Published Benicia Herald May 8, 2005

Lighting Basics: it’s the layers
By Steve McKee

Have you ever noticed how pleasing the lighting is in a nice restaurant? How rich the setting can seem with just the right features accented, with pools of light in all the right places. It’s because designers in such places are keenly aware of the importance of providing several different “layers” to the lighting.

This is something we can do in a home as well, though on a more junior scale. Using lighting to enrich an environment is an inexpensive way to create a feeling of tranquility and luxury. Some light fixtures may not seem cheap when you’re looking at their price tags at Home Expo or Lamps Plus, but they’re a bargain compared to the other ways of trying to add interest to a space by vaulting ceilings and the like. In other words, good lighting is a smart place to spend a little money.

Uniform lighting is not the goal, as if the room in question were a warehouse or factory floor. Yet we don’t want dark spots in the wrong places.

These different layers of lighting are usually switched separately and almost always controlled by dimmers. By the way, dimmer switches come in different forms these days. You need not resort to the round knob that was standard issue in the sixties and seventies. Toggle switches (up and down, just like a regular switch) are available and have a look that blends in better with the other non-dimmer switches.

These lighting layers can be achieved through use of several basic types of light fixtures:

Fill lighting
This layer adds general illumination to the room. A good source for this comes from fixtures recessed into the ceiling (commonly called “cans”) and sconces (wall mounted fixtures.)

Sconces come in thousands of varieties, from art deco glass and metal, to old world Spanish style made from clay, and everything inbetween. Many are the classic half-bowl of white glass with an open top. They’re good for sending light up a wall where it can bounce off a ceiling to help give a uniform glow to a room. When dimmed they become more like attractive accent pieces. They are very effective when placed on both sides of major architectural element like an arched opening (or a fireplace or a view window) and add a bit of symmetry that brackets and highlights these elements.

Recessed light fixtures are also good for providing uniform light. Be careful because it’s easy to get carried away and overdo it with these. See if you agree with me that the smaller fixtures (4” diameter compared to the 6”diameter ones) seem more elegant than the larger ones. Also notice how the depth of the bulb within the light fixture and whether it’s tucked up inside or sticking out (an “inny” or an “outy,” to use belly button lingo) can change the feel of these lights, and also influence whether the fixture creates a more defined pool of light or light that is cast far and wide. I personally like them more tucked up inside, so they don’t look so much like a bulb protruding into the room.

Place a row of recessed light fixtures close to a wall (say 12” or 16” from the wall) and the resulting cone of light that each will create on the wall makes for a dramatic “wall washer” effect.

Dim these cans and sconces and they instantly become more moody, creating soft pools of light, instead of filling the room.

Spot lighting
Highlighting certain walls or features can be very dramatic. The recessed light fixtures mentioned above can be used for this, especially if they have a spot light inside that can be aimed. Halogen spot lights create particularly nice accents for art work on walls or in niches or on fireplace mantles. Track lighting can provide a form of spotlights that is highly adaptable and changeable. And there’s a lot more variety available in track lighting these days than you may remember.

Task lighting
The under-cabinet lights in kitchens are an example of a light source used to highlight a work area. Lamps for reading also fall in this category. Most often this lighting is provided by non-built in light sources such as desk lamps or nightstand reading lamps. Of course the variety possible for this is huge. Because it’s not built-in it’s easier to be more daring with your selection.

Ornamental lighting
This would include little accent lamps, including a picture lamp over a painting or a small light source behind a plant. The classic lava lamp would also be included in this category. In my house we have an artist-created little lantern with rice paper sides and a little scene that shines from inside onto the sides of the rice paper. The heat from the low watt bulb causes the scene to spin slowly.

It’s easy during construction to have an outlet installed that is controlled by a wall switch. Place this outlet in a good spot for an ornamental light fixture, such as a fireplace mantle or a wall where a painting will hang. Voila. Instead of having to walk across the room and fumble with a little switch on the back of the lamp or on the cord, you can bring it to life from the same set of switches that you’re using to control the rest of the room lights.

You don’t need to go nuts and over-think each room and fill it chock full of lighting effects. Even if a room has a total of only three or four light sources, be aware of the different effects that can be achieved if you bring a little sensitivity to bear. Pay attention in nice homes, restaurants and hotels for ideas. There’s some pretty amazing stuff out there.

