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HOW DO I LIGHT MY HOME?

                                HOW DO I LIGHT MY HOME?

Lighting is the jewelry that makes your house sparkle.

As the days get shorter, we spend more hours in our home without the benefit of natural daylight. It is at this time of the year we realize the importance of good lighting.

Many homes are frequently too dark.

Lighting falls in three categories.

1. General Lighting

If your home is fairly new, you probably have good general lighting.  In older homes, you may want to consult with an electrician on ways to update your general lighting..

      2.  Task Lighting

It is important to have sufficient lighting for reading and other tasks. 

For example, consider lighting installed under counters in the kitchen.  Buy lamps that provide sufficient wattage for your individual activities. Make sure that a task lamp is the right height.  If it is too tall the bulb will be visible and will produce glare. 

If you are in the building process, recessed lights are the best way to provide extra light. Track lighting is easily added during a remodeling project, but can add glare and heat if it is not carefully planned.   

      3.  Mood Lighting

This is the most under used method of creating design and drama in a home.  Once you have accomplished the first two functional goals of lighting, creative lighting can really make a big difference in the look of any space. 

Here are a few ideas. 

Use picture lights to turn even ordinary pictures into a focal point.  Tuck uplights behind vases, plants, or figurines to create shadows on the walls and ceiling. 

Putting a spotlight on anything gives it a sense of importance. 

Landscape lighting outside a window will make a room appear larger and take away the “black hole” of an uncovered window.  A lamp in front of a foyer window is a welcoming sight.

Use small lamps on bookshelves and tables to light dark corners. 

Lamps should be updated and/or replaced often. Keep them clean and free of cobwebs.  Replace worn and dirty shades.  Not only are they a fire hazard, they make a room look worn and dirty.

A fun lamp can give a room a sense of humor.  Timers, motion detectors, or photosensitive devices can reduce the chore of turning on and off your accent lighting.  And do consider green design.  There are many bulbs out that reduce energy consumption.

With the right lighting, your home becomes a beautiful and inviting place to live and visit.

HOW DO I LIGHT MY HOME?

                                HOW DO I LIGHT MY HOME?

Lighting is the jewelry that makes your house sparkle.

As the days get shorter, we spend more hours in our home without the benefit of natural daylight. It is at this time of the year we realize the importance of good lighting.

Many homes are frequently too dark.

Lighting falls in three categories.

1. General Lighting

If your home is fairly new, you probably have good general lighting.  In older homes, you may want to consult with an electrician on ways to update your general lighting..

      2.  Task Lighting

It is important to have sufficient lighting for reading and other tasks. 

For example, consider lighting installed under counters in the kitchen.  Buy lamps that provide sufficient wattage for your individual activities. Make sure that a task lamp is the right height.  If it is too tall the bulb will be visible and will produce glare. 

If you are in the building process, recessed lights are the best way to provide extra light. Track lighting is easily added during a remodeling project, but can add glare and heat if it is not carefully planned.   

      3.  Mood Lighting

This is the most under used method of creating design and drama in a home.  Once you have accomplished the first two functional goals of lighting, creative lighting can really make a big difference in the look of any space. 

Here are a few ideas. 

Use picture lights to turn even ordinary pictures into a focal point.  Tuck uplights behind vases, plants, or figurines to create shadows on the walls and ceiling. 

Putting a spotlight on anything gives it a sense of importance. 

Landscape lighting outside a window will make a room appear larger and take away the “black hole” of an uncovered window.  A lamp in front of a foyer window is a welcoming sight.

Use small lamps on bookshelves and tables to light dark corners. 

Lamps should be updated and/or replaced often. Keep them clean and free of cobwebs.  Replace worn and dirty shades.  Not only are they a fire hazard, they make a room look worn and dirty.

A fun lamp can give a room a sense of humor.  Timers, motion detectors, or photosensitive devices can reduce the chore of turning on and off your accent lighting.  And do consider green design.  There are many bulbs out that reduce energy consumption.

With the right lighting, your home becomes a beautiful and inviting place to live and visit.

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY COLLECTIBLES?

                                 WHAT DO I DO WITH MY COLLECTIBLES?

This article is being written at a reader’s request.  If you have a subject you would like to see addressed or comments on previous articles please go to my blog at http://designconnection.typepad.com/ .

Almost everyone begins at least one collection sometime in their life.  For my husband it is clocks.  For me it is vases.  Before long, these items seem to take on a life of their own and start to become clutter in the home. 

Usually these items are collected over a period of time.  We see them, purchase them, and bring them home.  After an initial period of admiration, they are shoved onto a shelf or table. 

One reader asked how these items can be incorporated into the design of the home.  This falls into the category of accessorizing. 

When we first move into a new home, decorative items and pictures are placed with thought and care.  Later, additional items are frequently added with less planning. 

Before we know it surfaces have become cluttered.  If you have just recognized yourself, there is a solution. 

Plan an entire day or weekend for this home project. 

First remove everything from the room.  Clean, putty and paint holes in the wall, and then take a hard look at your cherished belongings.  Do you really still love them? 

If not, box them up and either store them or give them away. 

Now begin to group the remaining items according to color, theme, or size. 

Begin to return larger items to the room first.  Place them in areas where a focal point is needed. 

Smaller items can then be grouped so that they make a statement and can be used in place of large items. 

This is where creativity kicks in. 

Very small items need to be contained.  Here are a few suggestions

Doilies can be framed and hung in a grouping. 

Shadow boxes are a good way to display flags, baby clothes, or other personal items.  My sister actually had her childhood pigtails put in a shadow box and it hangs over her bed. 

