SOME BASIC LIGHTING TIPS
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The basics of lighting for your home
There are many kinds of light-direct, indirect, reflected and filtered. We believe it's important to have as much lighting variety as possible. Many log homes incorporate large windows to take advantage of natural light. Besides natural light, we prefer to see rustic lighting fixtures in various locations so that you get light coming from multiple directions. Sconces, chandeliers, table and floor lamps can help with this lighting scheme.
Working with a lighting plan is essential. Whether you are designing a log home, mountain cabin, lake cabin/lodge style addition, billiard room, or rustic bathroom, it is absolutely critical to examine floor plans and electrical plans for light placement. Remember to include furniture placement in your layout. Picture yourself in each room, sitting in a chair at the breakfast nook, kitchen counter, in the whirlpool tub and consider where you need light and for what purpose.
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is "How much light does this [light] give out?" Or "Is this light bright enough for this room?" These are difficult questions because every light is different in every room. With every rustic lighting fixture we design, we try to achieve the greatest amount of light output possible.
Some factors within our control are bulbs (quantity, wattage and direction) and diffusers (glass or mica, proximity to the bulbs.) On our chandeliers, we use porcelain sockets and our mica is the real thing, not a plastic imitation. Glass diffusers let more light pass through, and allow higher-Wattage bulbs to be used when bulb proximity is an issue.
There are, of course, some factors we cannot control, such as room size, wall color, how reflective the wall surface is, and the presence of mirrors. Height and color of the ceiling also plays a role-the nearer and lighter the ceiling, the more light will be reflected.
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