For more on this subject I would suggest the book Christopher Lowell’s Seven Layers of Design. I’m always happy to give credit to my sources, and I consider this book a good one, especially on the subject of lighting.

Current Edition:
June 23, 2010 - Confessions of a Lighting Junky

Archive:
2010
May 25, 2010 - A Day in the Life of the Architecture Student
May 4, 2010 - Job Site Tips I Learned the Hard Way
March 25, 2010 - More Than Just a Pretty Picture
February 18, 2010 - A Benicia Sense of Place
January 27, 2010 - Aging in place

2009
December 24, 2009 - Why we travel: the hidden Puerto Vallarta is there for the taking
December 1, 2009 - Paradise stolen: greed and redemption on the Mayan Riviera
October 25, 2009 - The new rules for downtown
September 20, 2009 - Ongoing adventures in city life
August 23, 2009 - How to almost miss out on architecture school
August 2, 2009 - Visiting Italy in the movies
June 26, 2009 - Secret weapons of design
May 24, 2009 - Germany, the war, and why we like life in Benicia
April 23, 2009 - A hundred and sixty years in Benicia
March 12, 2009 - On dream houses in Mexico and life lessons
February 15, 2009 - Building a House in Mexico - the Reality

January 15, 2009 - Phil Joy's house move enters the home stretch

2008
December 26, 2008 - Fireplaces: New Rules
November 27, 2008 - A Benician in L.A.
October 22, 2008 - Why I'm Doing My Addition Now
September 17, 2008 - Why We Travel
August 20, 2008 - Americans in Paris
July 30, 2008 - Front Porch City
May 30, 2008 - On turning fifty, crescent moons, and Frank Lloyd Wright
April 22, 2008 - Building green, getting real
March 27, 2008 - Benicia versus the country club
February 27, 2008 - Stone arches totally rock
January 23, 2008 - These are a few of your favorite things
January 6, 2008 - Another vintage house is delivered to Benicia


2007
December 16, 2007 - How First Street keeps us together
November 22, 2007 - You, the tile shop, the decision
October 23, 2007 - A Benician in New York
September 19, 2007 - Figuring out how much your building project will cost
August 21, 2007 - Why we travel: The city of Prague is a marvel – who knew?
July 22, 2007 - The “it” moment with my new house
June 20, 2007 - Dreamhouse for rent
May 20, 2007 - Artist Open Studios Reveal Creative Undercurrent Alive in Benicia
March 2, 2007 - Haiku Moments and Performance Art in the Comfort of Your Own Home
April 22, 2007 - Once in a Lifetime Adventure: Say Yes
January 28, 2007 - Countertops: We Live in a Stone Age

2006
December 31, 2006 - The Day the Thompson-Joy House Came to Town
December 3, 2006 - The Revenge of Unpaid Carpenters (And Other True Stories)
October 29, 2006 - A House Move for the Ages
September 24, 2006 - My Best Five Seconds at Design School
August 17, 2006 - Getting Bids: "The Rules"
July 23, 2006 - Benicia's Growth Rings
June 18, 2006 - The Well-considered Window Seat
May 14, 2006 - Hearst Castle - Residential Design Mind Blower
April 16, 2006 - San Francisco April 1906: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times
March 17, 2006 - Dog Handling at the Ititarod

February 12, 2006 - Your House's Defense Against Rising Energy Costs
January 8 , 2006 - Not Your Father's Living Room

2005
December 12, 2005 - The Best Design Book Ever
September 23, 2005 - Further Adventures in the Eternal city
August 28, 2005 - Lessons from Rome
July 31, 2005 - Roadside at the Tour de France
June 9, 2005 - My Accidental Getaway Room
May 8, 2005 - Lighting Basics: It's the layers
April 10, 2005 - Architecture School: The Reality
March 13, 2005 - Southampton Concrete Slab Floors: What's to Know
Jan. 30, 2005 - Some Basics to Know Before You Build

2004
Dec. 26, 2004 - News Flash: Good builders earn their money
Nov. 14, 2004 - The Wonderful Failure That is Benicia
Sept. 26, 2004 - Energy Laws and Your Building Project
August 14, 2004 - Architecture Goes to the Movies
July 11, 2004 - What's Really Up with a 2nd Floor Addition
May 30, 2004 - Home Design in Earthquake Country
May 2, 2004 - Sightlines Make a Huge Impact
April 11, 2004 - Meeting of the Minds in Your Design
March 21, 2004 - Welcome to the New Column