Lighten up with chandeliers, wall sconces and lamps

Lighting is an essential ingredient in home decor. The right lighting can lift your spirits and make you more productive. It is the jewelry of a room, especially if you look at styles of chandeliers, wall sconces, table lamps and floor lamps.

Brownlee Currey, president and CEO of Currey &Company, a wholesale manufacturer of home furnishings including lighting, said there are two major impacts of lighting that should be considered when walking through the home: function and decoration.

“Lighting needs to provide even coverage in the room with ample lumens or amount of light for the tasks being performed,” he said. “There needs to be an appropriate color of light. This is function.”

He said that most homeowners prefer a more yellow light in their living spaces, around 2800 to 3000 on the Kelvin scale, and 4500-5000 on the Kelvin scale for work areas. Being able to dim or control that function lighting is a huge plus.

“In terms of decoration, here is where lighting fixtures, such as a statement chandelier, really come into play and that decision is more subjective. Does the chandelier make a statement? How does the style of the lighting relate to the rest of the room? Does it make you happy? Do you smile when you see it?” Currey continued. “These are important questions to consider when determining what to buy because those questions will illuminate how you want to see the room and how you want others to see the room.”

The two most-important rooms for lighting are the kitchen and bathroom. Given all of the activities that occur in the rooms, there is a need for a strong mix of function with the right styling to suit the environments and the homeowner’s tastes.

“Work areas become easier to work in when lighting is applied properly,” Currey said. “A room made for relaxing is more relaxing with proper lighting. Rooms meant to dazzle just have a little more sparkle to them. Ultimately the right lighting can significantly improve the quality of life in your home.”

There are two basic types of light: natural and artificial. All homes need both. Artificial light consists of ambient light, accent light, task light and architectural light. Every room should incorporate all types of light for safety, vision and for utility.

A proper lamp provides ambient lighting for reading or can brighten the entire room. Whether it’s a traditional table lamp for the living room or a desk lamp for the office, it is important to choose the function, size and style that encompass the needs of the room.

Currey expects to see the evolution of the light bulb with LEDs providing a soft warm light while looking much more like traditional bulbs. The bulbs can be paired with many colorful lighting options.

LED desk lamps are the perfect complement to the home office, garage or workbench and also offer a convenient USB port to charge smartphones or tablets. A table lamp with a dimmable light fits many moods and is great for the nursery.

The right floor lamp can add a touch of warmth to the living room, bedroom or office. Choose an adjustable clip lamp or bedside table lamp for late-night reading.

At the same time, the right lamp can be practical, functional and stylish while reflecting individual style and tie together the style of the home. Modern lamps have a metal or ceramic base. A farmhouse lamp or something rustic would feature wood.

Other lamps reflect retro-modern, midcentury modern, minimalist or glam home decor. And then there are novelty lamps such as salt lamps, lava lamps and animal-shaped lamps that make great gifts and fun conversation pieces.

Just as there are many lamp options, the same is true for lampshades. The variety of sizes, styles and colors allows for exact customization that speaks to the sense of style of the home. A bold printed shade can dress up a lamp while a linen lampshade is ideal for a glass lamp.

Shape is another thing to consider including empire-shaped, bell-shaped, oval, square and drum lamp shades. Simply swapping out an old shade for a new one is an easy and effective method to refresh a room.

There are now shade panels that can be ordered in any Benjamin Moore paint color or be ordered unpainted and later decorated. There are chandeliers composed of recycled and recast clear and blue glass discs.

The choices are endless.

Currey &Company’s showroom at the World Market Center in Las Vegas is operational during markets and special events.