Illuminating your home with decorative home lighting

One of the most important  rooms in your home that requires proper interior lighting is the bathroom. This is where we need to view ourselves in the proper light so to speak. Simple tasks like shaving your legs can even be a tad dangerous without the proper amount of light.

For grooming and makeup, bathroom light fixtures becomes the main feature in a bathroom or powder room. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is placing interior lighting over the mirrors.

What happens is they cast shadows on the face which makes it hard to see an even skin tone. Decorative wall sconces work better on each side of the mirror, which gives you even light on both sides of your face.

If your space is too small for this style, you can use a light bar above the mirror as long as it contains a minimum of 150 watts total in bulbs, 200 would be better. Don't forget about the shower area it too needs proper light. You could use recessed ceiling fixtures in this area.

Recessed lighting and hanging pendants are better suited for the kitchen, as decorative lighting over the counter area, more about kitchen lighting here.

Ambient light is a substitute for natural light. Usually this decorative interior lighting is a ceiling fixture which is surfaced mounted. If you are looking for a soft glow, rope lighting or what is referred to as cove lighting works well.

Accent lights are what we want when shining on walls, artwork and plants. This is what you use when you wish to layer light and create striking shadows. This type of lighting is  also great for reflecting off a floor to show the decorative patterns in tile flooring. For reading, doing homework and art projects you need task lighting.

White light shows of the best skin tone, where halogen light bulbs are the best for saving on electric bills and for general lighting needs. They are the most efficient and render the best color effects. The drawback is they are also the most expensive.

How do we control all this for the perfect amount of light? With controls commonly known as dimmer switches. You get to control exactly the right amount of light for the task at hand.

There is one requirement that some people tend to forget. A 120 volt incandescent or halogen light will need an incandescent dimmer switch. A Low voltage fixture will need a special switch designed just for that type of light.