Essential Layers for Bathroom Lighting

Lighting in any room is essential, but the need for bathroom lighting is sometimes greater than in any other part of the house, because not only do we need good lighting for doing things like taking out contacts, applying make up, and such, but we also want to have lighting that is flattering and lends a nice atmosphere and ambience to the bathroom – especially for those that have special features like garden bath areas, jacuzzis, saunas, exercise areas, or dressing rooms.

One way to accomplish several lighting tasks at once with bathroom lighting is to rely upon dimmer switches that allow you to adjust the light from dim to strong with the turn of a dial or the movement of a switch. This way, you can illuminate the room when necessary, for example when using it as a dressing room or when cleaning it, and can switch the mood to low light, for times when you are taking a quiet soak in the bath, using the jacuzzi tub, or when you want to open it up to guests during a party in your home.

No matter what kind of lighting you have in other rooms, and what kind of fixtures you choose for your bathroom lighting, it is most likely that the lighting in your bathroom will be best accomplished by using more than one kind of lighting. For instance, you may have a strong overhead light, but you may want to augment it with a table lamp or floor lamp, for other times when the overhead lighting is too much. Or you may have one light for generally illumination of the room, and may want to have a special make up lighting mirror at the vanity area.

There are many different kinds of bathroom lighting and it is a convenient and a good idea when planning to purchase fixtures for your bath to first look at Lighting4sale.com online, to give yourself access to the many different styles and design ideas that are now available to you. And keep in mind that the designs and styles are constantly being changed and updated with new ideas and new technology, so it is a good idea to refresh your mental inventory of lighting options, from time to time.

Mini Pendant Lighting

One of the best instant upgrades to the hub of your home, the kitchen, is to replace your antiquated island, breakfast nook or counter lights with sparkling new mini-pendants.


Pendant lights gently hang from the ceiling getting their name from the jewelry accessory of the same name. Mini-pendant lighting has a distinctive appeal and is considered perfect for places like kitchen islands, desks, breakfast nooks and the like.

I advise mounting mini-pendant lighting fixtures at 18" to 24" above the surface area to be lighted. Today’s mini-pendants are hung with coax cable, solid rods (6 and 12 inch) or decorative metal designs with stylish chains. This allows you to achieve the perfect height for your application no matter how high or low your ceiling may be.

The light source of preference is halogen. Many of our customers enjoy the option of using a color corrected MR16 for focused lighting or a simple halogen bi-pin lamp that brilliantly illuminates the shade. Most of our mini-pendants allow the user to swap out these two halogen lamp sources for effective lighting.

Whether your tastes are fine European hand blown glass, dazzling arts and crafts, ultra modern lines or timeless Americana, mini pendants will brighten your kitchen and bring to your home the WOW factor.

Ceiling Fans and Light Kits

Ceiling fans with lights are a good way to add light to your home while saving money on your energy bills. Most individuals are aware that ceiling fans can help them save money in the summer (up to 40 percent off cooling costs), but many are unaware of the savings ceiling fans can offer during the winter (up to 10 percent off heating costs). Perhaps most surprisingly, ceiling fans typically use as little energy as a 100-watt light bulb. Convenience is also a benefit, as today's ceiling fans often have remotes that provide speed and dimming options.

Ceiling fans are appropriate for use in many rooms of your home, including the kitchen, dining room, patio, and bathroom. They come in a wide selection of styles and can be coordinated to complement any type of home decor. Common styles include polished brass, antique brass, iron, nickel, chrome, black, and real wood veneers. There is much variation in color as well, with ceiling fans available in colors ranging from earth tones to vibrant solids. Ceiling fan lights offer a wide range of choices also, from classic and contemporary to futuristic and retro, with marble, crystal, or opal often added to the fixture shade as decorative enhancements.

By far, the most important part of a ceiling fan is its motor. The motor works to both drive the movement of the blades as well as to provide for quiet operation. Lower-quality home center ceiling fans with less-powerful motors may be less expensive, but have the disadvantages of noisier operation, higher operating temperatures, and dramatically lower air circulation. Additionally, they tend to warp, lose balance, and even break down over time. For optimal performance, efficiency, and longevity, a motor with heavy-duty windings and perpetually lubricated sealed bearings is of maximum importance.

