At the KBIS show in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Randall Whitehead, a lighting designer, who besides being a great designer is an author (Lost Dolls available on his website www.randallwhitehead.com).  Here are some of the highlights of Randall’s talk:

There are 4 types of lighting: task, ambient, accent and decorative.  Task lighting is the lighting you have in specific locations to make it easier to see/do specific tasks (i.e. reading, cooking, shaving…).  Ambient lighting is your general lighting from overhead or up-lighting.  Accent lighting is what you use to “create drama or highlight something-like in a museum.  And decorative lighting helps to create the “glow” in a room.  All 4 types of lighting should occur in your space’s design scheme to create the proper mood and atmosphere.  This is called “layering” of your lighting plan.

l  Randall refers to lighting as the “jewelry” or “bling” of a room as it’s the lighting that makes a room sparkle and shine.

l  As we age, the lens in our eye starts to YELLOW therefore we need a BLUE/WHITE light to help see color and differentiate items.

l  Look for natural spectrum lighting, which simulates “day light” or “blue” light.  (It is hard to differentiate between navy & black, red & orange with incandescent).

l  Some terms to become familiar with are: CCFL=cold can fluorescent light, VU1=fluorescent light WITHOUT mercury, GU24=compact fluorescents with 2 prong hardware & is “dimmable”.

l  Use LEDs for artwork and outdoor dreamscapes NOT UV.  There are LED strips available that are flexible and open up even more design possibilities for your space.