Category — Home Lighting
Lighting Fixture Types – Basic 101 For Beginners
We will begin our discussion of lighting fixtures with trends and ideas related to the primary types of indoor lighting used today in most contemporary settings. Please keep in mind that these are just the authors’ opinions and there are a wide variety of other considerations when selecting lighting fixtures for your home or for your office.
Ceiling Fixtures
Remember that when we speak of Wattage we are talking about a measure of the amount of energy a bulb actually uses. This should not be confused with the brightness that the fixture generates. If increased brightness were a prime consideration it would be best to choose a bulb with higher lumens. If you do this, you will satisfy your need for adequate brightness for the area being considered.
Among the most popular areas for ceiling fixtures is in the bathroom.
Wall Fixtures
Wall fixtures are frequently used as accent pieces and to illuminate areas that aren’t brightened enough by larger fixtures such as chandeliers, etc. A wall fixture in a foyer or hallway or even on a stairway can add just the right amount of illumination to promote safety as well as a nice decorating touch. One of the things to consider is the wide variety and styles available today in these fixtures. The goal is to not draw attention to the wall fixture but rather to make it fit in to the overall decorating scheme. In other words, you want it to look like it belongs there.
If you have a fairly small area that is used primarily as a living room and if this area has lighter walls, to make the space look more spacious, less ambient light will be needed in contrast to a living area that is fairly large or which has darker wall covering or wood. Wall fixtures strategically placed in various sizes and styles offer the discriminating homeowner the perfect way to create tasteful ambient lighting.
If a bathroom area is large enough, tasteful, understated wall fixtures will go a long way to increase the attractiveness of the area.
Hanging Fixtures
It is important to give considerable thought to the style and type of hanging fixtures, such as chandeliers and pendants, to use and particularly where to use them. Hanging fixtures can easily overpower a room, which may leave the impression that you are trying hard to impress your guest. This should be avoided at all costs. One of the most common areas that a chandelier or pendant is used for general lighting is in the dining room or large foyer. A guideline to consider is to make sure that the fixture is 7” to 13” smaller than the narrowest side of the table. The bottom of the fixture should be at least 32” above the table. Be sure that the lamps used in the ceiling fixture fully illuminate the eating area without making it too bright. Eating should be an intimate activity and the illumination
should accent the both the food and the guests.
Hanging fixtures are sometimes very attractive when hung in transitional areas and can often become a conversation piece if tastefully done. The goal in these areas is to create more decorative appeal than illumination. Therefore, understatement is more desirable. A pendant fixture will often serve this purpose particularly if it is simply designed with a great deal of eye appeal.
If your home has a foyer or entryway, it will clearly present a first impression that will carry through the rest of the home. Of all the locations, a carefully selected hanging fixture is of critical importance. Remember, besides providing basic illumination, you want the fixture to be a welcoming beacon for your guests. It is important that the chandelier or pendant fits the size requirements of the foyer or entryway. I’m suggesting that you take pains not to either under or over size the fixture. In some cases, you may have a stairway to the second level that overlooks the area where the chandelier or pendant is hung. Make sure that the fixture has good eye appeal from the second story perspective.
If your hanging fixture is being hung from an 8-foot ceiling, it should be positioned at least 6 ½’ to 7’ above the floor. When hanging your fixture from cathedral ceilings it should be suspended 3 inches higher for every additional foot over the standard 8-foot ceiling height.
An important decorating tip is to consider accent lighting such as wall sconces to complement the hanging fixtures particularly in large areas. Make sure that the styles match and that the wall sconce is mounted above eye level which will typically be 66” to 70”. It is important that the lamp is not visible when walking through the area.
Floor and Table Lamps
Strategic positioning of floor and table lamps is essential. While you want every part of your home adequately illuminated, less is better than more when it comes to floor and table lamps. The use of these fixtures should generally be reserved to areas used for visiting, reading and general socializing. Most of these fixtures are relatively inexpensive and good taste should prevail when buying these fixtures.
Floor and table lamps should be placed to create a triangle of light that does away with undesirable, shadowy nooks in sitting areas. Remember to keep lampshades just below eye level to avoid glare.
In future articles I’ll talk about recessed lighting, fluorescents, and novelty lighting
One last word: A fixture’s glass significantly affects the overall feel. For example, hammered glass lends a weathered, old-fashioned feel to a fixture while alabaster evokes modern, high-end fashion.
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October 29, 2009 No Comments
Buying Art Glass
Have you really considered the language used for art glass? Most find these terms both numerous and perplexing, so much so that I threw a ringer right in the title. For starters, as most of us learned in elementary science class, mica isn’t glass at all. Instead it’s a mineral. But mica flakes nicely into translucent sheets, making it ideal for use in lamp shades, such as the famous “coolie” shades made by Dirk van Erp.
“Art glass” is certainly a catch-all term that can be used to refer to most kinds of decorative glass in period lighting, windows, doors or hand-blown vases, but terms do exist that are more accurate and specific. First let’s start with a tough one: the difference between stained and leaded glass. In historical European cathedral windows and the like, this stained glass is colored glass that’s been painted with vitreous oxides and fired with or without silver nitrate. What makes this stain glass leaded is that individual pieces of the composition are held together with lead cames, which are easily recognizable as the rib-like dark material between the bits of light-filled glass.
These days, things are much simpler. Modern usage of the term “stained glass” is considered by most people to be any window with colored glass. If a clear glass window is leaded, it’s just simply call “leaded.”
Minerals give colored glass its tint. However, not all stained glass is transparent. Translucent stained glassed are most commonly known as “opalescent.” But be careful. Opalescent glass is not transparent but rather milky. This type of glass often has more than one color in a sheet. A great example of opalescent glass is Tiffany windows.
Another notable example of this is the windows by Greene & Greene, who layered their glass the same way as Tiffany, but they used copper foil and lead overlay to enhance the dimensional quality of their compositions. Like their oak beds and their oak dressers the glass made by Greene & Greene is actually a very common glass. It’s iridized on one side, so it has the appearance of a rainbow. Both Frank Lloyd Wright and Tiffany have used the same glass.
In 1894, Tiffany trademarked its version of this shimmering opalescent glass and called it Favrile. This iridescent glass is truly remarkable, as it appears to change colors when viewed from various angles. Although iridized glass was produced and marketed by many other companies, none used the name Favrile.
We’ve clarified what mica, stained glass, leaded glass, opalescent, iridescent, and Favrile all are. What exactly are slag and slumped? Well, slag glass is the term used for the sheets of opalescent glass slipped into Arts and Crafts light fixtures. (The term “slag” refers to the undocumented belief that slag from iron smelting works was added to the glass for color.) On the other hand, slumped glass refers to glass that’s been worked when still hot in the kiln. Glass artisans will actually get into the kiln to manipulate the glass into shades, which are first “slumped” over a bowl. Artists can even create more complicated shapes, ranging from delicately folded glass in a tulip-like shade to futuristic shapes that resemble a translucent article marshmallow after a swipe through the campfire.
September 1, 2009 No Comments