Good Lighting Illuminates Home Decor

Ask any diva actress who her favorite crew member is and you might be surprised to learn that it's not her co-star or her director. It's not even the make-up artist covering all her true-life flaws. Nope! It's the wizard-genius known as the lighting guy! Michelle Pfeiffer was even quoted as saying that her beauty is completely reliant on the lighting director and is the first relationship she cultivates on a new film. So as flawless as Michele Pfeiffer is, even she knows that nothing kills off a romantic illusion faster than bad lighting.

Well, what about the lighting in your home, the lighting you live by? How "lit up" do you feel in your own digs?

I hope that most of us have done away with fluorescent lighting by now--but if you haven't, please do. It will show every nook and cranny of imperfection not only in your skin, your floors and wall, but your soul as well. OK, I'm kidding about that part, but lighting is serious business, folks. Harsh, glaring light can make or break a newly painted wall and turn your cool, "retro" couch into something aged, something freaky.

As a first trick and quick fix, install dimmer switches in every room. That way, you control the amount of light shining down on you and the mood it evokes. You probably don't want the same stream of light to wash the dishes as you do to entertain your new date. If you do, I admire your courage.

Consider what the specific space is used for and match the lighting to the task. For instance, an office should have a combination of natural, diffused light with direct light available as the room darkens during the day. Working under bad lighting can cause eye strain. You'll recognize the symptoms to include headaches, sore eyes and a visceral need to drop everything and go to the beach.

Task-related, general lighting is used for things like walking around furniture, lighting a stairwell or hallway and should fully illuminate the area. Outside, lighting up your path to avoid face-plants in your own yard is highly recommended. It's also great for security to have a well-lit front door. I suggest mounting two lanterns on each side of the door and installing pathway lights. When purchasing the solar pathway lights, make sure they can fully charge in the sun during the day, or you'll have one hour of great light at sunset and nothing at 2am…great for vampires, not so great for their victims. (I really need to stop watching those movies. I'm fairly certain vampires are not real!)

The bedroom should be warmly lit to allow for relaxation. End table lamps are great for this with low-watt bulbs. No need for a 100-watt bulb in the bedroom unless you plan on doing some kind of kinky "examination" or the bedroom is where you build your model airplanes. All of it is your business, but I'm just sayin'…

Ambiance or accent lighting is at the core of every decorator's dream design and can transform dark, dingy rooms into a masterpiece and turn an obnoxious den into a relaxation haven. Up-lighting large plants such as palms is a great trick not only for its practicality of providing "fuel" for the plant, but also to make the room look larger as it bounces off the ceiling and spills over in to the room. It also adds a little Casablanca mystique! Small mounted art lights are great over oil paintings and will really impress your friends, but mostly, it's used to highlight the nuances of the painting and make it "pop."

Chandeliers are my favorite kind of lighting, next to skylights and of course, the real thing: the sun. Chandeliers are a wonderful blend of reflective and general light, and used with a dimmer switch are very practical. They also class up the joint without a lot of effort or cost.

I am constantly on the lookout for interesting table lamps and accent lighting. Boutique shops have some unique pieces as do thrift stores, but if you want to shop online, I've found some good stuff on these sites: LightingShowplace, Lighting by Gregory, CSN Lighting and The Great Indoors.

May your path always be well-lit--especially if you are a diva actress starring in a vampire movie.