Decorating Articles

Prescription for Room Gloom

As an interior decorator, I have been in many homes. Here's a quick quiz…what do you think is the biggest decorating faux-pas I notice in about 80% of the homes I visit?

a) Too much clutter
b) Color mis-matching
c) Not enough lighting

If you said "c", then you would be correct! I haven't quite figured out how to define a poorly lit room in design terminology; dark is the new bright? room noir? drabby chic?

Whatever label you want to give a room with little or no lighting, the result is the same…you can't see anything! Simply put, this means the room cannot function properly once the sun goes down.

I decided to try a "doctor of decorating" approach to analyze this lack-of- lighting situation and in so doing, have come to the conclusion that most homeowners with poorly lit rooms suffer from the same syndrome. It is called lampaphobia. While somewhat contagious, it is not fatal, and can be cured quite easily with a visit to a local lighting store. However, a trip to the lamp shop may not alleviate the problem unless you have the proper prescription. So, I will now proceed to illuminate you on how to cure lampaphobia with a quick dose of Lighting 101.

Every room (and I mean every room) needs three sources of lighting. Required source number one is called General Lighting, which fills the space with overall illumination. Sunshine is a good example of daytime general lighting. Moonlight peeking through your skylight, however, does not qualify as satisfactory general lighting in the evening. Track lighting (no 70's models, please), recessed can lights, or even the much -maligned ceiling fan light, can all be considered good overhead general lighting sources. But these alone are not enough to produce the proper illumination of your room.

You also need source number two, Task Lighting. This is rather self explanatory. If you are doing a specific task, such as reading, needlepoint (does anyone still do this?) or playing bunco, you must light the area in which this activity is taking place. Be warned again, even though you have 200 recessed lights in your ceiling, and are on your way to a permanent suntan, you still need to add in some task lighting. Consider purchasing a floor lamp next to the reading chair, a few table lamps next to the sofa and loveseat, and a hanging light over that game table. After all, you want to be sure you can see the dots on those bunco dice, don't you?

The third source of lighting, which should not be overlooked, is what we call Ambient, or "mood" lighting. Contrary to popular belief, the bedroom is not the only place you need to create a cozy, relaxing, even romantic, mood. Adding a soft glow in any room is actually much easier than you think. Can you say candles? (And you thought they cost $14.95 each just to make your room smell like a piece of fruit!) Another mood enhancing choice is a wonderful little accent fixture, popularly know as an "uplight". The bargain ones look like small soup cans, and are placed on the floor behind large potted plants and trees. These little gems throw an upward wash of light and bounce the shadows of the plant fronds onto the ceiling. Forget about watching Law & Order, this is drama!

So, if your diagnosis is a poorly lit room, don't worry. Just fill your prescription from "Doctor Smart"…because now that you know how to dissect the lighting needs of your home, you are on your way to a speedy recovery!

About the author:

Marcia Smart is a nationally recognized Interior Redesigner and author of the witty do-it-yourself book “Decorating by Instinct”. Marcia is an in-demand instructor of professional redesign training and is shaping the future of the industry as the Executive Director of I.R.I.S., Interior Redesign Industry Specialists To learn more about her program and find more FREE tips and articles like these, visit her site at www.smartredesign.com

# # #

NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to info@smartredesign.com.