Most of our light sources in our home come from ceiling light fixtures

This type of home lighting can be installed on either walls or ceilings. Ceiling light fixtures are integral to most lighting designs. They're especially good at providing diffused ambient light, some fixtures are highly decorative so they serve double duty in your home. Under-cabinet strips can supply effective task lighting in kitchens and workshops.

Most surface light fixtures come with their own mounting hardware, adaptable to any standard fixture box. Heavier types, such as ceiling fans combinations or large chandeliers may require beefier support, such as a mounting bar or J-hook. Some pendants, wall sconces, and under cabinet lights plug into a nearby receptacle.

Flush mounted fixtures, which mount directly to a housing box, provide general illumination in traffic areas such as landings, entries, and hallways. Kitchens, bathrooms, and workshops often benefit from the added light of surface fixtures used in conjunction with task lighting on work surfaces.

Models in this category range from functional frosted glass globes to delicate, decorative wall fixtures. When considering a fixture, look closely at how light bounces off the wall or ceiling to make sure it will be directed where you want it.

Chandeliers and hanging pendants lights add sparkle in high ceiling entryways and above dining tables and breakfast nooks. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, these decorative fixtures can give direct or diffused light or a combination of the two.

It's always a good idea to wire such fixtures to a dimmer, allowing you to fine-tune their output. Swags—chain-suspended pendants with cords and plugs offer a movable alternative.

The size of a fixture relative to its surroundings is critical. A pendant used over a table should be at least 12 inches narrower than the table to keep diners or passersby from colliding with it. In an entry, be sure to allow enough room below a chandelier to guarantee safe passage for tall people.

Wall sconces are available in a huge selection of styles, they are great for hallways and for indirect lighting in living spaces. Wall lighting should be kept away from corners because they can create hot spots.

Most of these lights house incandescent A-bulbs, but new fluorescent globes with trim circline tubes are becoming more common. When fluorescent panels sit against the ceiling, they're loosely named shop lights; when they're flush as within a suspended ceiling they're called troffers, the only real difference is that troffers aren't finished on the sides.

Except in utility spaces, the tubes these fixtures house are usually covered with acrylic diffusing panels. Multiple panels may be grouped end-to-end or side-by-side, to make one large light source.

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