Check It Out - Light It Up!

I love Google alerts! I just got an alert that another form of last year's article about "How to Make Small Spaces Seem Larger" is out there in cyberspace: http://tinyurl.com/6amwcwu/

I love the bullet-point version of this article ~ I was interviewed by Linda Longo of Home Lighting & Accessories magazine, along with 2 other experts, and she wrote the articles.

(I blogged about this in November ~ you can go here to see the other article:
http://tinyurl.com/6em9bku/ )

Here's the new article, courtesy of courier-journal.com:

Whether by choice or necessity, many are opting to downsize their homes. According to the American Lighting Association, choosing the right kind of lighting and paying attention to its placement can make small rooms look more spacious.

A few lighting tips from experts:

Proportion is everything. Entryways in small homes will likely not be able to carry a typical foyer chandelier or lantern-style light, so consider semiflush mounts, flush mounts and mini-chandeliers.

Here are some examples of this, from our displays in Chantilly:

Mina 955-126 mini-chandelier

Murray Feiss F2480/4 OBZ mini-chandelier

Power of portables. Place several table lamps and small accent lamps throughout the room. Multiple points of lighting dramatically increase the perception of space.

Visual Comfort CHA8939Q-NP

Keep it low. Lights should have relatively low wattage and dimmer switches. If lamps don't have built-in dimmers, they can be plugged into tabletop dimmers, which work with most lamps and are sold through lighting showrooms.

Long and lean. Use tall, slender torchiers, which direct light dramatically upward and don't take up much space.

Kichler 76139

Mount it. Wall sconces take up no floor or surface space.

Kichler 45137NI

Hudson Valley 1951-SN

Special effects. A technique called “wall washing” makes spaces appear larger. It involves positioning the light (there are fixtures specifically made for this purpose) so that it grazes the wall, drawing attention outward.

Mini versions. Many standard light fixtures — from pendants and chandeliers to table lamps — come in scaled-down sizes.

Murray Feiss P1179 HTBZ/PGD

For more information or to find a local ALA showroom: http://www.AmericanLightingAssoc.com/.

Sources: Rick Seidman, president of Quoizel, a lighting manufacturer based in South Carolina; practicing architect and lighting designer Joe Rey-Barreau, an education consultant for the ALA and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Interior Design; and Catherine Schlawin, an ALA-certified lighting consultant (CLC) and residential lighting manager at Dominion Electric Supply in Chantilly, Va.