Lighting
Lighting is fun. The procedure is pretty easy. First, someone
from your builder's lighting supply company should walk your
house. He will measure the rooms and tell you how many and what
size your light fixtures need to be.
May I recommend that you read my Electrical
section first. It has a good deal of pertinent information to
lighting. Some of the items mentioned there will be repeated
here.
Ceiling Fans
We like to have ceiling fans in most rooms of the house. Here
are the locations:
- Master bath over vanity -Turn on those vanity lights and
a hair dryer, and it starts getting warm in the bathroom.
Women can testify how hard it is to put on makeup while perspiring.
A ceiling fan can help to cool things off.
- Utility room - Try ironing in a utility room while the dryer
is running. It can get a little warm.
- Garage work area
- Back porch
- All bedrooms - If you have bad allergies, you won't want
to sleep under a ceiling fan, but they are helpful for trying
to cool off. In the bedroom, get a fan with a remote control
that you can leave on your bedside table.
- Master bedroom - Use one with indirect up lighting for a
romantic effect.
- Over the kitchen sink - I enjoy washing the dishes, but
I don't enjoy burning up while doing it. Nothing will heat
you up faster than hot water and scrubbing dishes.
- Family room
- Game room
- Your cooling-off spot. Think about the location in your home where you will plop down to cool off after coming in from a hot day. Put a ceiling fan there.
The electrical contractor
The following types of lighting are usually provided by the
electrical contractor:
- Recessed cans
- Eyeball lights
- Fluorescent lights
- Under-cabinet lights
- Over-cabinet lights
- Rope lights
- Stair safety lighting
- Outdoor lighting
The lighting store
The following types of lighting are usually provided by the
builder's lighting supply company.
- Wall sconces
- Lighted ceiling fans
- Track lighting
- Lamps
- Hanging fixtures
- Lighted bookshelves or cabinets
Bathrooms
In your bathroom, I recommend recessed cans over the vanities
to light your mirrors. With the recessed cans providing the
light you need, you can pick sconces for above or beside the
mirrors without worrying about whether the sconces will provide
the light you need.
If you have an enclosed toilet, make sure you provide adequate
lighting. There is no delicate way of saying this, but you don't
want to be in the dark while, well, you know.
Master bedroom
If your master bedroom will have a seating area, consider recessed
cans above it. This will provide adequate lighting for reading.
Dining room
Your dining room is an opportunity for distinctive lighting.
Most people opt for a chandelier of some type. Frankly, they
don't do much for me.
I think a good look is to use 2-4 low voltage pendant lights
like the one to the right. Sizes available are anywhere between
4 and 15 inches. We used 4 four-inch pendants above our dining
table.
Kitchen
Lighting in the kitchen is important whether you are cooking,
preparing food, or washing the dishes. We used several different
types of lighting in our kitchen:
- Cooktop - low-voltage halogen lighting
- Island - Several cans
- Countertops - Under-cabinet fluorescent lighting. One of
our cabinets was so small, that we could not use an under-cabinet
fluorescent. Instead, we used rope lighting.
- Sink - A lighted ceiling fan provides light and comfort.
- Pantry - Fluorescent
- Breakfast table - Our breakfast room and kitchen are so
informal that we decided to use a chandelier over the breakfast
table.
Track Lighting
Alfa
makes some very attractive low voltage track lighting. Track
lighting can be expensive, so we walked the house looking for
walls that might hold artwork later. In every potential lighting location,
we pre-wired the ceiling for track or pinpoint lighting and just covered
it with a painted blank up plate. |
Balthazar Custom Homes
If you are looking for a great custom home builder in Dallas,
check out John Balthazar of Balthazar Custom Homes. He is fair and
knowledgeable. His quality is first-rate. He uses great
sub-contractors.
You can contact John at 972-618-7653. |
Lighting Resources
For lighting in Dallas, talk to Sandy Mathis at A.A.
Porter Lighting Company at 972-248-7034.
For low voltage track lighting, consider Alfa.
Craftmade
makes some very nice ceiling fans. Their website is
atrocious, but their fans are quality.
For a large selection of lighting online, visit Lamps
Plus.
|
Pendant Light
|