You may need to purchase a bookshelf to contain teapots or figurines.They make a much greater impact when displayed in an important manner.

Make a promise that you will stop collecting until you have purchased an appropriate display case for these items. Arrange your books creatively and fill in with vases and pictures. 

Nothing should be added to the room unless it can make a statement.  Now get really creative with the smaller things.  Glue wine corks together to make a trivet.  Fill jars with rocks, sea shells, or other small items. Put paper napkins from your travels in a collage behind glass. Hang small pictures together as a unit.  (Arrange them on craft paper in the floor first.  Trace around the pictures and cut out the spaces where the pictures were.  Then tape the paper to the wall as a pattern.) 

Often, just putting the items that relate to each other in some way in the same location will inspire a creative display idea.  If not, pick up a craft or design idea magazine for inspiration. 

Our collections not only bring back good memories for us, but also tell a story of who we are.   

Make sure it is a story that is told well.

WHAT DOES YOUR HOME SAY ABOUT YOU?

I often come across clients with style phobia.  They are either afraid they don’t have it or that someone else may not like it.  Thus, they are timid about expressing themselves in their décor.  I encourage them to learn who they are and what they want their “look” to be.  Flipping through some design magazines and clipping photos of rooms that you would enjoy spending time in is always revealing.  By spreading these out side by side, you can start to see a common theme. Look for items you see repeated; for example: lots of windows, or dark stained furniture.

There are basically 4 decorating personality types.  Look around your home and see if you can discover which one is you.  Most people are a combination, but one will be dominant.

1. The extrovert, a person with an outgoing love of life.  Your home is a set in which you can interact with other people and live life to the fullest.  You love to throw a party and your home will have interesting focal points to draw visitors together, such as a huge fireplace in the living room or a butcher block in the center of the kitchen.  Your furniture will be arranged to encourage conversation. You will probably have a “picture wall” of photos and clippings or a painting you have done yourself. Your home is always interesting.  You like rich reds and greens.
2. The romantic, who seeks total happiness in life and treasures deep relationships.  You like to dine by candlelight and be surrounded by possessions that have sentimental attachments. More than likely, you are a lover of antiques, wicker, and fine fabrics.  Your furniture will be arranged in intimate corners, maybe two chairs in a cozy corner.  You love collections of any type and will probably have many plants and flowers. Cheerful pinks and peaches are your colors.
3. The achiever, who is naturally ambitious.  Your home is an environment from which you initiate action and you insist that it meet your needs for convenience and workability.  You are a do-it-yourselfer and may have an appreciation for handmade items.  You love information and are thrilled with the new technology boom.  Your kitchen will be full of gadgets.  You will probably have a round dining table and a desk is important to you.  Your colors are electric blue and yellow.
4. The trend setter, drawn to anything new and innovative.  You are an explorer, always ready to try the unexpected.  Your home will be full of unusual ideas, striking color combinations, and unusual accessories.  You like large paintings and lots of empty wall and floor space. You will seat people in an unexpected way; perhaps pillows on the floor.  You love modular furniture. Steel gray is your color.

Since most of us do not live alone, the tricky part comes in accommodating several personality types in one setting. Let your style become a lifestyle.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR HOME?

With the current popularity of home design shows on television, it’s apparent that the public has become increasingly fascinated with the design process. 

With the technical revolution and fast-paced lifestyles, people want to come home, shut the door, and be in an environment that gives them refuge; a place where they are comfortable and in control of their lives. 

All of this media attention on design fuels the imagination, creating many possibilities for just such a place.

However, the huge number of ideas, products, and styles can also be confusing the consumer.

 If you have looked around and decided that you want more from your home, where do you start? What are you looking for and where do you find it? How do you keep from making expensive mistakes?

That’s the goal of this new, multi-media column. In addition to appearing in print, you’ll be able to connect through the newspaper’s website to a blog I’m writing and, there, offer your comments or ask questions.

We want to help you wade through this complicated process; find answers to questions you have been afraid to ask, and even ask questions you didn’t know you needed to ask. Connect with us and let’s have some fun.

Each month we are going to explore different topics on interior design. If readers have questions or want to share experiences they have had, they can connect to the Design Blog on the Digital Courier’s Spotlight page.

The first question is always “What do you want from your home?” Years ago, as long as most of your friends, and all of your relatives thought it was pretty, you were satisfied.

Now my clients want more.

They also want, more often than not, to be involved in the design process. They want to be involved in the decision making. Setting goals, budgets, and priorities relieves some of the fear and uncertainly that exists when starting a home project.

It can be fun. Many clients tell me that they are a little sad when their design project is over.

To get started, ask yourself the right questions. My father often told me that the answers were not always as important as learning what questions to ask. Here are some to ask yourself:

When you are home, what do you do? 

What do you not do that you would like to because you have no place to do it?

Who lives there and who visits? How often?

Will these answers change as children grow and you age? 

Have you prepared for the evolution process?

Have you controlled your clutter? 

Do you need to incorporate more storage in the design or just “get rid” of some things that no longer work for you? 

And the biggest question in today’s changing world: “Have you incorporate new technology into your design?” Are there cords everywhere? Are chargers, computers, DVD’s, remotes, and speakers scattered about or do they look like they belong?

Take a picture and look at it as if you were an outsider. And don’t get overwhelmed. You can’t do it all at once; just pick an area and start. We’ll try to help.

 

Kitty McCammon is owner of KSP Design on

Charlotte   Road

in Rutherfordton.