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What about Lighting?...
It Makes A Difference

The atmosphere, the mood of a room can be the single most important factor in determining the decorating success of that room. A critical ingredient for creating the desired mood in your home is lighting - well designed lighting.

Selecting the perfect decorative furnishing and accessories for your home is imperative. But achieving or enhancing the effect that these might produce can only be done by good, and appropriately placed lighting.

In addition to supporting convenience and comfort, good lighting is essential for generating favorable emotional reactions. Poor lighting can create a depressing look and feelings of discomfort. Good lighting, on the other hand, can create atmospheres that are cheerful and open, romantic, exciting, or simply relaxing. Lighting can truly be used to control the effects that a room has at any given time. What effects do you want to produce in your home?

Since we rely on electrical lighting more than we do on natural day light, we'll address electrical lighting. Here are some considerations for planning good electrical lighting:

In the planning stage it's necessary to first define the character and mood desired. What's most important to you -- an atmosphere of efficiency, restfulness, or coziness?

At the same time, the specific purpose or purposes for which lighting is required must be identified. Do you need lighting for working, dining, reading, T.V. viewing, or for multiple purposes?

Once the desired atmosphere and purposes for lighting are established, the selection of the specific fixtures can begin.

In selecting light fixtures, some essentials are:

General or background illumination - this must be a comfortable level of light such as that provided by ceiling lighting.

Softness - achieved with indirect lighting. It promotes relaxation.

Emphasis and variety - can be created with concentrated lighting. It makes a space lively and interesting.

Local accent and easy control - portable lighting will serve this function.

Task lighting - will provide adequate light for any activity that depends on good vision.

TYPES OF FIXTURES

Some of the common types of light fixtures you might need in your home include:

Floor, Table and Desk

• The shaded incandescent table lamp, which functions primarity as ornamentation.
• Reflectors, good for reading or as work lights.
• Uplights or torcheres, usually as floor lamps, provide indirect, general lighting.

Wall mounted

• Wall brackets are useful in corridors, at stairs, in bathrooms, and in dressing rooms.
• Reflectors are good for reading or as bed lamps.
• Uplights or sconces, highly popular again, like the torcheres, provide indirect, general lighting.

Ceiling

• Hanging or chandeliers, and downlights, such as recessed or surface mounted lights, can provide good general lighting.
• Eyeball lights are good for direct lighting.
• Track lighting is useful for general and spot lighting.
  

As the subject of lighting becomes more complex, and the available variety of sources and designs widens, it's of particular importance that a well integrated lighting plan be devised for your home. This plan should include the technical issues of lighting, properly balanced with pleasant visual effects in order to achieve the functional goals and the character and atmosphere you desire in your home.

Making the right choice.

Carpeting your home is a long term investment. It serves as the foundation for any decorating scheme. When choosing carpeting take into consideration:

1. Color trends. Today's neutral hues are purer, cleaner and brighter with a warming influence.

2. Texture. There are two categories - uneven and smooth textures. An uneven texture makes a room seem more vibrant and stimulating. A smooth texture reflects sophistication, elegance and luxury.

3. Style. Your decorating style will dictate the type of carpet to use in your home, whether it be a luxurious saxony plush, a nubby, level loop carpet or perhaps s frieze or random shear.

Symbols: Achieving Harmony and Good Fortune.
The laws of Feng Shui provide instructions for the direction of placement of homes, if one can do so as in building a house, and the designing and layout of rooms in a manner that enhance the quality of life of the dweller. This
enhancement covers harmony in relationships, good health, success in business, fame and/or recognition in life's pursuits, and wealth.

Since it is not always possible to set our homes in the best position, there are various adjustments to the layout of rooms, in the practice of Feng Shui, that can bring about positive changes and fortunate outcomes in the aforementioned areas of life. For example, the location of the front door is important in order to define the type of chi that enters one's home. Good Feng Shui forces good chi to enter and bring good fortune into the home. Placement and function of the front door will have an impact on the success and health of the residents of the home. There are many issues connected to the main door and these will be covered in later issues. It is important to note, however, that there is always a Feng Shui remedy that will change the course of good chi and bad chi, to our advantage.

One simple way is to use symbols of good fortune as needed and these are easily available. Some symbols must be carefully considered and placed well in order to achieve the desired outcome. There are variations in the symbolic meanings attached to these items, hence the importance of correct use and placement of these items. And then, there are other symbols that will bring good fortune regardless of placement.

To recapitulate, symbols are used to achieve good fortune, (these cover many areas of life) longevity, and romance.

Symbols of Good Fortune:
These symbols are popular and are used to bring happiness. Happiness means different things to different people, but in general can range from having a long and healthy life to achieving fame and social status, being successful and having great wealth, and having successful children.

These symbols include, among others, different kinds of good fortune coins (old Chinese coins), gold ingots, the 3-legged toad, fish in water, the dragon and the phoenix.

Symbols of Longevity:
There is the god of longevity, Sau; the 8 immortals who are regarded as symbols of longevity and good fortune by Taoists.

Symbols of Romance:
A pair of Mandarin ducks, a pair of geese, the double happiness sign, and crystals.

All symbols of Feng Shui can be seen as part of the " tools of the trade" and are basically the same, however, the interpretation of the symbols may differ from one practitioner to the next.

Future issues will address the use of symbols to correct or ease existing problems.

E-mail your questions to Annette:

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Season's Thoughts

You can feel the change in the air. Be ready!

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The Home Office

Is your office based at home? Do you often take work home from the office? Or do you have enough paper work at home to require a special work area?

It may be a corner, or a single piece of furniture in your bedroom, family room, living room, or kitchen. Perhaps it's a large closet. Or maybe you have the real thing, a room designated as your office.

Whatever the size, or wherever the location, the basic needs for an efficient work area, particularly if you will be using the space extensively, include suitable seating, good lighting, appropriate privacy and needed storage.

The space should be decorated to be comfortable, to satisfy your preferences in decor, and to promote concentration. If the office space is within a room, say, a living room or bedroom, allowance for privacy can be made with a screen, a platform,or some other form of physical and visual separation from the rest of the room.

A good desk or work lamp, suspended over, or on the work surface, is essential. Whether the work space is a single surface or an entire room, provision should be made for needed lighting -- for specific tasks (reading, writing), and for all-over lighting.

Seating at desk should be upright, yet easy and comfortable. A relaxing arm chair or even a sofa should be available for longer reading or study periods. For great choices see

Plenty of shelving is always welcome and, if necessary, should be designed to conceal any clutter or unattractive materials.

If an entire room is not available, the work space, or study area can still be created to effectively fill that growing need for your home office.

As we do more and more office work at home, space dedicated to this important function has become increasingly necessary. Whether it's balancing accounts and paying bills, or running your business from home, it's a must to be properly equipped, and today, more than ever, that usually means good working space in the home.

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