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Lighting
by Darren Lichter
http://www.firstlighting.com
One of the inventions which altered the quality of human
life the most was artificial lighting. Once we could
reliably light our homes at night, we were no longer ruled
by the rising and setting of the sun. Artificial lighting
allowed the day the day to be extended, and made it easier
to accomplish more work than ever before. The time without
artificial lighting seems to be long passed in the first
world countries of the globe. Now it seems as though
lighting is taken for granted.
Most homes are lighted with standard one hundred watt
bulbs. We give little thought to our lighting, we flip a
switch, and voila, there is light. If we consider lighting
at all, we do so only when we have something special in
mind. There are basically two kinds of lighting schemes.
Dim lighting arrangements can be used to set a romantic or
cozy mood in a room while bright lighting arrangements
stimulate activity and alertness.
If a room that is well lit is the objective then overhead
lighting should be installed. No matter how many lamps you
place in a room there will always be shadows and dark
spaces, unless you use overhead lighting. If you prefer a
softer approach either table lamps or recessed lighting are
good choices for your d~cor. Table lamps have the advantage
that you can turn on only those you need, creating pools of
light. Recessed lighting on the other hand can be attached
to a dimmer. Using recessed lighting you can adjust the
lighting levers to exactly what you desire. Alternating
from bright lights to a soft glow as a situation changes is
as easy as the turn of a knob.
Due to the fact that lighting effects people~s moods and
reactions so profoudly it is useful to combine several
lighting strategies in main rooms. It is never known when
a living room will have to accommodate party guests,
colleagues or a romantic interest. Certainly, subjecting
different guests to the same overhead lighting would not be
the primary choice.
When considering the effects of lighting, you should also
consider how natural lighting will affect a space. During
the day time, a well designed room should be bright enough
that you never need to turn a light on. Natural lighting
makes a room feel more welcoming and more relaxing. It has
been proven that people who do not get enough natural light
become depressed more frequently and more easily than
people who see a lot of light during the day.
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