Design Solutions

Shedding Light on Your Designs

The proper use of lighting can produce dramatic effects for your clients' rooms.

by Sharon L. Anderson

CHALLENGE:I enjoyed your article from a past issue of Draperies & Window Coverings on the subject of lighting. (See D&WC, January 1996) I would like to know if you could show additional illustrations on lighting interiors, both residential and commercial. Also, can you recommend Web sites that are dedicated to lighting information? SOLUTION: Thank you for remembering that column from so many months ago! As you already know, lighting is one of the most critical elements in the design of interior spaces. There are three types of lighting: • general—to provide overall or balanced lighting throughout an area. • accent—to highlight an object or objects in a room. • task—to temporarily light specific areas used for reading, writing, etc. Incorporating each of these types of lighting is very important to the successful design of any interior space. The first photograph shown here is an example of general lighting. It depicts a balance of light in the main area of this corporate or commercial interior space. Accent lighting is used to draw the eye to the flower arrangement in the center, while the additional recessed lighting washes the back wall providing decorative and general purpose lighting over the entire space. The second photograph is an excellent example of the effective use of lighting in a bedroom incorporating accent and task lighting. The areas above the chests of drawers are well lighted and give life and accent throughout the bedroom area. As a suggestion, you might want to place this type of lighting on dimmer switches to give your clients the option of controlling the amount of light and creating different mood effects in the room. The table lamp next to the bed provides convenient lighting that also can be used as task lighting for reading in bed. The third photograph is an example of how torchiere lighting (in this case floor-standing, but wall-mounted also is an option) will provide an up-lighting effect to space. This room is an excellent example of how accent lighting can be used in a variety of ways. There are two Web sites on lighting you might want to visit: www.lightinguniverse.com and www.arch-details.com. Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience as a professional interior designer in both commercial and residential design. She has taught at numerous colleges throughout California and currently is an educator at Moorpark college in southern California. She is a published author and frequent public speaker.

More Articles by Sharon L. Anderson  More Design Solutions General and accent lighting Accent and task lighting Torchieres creating up-lighting effect.