 Selecting lighting fixtures for your house isn't just about arranging light bulbs in places to make it easier for you to see your way around. It's about creating a mood, making the different spaces in your house functional, and, basically, making your house a home. The look, the feel, the ambience of a room is created in large part by how the space is lit. You make the decisions about that when you select and purchase lighting fixtures.
You understand how different lighting techniques create different moods and change how you perceive a space. You know how a dining table lit by candles feels different from a dining table lit by industrial track lights: the candlelit table feels more intimate and romantic while the track lighting can impart a cool, chic tone - or even just feel cold, depending on the room's decor. The decisions you make about your home's lighting fixtures may be more subtle than these examples, but they're very important. The decisions you make about lighting fixtures in your home make statements about how you feel about your living space, what kind of welcome you give to guests, and how you want to live in your home. Making the most of different light fixtures designs and techniques can help you make the most of your house, and satisfy all your lighting needs.
Most people feel that the primary lighting fixtures in their house are located at the ceilings and just outside the house. Ceiling fixtures generally provide high-quality and generous light in a room. A large room is particularly well served by a well-designed ceiling fixture. A ceiling fixture can offer wide-spread illumination, though it may not always offer the strongest light in any one part of the room. If a specific area within a large room needs extra light, then hanging a pendant lamp may be the best choice. For example, a central ceiling fixture in a kitchen is wise, but workspaces may receive extra light from one, two, or three pendant lamps installed above the counter. Another situation where central and supplementary light fixtures are a safe and smart move is when considering lighting for staircases. It is very important, for safety reasons, to including lighting at the top and bottom of the stairs. Be sure that there are also light switches at the top and the bottom of the stairs. One often sees a stairwell where there's a central ceiling fixture at the middle landing, and supplementary lights installed at the top and bottom of the stairwell: this means that at any point, going up or down, one has sufficient light to feel secure, walk safely, and avoid accidents.
Ceiling fixtures use regular wattage, usually varying from 100 to 200 watts. Rooms with particularly high ceilings (higher than 8 feet), generally want more wattage because there's more area to be lit, and because the light is further from the eye. Also, rooms with dark paneling, wall treatments, or dark décor in general, will call for increased wattage. Dark colors absorb light to a surprising degree, and light fixtures that aren't particulary dim can seem very, very weak in a room with dark wood paneling, for example. In a room with dark wallpaper, or dark, heavy furniture, you may find it necessary to use higher wattage bulbs (200 to 400 watts) to make the room feel bright enough. It may also be wise to strategically place table lamps around the room, as well; a home library, for example, should have a central ceiling fixture, but also have a reading lamp accompanying each seat.
There is a major benefit to using central ceiling lights, which is that you can add features to the lighting fixture. Many people enjoy ceiling fans, which are easily added onto many ceiling fixtures, or are part of the essential design of the fixture. A ceiling light/fan fixture is particularly nice in a kitchen or a casual living room/den area. The decision is up to you: as you look around your house you'll know what kind of feel you want in a particular room, and lighting fixtures will help you achieve your goal.
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