How To: Devise a Lighting Plan

The spaces that people use for social purposes are defined in part by light. Too often, however, conventional lighting design misses the fact that how we light our space says a lot about who we are and what we value.

光和大气
If you look at thelightingin a mall or an open office environment, you will get a glimpse into the thinking of many conventional lighting plans. Through the use of uniform illumination, they attempt to light everything and highlight nothing. The fact is, however, that light patterns are inherently uneven. Most daylit places have light that varies from minute to minute, place to place. When light is totally even, it is cold and unreal. Think instead of the intimacy and warmth of a restaurant with lights over the tables, the cozy arm chair in your den with its lamp to read by, or the desk light used for a teen’s homework.

Every room in a house is like a layered composition, and each layer represents a different element in the room. All materials reflect light and contribute to the appearance and feel of a room. So, you need to consider not only the source of the light, but all of the materials in the room as they come together to give the room its identity. Some rooms feel warm and cozy; others are cooler and more lively. Only you can be the judge of what is right for your taste andstyle. Remember that the color of the light in a room depends on more than the color of the surfaces. There is a complex interaction between the color of the light sources and the way that light plays on and off the many surfaces in the room.

Layers of Light
有五种基本方法可以在您家中安排照明。第一个是环境照明，它没有别的东西，但提供一般，通用灯，让人们安全地向家里移动。除非在房间内完成视觉要求的活动，否则您应该避免从环境照明中避免高照度水平（达到表面的光量），而是将环境光与各个口音和任务照明相结合。

间接照明，环境照明的形式使用一个或多个灯具（夹具）将光线扔到房间的天花板和上壁上。这也被称为上市。间接照明最小化阴影和反射眩光，从天花板上弹出。当使用电脑或电视屏幕等光泽纸或反射表面时，上市特别有用。

Wall washing is used to light a vertical surface to an even, consistent brightness. This technique draws the eye to the wall and is often used toaccentuatea large piece of art, a dramatic fireplace or an entrance. Wall washing is accomplished by placing luminaires in or on the ceiling or on the floor at regular intervals and is used to help make a room feel larger. You must be careful not to “wash” walls that have windows or mirrors, however, since the lights will reflect off of those surfaces, creating glare and disrupting the uniformity of the light. Since dark surfaces reflect far less light than white surfaces, more light has to be directed onto them to achieve a washed effect.

Object or Accent Lighting
口音照明通过直接聚焦在它们上来强调物体。您可以使用定向灯具创建具有强调灯光的非常戏剧性的效果。然而，警告说，通过强调照明，它很容易过度达到它 - 一个带有太大柔和灯光的房间可能会出现混乱和感到混乱。请记住，如果您点亮一切，那么什么都不会突出显示。增加视觉影响，尝试选择lampsthat focus a narrow beam of light on a small object with a minimum of stray light. Also, if you reduce the ambient light surrounding the accented object or area, you can still create effective highlights and save energy. For the most dramatic and efficient effects, place light-colored objects on a dark background, thereby reducing the output required to light your object and increasing the drama of the presentation.

Finally, tasklightingprovides focused light for specific tasks in a room that might also have ambient lighting. Task lighting is especially appropriate for seeing small objects or objects with little contrast. Remember that as people age they require more light to do the same visual tasks they did as younger people — alotmore light! Every room in your home could require some type of task lighting. Look first to the rooms where appliances are used when determining your task lighting needs: the kitchen, study,home office, workshop, or project room. A closer look at these and other room-specific lighting needs will mark the first step in a plan for smarter lighting design in your home.

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