lighting - design basics showrooms around the country, ferguson bath, kitchen & lighting gallery...
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With showrooms around the country, FergusonBath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery is a nationalleader in products for the kitchen and bath.Heather Thomas is the Lighting Manager at theFerguson Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina.Inher experience,womenare themajor decisionmakersfortheseproducts,too.
“A woman’s powder bath is seen by everyone,”saidThomas,continuing,“soselectingthelightinginthepowderbathtypicallytakesalotoftimeandeffort because it makes a statement. Decorativefixturesarepopular,withtraditionalbuyerstendingtowards hanging fixtures while wall sconces arefavoredamongbuyerswithmoremoderntastes.”
When it comes to master bathrooms, lightingdesignmustbeintegratedintotheoveralldesignofthebathroom.AccordingtoThomas,theprimaryconsiderationsare:
•Task lighting—fixtures designed to be seensuch as sconces and bath brackets, providinggeneral illumination to the room andspecificallyfullfaceilluminationwhenlookingintothemirror.
•Recessed ceiling lighting—which tends tovisually “go away” and is not subject to thechanging fixture design trends and styles.Today’s less visible; smaller-diameter recessedcansareincreasinglypopular.
• Decorative accent and flair lights—usedfortheirvisualeffect,callingattentiontocertainfeaturesandamenitiesinthebathroom.
Additionally, Thomas cautions, “You mayhave planned amazing tile work and beautifulcountertops but may not have thought muchabout the light switches.” It will be immediatelyevidentifthesecontrolswerecarefullyselectedormerely anafterthought.Beyond thedesignof thecontrols themselves, Thomas pointed out suchcontrols “allowyou topersonalize theappearanceandlightingpresentation,fromoccupancysensorswhichturnonthelightsasyouenterthebathroomto digital dimmers which bring the lights up anddowngradually,ratherthantheabruptonoroff.”
Lighting design must consider the color temperature of the lamps (bulbs) to be used ascolors appear differently. Thomas explained,“Incandescent bulbs produce relatively warmshades approximately2700-degreeKelvin, a colortemperature preferred by younger women. Morematureladiesmaypreferthewhiterlightofbulbsinthe3000–3500-degreeKelvinrange.”
Then there’s a lamp’s color rendering index (CRI),ascaleof1to100whichbasicallyreferstohowwellwe see anobject. Incandescent lightinghasaCRIof100,whileCFLandLEDlightingCRIindexestypicallyfallinthe80to90range,meaningsomelossofcolorvibrancy.
BathroomlightingdesignrevealsyourdesireandasThomassaid,
LIGHTING
For more information on Lighting visit Ferguson.com
“Therightlightfixturesandthe rightlightlevelscansettheperfectmood.”
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