The complete home lighting book [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION WHEN PLANNING TO REDECORATE A ROOM, surprisingly few people consider how they are going to light it. Some may remember about north- and south-facing rooms and what effect natural light may have, but it is rare that anyone will consider light as an integral part of planning a decorative scheme, and one that should be considered at an early stage. Much thought and consideration will be given to paint finishes, wallcoverings, curtains and carpet. Some may think of upholstery. And while many people will give thought to the luminaires as objects, very few will consider the light emitted by those luminaires as an important part of the scheme or realize how fundamentally the end result will be affected by light. It is probably true to say that, to most people, lighting means no more than the luminaire and the shade, but these are only two parts of the equation. Light is defined not simply by the quality of its presence but also that of its absence. The luminaire, a table lamp for example, will have been chosen to suit the style of a room, but it is the quality of light it gives that will help to create that style. A glance into the world of art may help to explain further. The technique known as chiaroscuro (patterns of light and shade) has been used for centuries to instil meaning and drama into painting. Two pictures from the seventeenth century, both by Caravaggio, illustrate perfectly quite different but equally successful uses of the technique. The first, The Crucifixion of St Peter, makes powerful use of strong light and shade contrast to inject life, realism and drama into what is already a dramatic subject, almost forcing the viewer to share the agony of the moment. The second, Supper at Emmaus, uses a much gentler approach appropriate to what is a much quieter event. From the techniques of the old masters to the complex lighting of a theatrical production, from the deliberately achieved warm glow of a good restaurant to dazzling illumination of architecture by night - the objective remains the same, to influence mood and response through well-planned use of light, shade and colour. The aim of this book is to show how to bring this well-estabhshed range of techniques to bear in home decoration, to demystify the whole subject, to show something of what can be achieved and to give advice on how to achieve it by practical and affordable means. If you intend to redecorate completely, now is the time to plan the lighting. If not, this book shows what can be done simply by changing the position of a light or the wattage of its lamp. Starting by defining some of the more common terms, the book goes on to discuss the nature of light itself, how that light is produced, and follows with a room-by-room tour of the house and garden, with practical information and design ideas.