Appropriate Fixtures for General Illumination:
Current lighting trends for general illumination include a shift away from
fluorescent fixtures and standard incandescent fixtures to halogen fixtures.
In fact, this is part of a larger overall trend towards using larger numbers
of focused light sources rather than single, centralized fixtures. By using
a large number of small task or accent lights, rooms are given a layered
look which produces more depth than they used to have with a single central
fixture.
Whether low voltage or line voltage fixtures are used, halogen lamps are
available to ensure crisp, white light throughout your home. If you have
existing ceiling fixtures that suit your general illumination needs and you
like the style, replacement isn’t really warranted by the halogen shift…but
if you are replacing fixtures anyway it’s worth moving to the new standard.
Sconces are another important type of fixture for general illumination.
Sconces are great for wall “washing”; use them to illuminate traffic areas
along hallways and up staircases. Although low voltage versions are emerging,
wall sconces have, perhaps, evolved less than most fixtures that have been
around for some time and most are still standard incandescent.
Appropriate Fixtures for Task Lighting:
Task lighting is an ideal candidate for track, cable or monorail lighting
systems. These systems allow you to power multiple focused spot lights
from a single existing circuit, they allow you to re-aim these lights as
necessary and they are increasingly stylish. Current monorail systems are
extremely functional and can be used as a design element themselves. If
you have a particularly difficult ceiling, consider a cable lighting system
which can be mounted almost anywhere to provide light across a wide area.
Kitchen lighting can be complicated, but most task lighting issues in
the work areas can be rectified with under cabinet lighting. Current under
cabinet options have moved past the ugly, cold fluorescent lighting of the
past, halogen and xelogen options are now available to produce warm glow
for the entire kitchen.
Pendants using anterior reflector bulbs (spot lights) are also good choices
for task lighting. These are commonly called downlight pendants and, again,
are emerging in popularity as low voltage lighting grows in popularity.
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