By Harriett Hendren

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013, 8:48 p.m.
Updated: Friday, February 15, 2013

With home decor, the items we use most every day, such as doors or chairs, often can be taken for granted. And so it is with lighting.

Illuminating our homes, especially during this time of year, when night overtakes day by early evening, is a necessity. But there's more to lights than just function. Looks and feel also play integral roles.

“From an aesthetic point of view, lighting we like to equate to jewelry,” says Paula Minton, general manager of Kentucky Lighting & Supply.

Minton and her staff ask customers about the style of the space.

“We want to know what are you feeling when you're in the room,” she says. “We try to hone in on what we in the trade think of as masculine — clean, kind of boxy — and feminine — maybe more ornate with slimmer lines with a lot of high design.”

There's an amazing array of types of lighting: table lamps, sconces, pendants and chandeliers, to name a few. To choose the best style for a room, it's best to think about how the lights will be used.

“There's some practical consideration, like the amount of light you need for the task, the size of the room, what the use of the room is,” Minton says. “Are there tasks carried out there, or are you interested in ambient light? Do you want the fixture to be a focal point, or do you want it to disappear?”

It also pays to be conscious of energy use. The American Lighting Association, a trade group representing the lighting industry in the United States and Canada, offers energy-saving lighting tips from Joe Rey-Barreau. Rey-Barreau suggests replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. For an inviting glow, choose products labeled “residential color,” “warm” or “soft white.”

Harriett Hendren is a staff writer for Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader.

1. Kovacevic: Matt Cooke 1, Ottawa Senators 0
2. Penguins rout Senators, return to Eastern Conference final
3. Letang dazzles with dynamic play in Game 5 win
4. Pirates waste strong Burnett start, fall again to Brewers at Miller Park
5. Penguins notebook: Tickets for Eastern Conference final on sale today
6. 16-year-old girl shot and killed on Rankin street
7. Senators boxed in by penalties
8. Steelers hope new blocking scheme kick-starts running game
9. Burrell relay, Springdale hurdler test their talents in PIAA prelims
10. Kiski Area relayers overcome chilly conditions to advance to PIAA finals
11. Ganassi drivers Franchitti, Dixon facing an uphill battle at Indy 500

There are currently no comments for this story.
Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers.