Kelly Inglis, a lighting specialist with Robinson Lighting and Bath Centre, shines some light on the topic.

“There are three layers to lighting: ambiance, task and general,” she says, adding all three layers are fundamental in every room. Ambiance lighting is for mood and style, task for reading and accent lighting, and general for day-to-day use.

When choosing fixtures for the home, Inglis avoids anything too “matchy-matchy” and relates the lights by colour or style. She says light fixtures are jewelry for the home.

“Lighting is the finishing touch of every room. It balances everything out.”

The heart of the home, the kitchen, requires pot lights to serve as task lighting, but Inglis warns, when positioned wrong or the wrong fixture is chosen, they can become a disaster.

“There are different types of pot lights; some that cast a glare and others that absorb the glare,” she says.

The trick is to absorb the glare and deliver light where needed. White pot lights, though often used to blend into the ceiling, are not effective as they reflect light off the fixture. The eye is immediately drawn to the ceiling instead of to the work area. Black alzak pot lights, on the other hand, prove to do quite the opposite, due to a high performance trim (in black) producing a mirror affect that pushes all light to the work area.
However, Inglis says you can have fun in the kitchen with pendant lights over the island or nook table. The pendants act as a visual balance but she would rather use two chandelets, a scaled down version of a chandelier, instead of three or four pendants.

Inglis suggests under-cabinet lighting to brighten the work surface for tasks as well.

The next room is the main living room. It is typical to have no ceiling fixture because the use of space is different for everybody. The room can be lit with portable lamps and should definitely have accent lighting for fireplaces or artwork. Pot lights can line the perimeter for general lighting, but Inglis says task lighting is essential. “A reading lamp comes in handy if the room is being used for that purpose.”

Plus, having lamps on a dimmer switch can serve multiple purposes, switching the intensity of the light for each mood.

Secondary bedrooms can have a general ceiling fixture, Inglis says, because you will probably spend less time in the room. If a secondary bedroom is for kids, theme rooms and theme lighting can be fun but should still be functional. For the master bedroom, Inglis says pot lights lining the perimeter work well.

“Portables, such as bed-side lamps, are common but some people prefer wall mounts,” she says. “Some have the elbow so you can pull it out for task lighting.”

The walk-in closet should have track lighting for task purposes.
“You can position the heads to light certain areas,” says Inglis. “Fill as many track heads you need and point them in any direction.”

The ensuite requires the best lighting for your face. Any woman who has applied make-up in the wrong colour lighting can vouch for the need to have the right lighting. Inglis recommends wall sconces, as they make for good lighting, and says they should be six feet from the floor for even face coverage.

“White glass and incandescent halogen bulbs create a brighter white,” she says.

Inglis recognizes amber glass as the most popular these days — they make for good mood lighting and give off a warm glow.  Kristina Hutchins, interior designer for Cardel Lifestyles, agrees and says antiqued brass is definitely coming back in style, as well. Fabric shades are also in, and Hutchins says scale of the fixture plays a big role now.

“Oversized shades give the room more presence,” she says. “Of course, you have to use it in the right application.”

Proportion for lighting has changed for the better. Hutchins says the rule for lamps in a living room is to have it on either side of the couch or table, for balance, and for the bottom of the shade to be at eye level.

“About 40 to 42 inches from the floor,” she says. “That way you don’t get the bright light in your eyes.”

She warns to stay within scale if the lamp is a table lamp, and advises the shade width not be bigger than the table it sits on. Both designers are keen on dimmer switches changing the atmosphere and adding intimacy.  Hutchins says light fixtures, themselves, can even be a focal point, adding to the artwork already in the room. She adds that chandeliers are timeless, but it’s good to know where they should be placed as the wrong environment for a chandelier can make it lose its elegance. So, whether you’re buying new or renovating, don’t forget to light up your life.