subject: The Three Major Home Lighting Categories [print this page] You can have so many options to choose between when wanting to illuminate your dwelling in style. Nevertheless, you can take all the ways and devices out there, and group them into three major lighting options. These 3 categories are down lighting, up lighting, and feature lighting. Knowing these options will help you make a better decision on what is best for the unique layout of your home.
Down lighting, as its name implies, shines light downwards. The most common type of down lighting utilizes track lights. Track lights are a series of lamp heads that fasten to the ceiling, be it in a straight line or unique configuration. The lamp heads are usually adjustable so that you could shine the light wherever you need to highlight certain features of the area. Down lighting could also use recessed lights. They are installed within cut-out sections of the ceiling, allowing for a sleek look. They also have the additional advantage of creating more floor space, consequently making your room look larger. Plus, many of them can still provide you a lot of control so that you can direct them wherever you choose. The only downside is that you probably will need to hire an electrician to hardwire them.
Up lighting is the reverse of down lighting, so it is placed on the floor and directs light upwards. It's most commonly installed outside of dwellings, such as along driveways and walkways. However, I have seen some really nice setups where the up lighting is installed inside. Some areas that you might want to install up lighting is the restroom, deck, entertainment room, and kitchen/bar. And like down lighting, up lighting can use tracks or recessed lights.
Feature lighting is the most commonly used style of lighting. Feature lighting includes the typical lamp and wall sconce lighting. This type of lighting is meant to highlight existing features of the room. For instance, if you own a very pleasant looking painting, you may want to put up a wall sconce on each side, or maybe one below it. With feature lighting, you want to think "balance." Don't place a lone lamp way off into the corner. Rather, place it next to your sofa or recliner. Additionally, feature lighting typically works better in twos or threes. Thus, if you would like to highlight your door, put a sconce on both sides at head height.
