Tips on Choosing a Lamp

I don’t know about all of you, but ever apartment or house I have ever lived in did not adequate lighting. Yes, every room had the mandatory ceiling lights, but other than that, I was basically stuck. So, I figured it was time to figure out what type of lights I wanted to purchase and what style would best fit my particular dwelling. Now, the style part I cannot help you with, because everyone’s taste and circumstance is different. However, I can try and help you with choosing the correct type of light for the room you wish to brighten.

One of the first things that you will need to think about when choosing lamps for your home, is what type of lighting you wish to have. Do you want to have direct lighting or indirect lighting? For example, when you have direct lighting, you will be shedding your light on a particular object or portion of your room. If you are choosing a lamp for the sole purpose of lighting a task-oriented area of your room, than this is the type of light you would want to purchase. If, however, you wish for general illumination of the room, than I would suggest going for a lamp that offers indirect illumination.

While doing some research for this article, I came across a word that I had never heard of before. It was very intriguing and since it is relevant to this topic, I felt it would be kind of fun to share it with you. The word I am talking about is torchieres. Since the prefix of the word is torch, I felt pretty confidant that it had something to do with lighting, and I was correct. These types of lamps are used for indirect lighting. The bulbs direct its light to a reflecting bowl, which then bounces the light upward and into the room. This washes the light throughout the entire room, instead of directing it towards a specific area. This is the type of light that should be chosen if you are wishing for general illumination of a room.

Although the first lamp that you may purchase might be a floor lamp (ours is located behind our television), you might also decide to look into purchasing table lamps, to not only decorate your tables, but also help in the lighting of your home. Again, the decision on which style to choose is up to you; however, you will once again need to decide what you want to use that table lamp for. If you plan to use the table as a desk or a workstation, you may want to lean towards purchasing a lamp that offers direct lighting. If, however, you plan to use the lamp for general illumination and decoration, than you will probably want to purchase an indirect lighting lamp.

The purchase of portable lighting for your home does not have to be difficult. Once you know what type of lighting you want, it then falls upon you to choose the lamp that will look best in your home or apartment. Lastly, I feel that the best part of having a portable lamp is that it goes with you whenever you move; an investment that stays with you.

Choosing a Light Fixture

I don't recall if I have ever mentioned this before, but our kids have two pet birds: a budgie and a cockatiel. Because they remain in the kids' bedroom, I need to make sure that there is enough light for them, which means that on most days, the light is turned-on for several hours a day. This has never been much of a problem, but several months ago, we switched to using those new energy-efficient light bulbs. The problem we are facing is that these bulbs only last a few months and then burn out.

I did some research on the Internet and I discovered that the energy-efficient bulbs have a tendency to generate a great deal of heat and, when they are in enclosed light fixtures, there is nowhere for the heat to dissipate, so they burn out. This means that we either revert to the old incandescent bulbs, or I go shopping for a new light; I have elected to get a new fixture. So, as my wonderful journey begins, my first question is what type of fixture to get. Since this is in a bedroom and there happens to be a bunk bed in the room, I need to have a light that is fairly close to the ceiling (after all, I really don't want my daughter banging her on the light each time she gets out of bed).

There are two types of ceiling light fixtures that I am looking at: one is flush and the other is semi-flush. Now the flush fixture is basically what it sounds like. You have a fixture, which is mounted onto the ceiling outlet box and enclosed in its cover; with no gap between the light and the ceiling. Since this is what we currently have, I went over and looked at the types of lights that are in the semi-flush category. In these lights, you will mount the fixture to the ceiling outlet box as usual, but there will be a gap between the ceiling and the cover. This means that the heat, which is produced by the light bulbs, will be able to escape into the room and thus the bulbs will not overheat as before.

So, I have decided upon the type, now I need to choose a style. When choosing a light fixture, please be sure to take the décor of your house and the particular room in mind. So, whether you are looking for chandeliers or ceiling fans you will want to match the fixture to the look you wish to achieve for your house. In my case, there are hundreds of different styles to choose from, but since this is a children's room, I will be going with a three-light semi-flush light fixture with the diffuser (light cover) being made of etched glass. It is not the fanciest light, but it matches the look of the room and most importantly of all, is inexpensive.