. • Task lighting is mainly functional and is usually the most concentrated, for purposes such as reading or inspection of materials. For example, reading poor-quality reproductions may require task lighting levels up to 1500 lux (150 footcandles), and some inspection tasks or surgical procedures require even higher levels. • Accent lighting is mainly decorative, intended to highlight pictures, plants, or other elements of interior design or landscaping. • General lighting fills in between the two and is intended for general illumination of an area. Indoors, this would be a basic lamp on a table or floor, or a fixture on the ceiling. Outdoors, general lighting for a parking lot may be as low as 10-20 lux (1-2 footcandles) since pedestrians and motorists already used to the dark will need little light for crossing the area.

OUTDOOR LIGHTING Just as moonlight can introduce an air of magic and mystery to your garden, so carefully applied artificial outdoor lighting can produce equally beautiful effects. Night outdoor lighting in your garden extends your enjoyment of its natural panorama and a little outdoor lighting, if it is well positioned, can have an extraordinary impact given the extreme contrasts. So your decision about where to position outdoor lighting and what sources to use are critical. Outdoor lighting is complicated by the changing seasons. Using outdoor lighting in your garden in December will involve a different set of aesthetic criteria from those which apply in August - unless of course your garden is full of evergreens.

BATHROOM LIGHTING Bathroom lighting is important and should be considered at the start of the project. You will need bright targeted bathroom lighting for shaving or applying makeup. This can take the form of wall or ceiling mounted bathroom lighting spotlights, a mirror, or mirrored bathroom cabinet with integrated bathroom lighting. For relaxing in the bath you may require your bathroom lighting on dimmer switch postioned outside the room. For bathroom lighting as with all electrical installations, safety regulations must be observed, so only choose bathroom lighting fittings that have been specifically designed for use in the wet atmosphere of the bathroom.

KITCHEN LIGHTING Ambient kitchen lighting is general kitchen lighting which should be used for your whole kitchen area. You may wish to use a single pendant (or a group of say three) over your kitchen breakfast bar or table to create an ambient kitchen lighting mood. Not only will the kitchen lights be practical but there are many stunning designs which can bring together the whole design of your kitchen. Task kitchen lighting is more focused kitchen lighting. You will want to use task kitchen lighting over your sink, cooker or other food preparation areas so that you can see what you are doing. You may want to consider kitchen downlights, track kitchen lighting, under cabinet kitchen lighting. Accent kitchen lighting is used to highlight features of your kitchen - cabinets, cooker alcoves, or art work for example. Kitchen downlights or wall kitchen lights can be used plus there are many different shelf kitchen lights which can add a real wow factor to your kitchen. Use under cabinet kitchen lighting, kitchen island lighting, pendant kitchen lighting, side by side other types of contemporary kitchen lighting. You may be surprised at how much you can change the look and feel of your kitchen by simply changing the type of kitchen lighting that you use! Whether you’ve spent the money on a brand new kitchen with new units and appliances or simply updated an existing kitchen isn’t it worth investing in new kitchen lighting to show it off?

RECESSED LIGHTING Recessed lighting uses fixtures that are installed into a hollow opening in a ceiling. When installed it appears to have light shining from a hole in the ceiling, concentrating the light in a downward direction as a broad floodlight or narrow spotlight. There are two parts to recessed lighting, the trim and housing. The trim is the visible portion of recessed lighting. It is the insert that is seen when looking up into the fixture, and also includes the thin lining around the edge of the light. The recessed lightinghousing is the fixture itself that is installed inside the ceiling and contains the lamp holder. These are the fitting to have in your home. Ideal for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom whether you choose fixed recessed lighting or adjustable recessed lighting to highlight a favourite piece of art. Low voltage recessed lighting, despite what an electrician might tell you, are the better option. Low voltage recessed lighting may cost slightly more at the outset (a transformer will be required) but will be more cost effective (longer lamp life) and produce less heat. Low voltage recessed lighting also has the added benefit of wide beam angle lamps to give you a better spread of light.

TRACK LIGHTING Track lighting is a method of lighting where track lighting fixtures are attached anywhere on a continuous track lighting device which contains electrical conductors. This is as opposed to the routing of electrical wiring to individual light positions. Track lighting can be mounted to ceilings or walls, lengthwise down beams, or crosswise across rafters or joists. Track lighting can also be hung with rods from especially high places like vaulted ceilings.

PENDANT LIGHTING Pendant lighting is not to be mistaken for chandelier lighting,which casts a softer more ambient light. Pendant lighting is usually hung from a single sconce on the ceiling from which sprouts a single chain or metal tube. The pendant lighting lamp shade itself is the 'pendant' that dangles at the end. Pendant lighting is considerably more practical than other types of lighting, which is why you often see pendant lighting in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and other places that need to be well lit.

PICTURE LIGHTING Most people will have seen artwork lit in a gallery or museum, but will not have understood how picture lighting, good or otherwise, affects the presentation. Many people purchase artwork but never include picture lighting in the artwork installation process - it is definitely worth the effort. Proper picture lighting will bring out fine distinction and effects in the artwork that might not have been noticed before. Picture lighting will also tend to bring out the colour and, in terms of importance in the design of a room or environment, the piece of artwork will make much more of a statement. Artwork needs to be protected from picture light damage but the most damage will always come from DAYLIGHT! But if your artwork is protected against the fading effects of sunlight you should also ensure that any artificial picture light does not damage your artwork too. Try only to picture light the art when you are likely to view it and keep the picture light off at other times. Incandescent picture lighting is less harmful than fluorescent picture lighting, but a standard bulb gives a very imbalanced picture light, with too much light coming from the red end of the spectrum which can over emphasise warm colours while muting blue, green and violet colours. Do not consider using “daylight” lamps as these are for colour matching, not colour rendering. In museums, the debate is still in progress as to the status of halogen lighting. Museums pieces have their own special needs and rules. Contact us if you require more information on this matter.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTING Christmas and festive lighting has seen big improvements over the past few years. We've all seen green cabled Christmas lights with lamps draped over trees indoors and big incandescent Christmas lights on trees outside, but with further developments in Christmas lighting technology, (particularly with LED's), almost anything is possible.

LINKS LIGHTING...Bathroom Lighting-Ceiling Lighting-Wall Lighting-Outdoor Lighting-Track Lighting-Lighting for tables-Kitchen Lighting-Lighting Home The Open Directory Lighting Styles @ RIBA Product Selector

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