Resources for Better Lighting Design

Outdoor Lighting Tips and Projects on FamilyHandyman.com
This page at FamilyHandyman.com contain tips on how to install outdoor lighting. Each article has step-by-step instructions and safety precautions. If you prefer installing low-voltage outdoor lights instead of glaring floodlights, there is a dedicated article for you. You can also learn how to install a low-voltage lighting system to light up your deck even if you don’t have any electrical skills. If you want a safer home when you come at home late night, there is a guide that can help you install your own remote motion detector system. Another article has instructions on how to mount exterior light fixtures using vinyl mounting blocks.

16 Ideas for Great Home Lighting
Sunset, a publisher of home design, home decoration and do-it-yourself books presents an illustrates slideshow article on 16 ideas for home lighting. Here are some examples: take a plain old table lamp and change its shade to something pre-printed with a pattern, or stencil one onto a solid shade. Light up dark corners by placing table lamps in unusual places, adding ambiance to the room. Add shimmer in unusual places, such as adding a dramatic chandelier to a kitchen/dining space. Light and divide, e.g., in a great room, a cluster of glass lights agove the kitchen island sets off the space from the living room. Pair ornate with mod, e.g., in a living room, a pair of lamps in a traditional shape look whimsical because of their bright citron color.

Effective Ways to Use Home Lighting in Interior Decorating
According to this site, "Home lighting is arguably the most important element in home interior decorating." In order to fully achieve the utmost out of your home lighting it is vital, according to this site, that you understand the four basic types of home lighting. There's ambient or general lighting. This includes recessed lighting and track lighting, and certain wall sconces. The author recommends that dimmers be used with track lighting to give the homeowner control over the lighting environment. Then there is task lighting, lighting which allows you to perform a specific task. Task lighting should be bright but glare free. It should illuminate without straining the eyes. Next is accent lighting. This type of lighting is used to accent paintings or sculptures or other works of art. Accent lighting should be about three times as bright as the ambient lighting. Finally there's natural lighting. Natural lighting comes in through windows and skylights and varies in brightness and intensity with the time of day and with the season. The proper combination of all four types of lighting makes for the perfect living environment.

How to Light a Bathroom
This Q&A on the YLighting blog provides ideas and advice on contemporary lighting design for the bathroom by San Francisco-based designer Geoffrey De Sousa, the co-founder of the DeSousa Hughes shows, who has designed residences through the Bay Area and Beyond. DeSousa addresses the questions of what's important in lighting a bathroom, what should be the areas of focus in lighting a bathroom, what are some common mistakes in bathroom ligthing, lighting the shower/tub area, how new LED technology has affected lighting a bath, the kinds of bulbs that work best in the bathroom, and some examples of lighting he likes for the bath.

Home Lighting Tips and Tricks on StyleAtHome.com
In this page at StyleAtHome.com, you will find a lot of tips and tricks in providing lighting inside your home. This includes a buying guide for kitchen lighting, bathroom lighting, table lamps, and chandeliers. There is a separate on how you choose lighting that can create a great ambiance and atmosphere. Another article talks about the different types of energy-saving light bulbs or Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs), and how to choose the right one for you. If you want to add more style, there are some tips on how to choose candles and lanterns.