Fan blades have a great effect on air circulation. For ideal circulation, it is important that fan blade brackets be fixed to keep the blade at a 12-15 degree angle. For durability, select a fan with a high-quality blade finish to protect against tarnishing, fading, and blistering. Since ceiling fans and light fixtures become a part of your home, adding both beauty and value, it is wise to purchase the best fixtures available. For high-quality lighting in all the latest styles, visit Lighting4sale, an ALA-member lighting showroom.

Highlight Your Home

When you decide to sell your home, there's usually a lot of "sprucing up" to be done. Lighting in every room of the home - and on the exterior can help buyers see the property in the best light, or not. Here's a quick checklist to make sure you're giving lighting its proper due:

1 At minimum, check to make sure all light bulbs work - and are clean. Replace blown out bulbs. Any switch that is turned "on" should generate light.

2 To show your home at its best, turn on floor lamps or accent lamps throughout -rather than flooding rooms with overhead lighting.

3 If you have a favorite chandelier or other light fixture, replace it with one you wouldn't mind giving up - since you will sell your home with fixtures in place.

4 Check your exterior lighting. Again, all lamps should - at least - work. You can sometimes "dress up" an exterior by replacing run-of-the-mill light bulbs with decorative ones.

5 Break out the watts. Maximize the wattage in your light fixtures. Brightness sells.

6 Consider upgrading your light fixtures, inside and out. One night before putting your home on the market, drive past your home and see how well your existing lighting conveys warmth. You're aim should be a warm glow, much like that popularized by the American artist Thomas Kinkade.

Remember: your home's appeal will be elevated if it's well illuminated.

Landscape Lighting

If you want to bring out the very best in your garden this summer consider your outdoor lighting. While it’s important that exterior areas such as those areas directly outside the home in both front and backyard have fixtures to provide lighting for visibility and security (homeowners can choose from a wide range of exterior fixtures such as wall mounts, post lights); it is also a great idea to incorporate lighting into the garden. If you are thinking about doing so, remember that there are a number of options to consider.

Basically, there are a couple of ways to add lighting to your garden: line voltage and low voltage. Both can be installed quickly and safely, without risk of electric shock. These lighting types are also low energy consumers. As far as lighting options go, with a low voltage system you can accent or create visibility lights to decks, pathways, stairs, and garden beds. You can do the same with solar fixtures; however, there may be less choice, style and intensity.

Keep in mind that you’re not lighting up a ball park at night and that excessive lighting can disturb your neighbor. Design your garden with lighting in a careful manner. Use fixtures to provide safety and visibility along paths and in areas of circulation and add other lights to gently highlight a small area, focal point, beautiful tree or shrub.

Imagine enjoying views of the garden at night during any season. When warmer weather arrives, a carefully lit garden can be as inviting for evening pleasures as any spot within your home. Fixtures such as pathway lights and lanterns can mark a strolling path and along the way, a beautiful tree is lit from below, casting interesting shadowing. There is so much that can be done to enhance and highlight the garden at night. Take a look at the selection of fixtures available and determine which form of lighting (solar, low voltage) you prefer.

Types of Lighting

There are four general layers of lighting that can and should be used to achieve the best lighting design. They are:
Ambient lighting
Task lighting
Accent lighting
Decorative lighting.

Ambient Lighting provides an area with overall illumination at a comfortable level of brightness, enabling one to see and walk about safely. Ambient lighting can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed, track lights, and lanterns outside your home. A basic form of lighting that replaces sunlight, general lighting is fundamental to a lighting plan.

Task Lighting helps you perform specific tasks such as reading, sewing, cooking, homework, hobbies, games, or balancing your checkbook. Task lighting can be provided by recessed lighting, track lighting, pendant lighting, and portable lamps. Task lighting should be free of distracting glare and shadows and should be bright enough to prevent eyestrain.

Bedroom Lighting Checklist

To make sure you have proper lighting in your bedroom or master suite, I suggest asking the following questions. (Tip: You want to be able to answer "yes" to all!)

1. Can I see well enough to get dressed?
2. Is there a light in the closet?
3. Are there individual reading lights on each side of the bed?
4. Is there an overhead light source?
5. Do I have enough light to determine the colors of clothing in my drawers?
6. Do I have a light source near the door?
7. Have I installed outlets in convenient locations while building/renovating the bedroom?
8. Can I fill dark corners with portable lighting sources?
9. Do I have a dimmer installed on the overhead light source?
10. Are there lights at the dressing table to help with makeup?