In most homes lighting doesn’t take top priority. In fact, people commonly under-spend when it comes to lighting. Simple lighting tricks can have a powerful impact on the entire environment. As a result, a little lighting can have a very dramatic effect on a room or a space. Lighting falls into three basic functions: general lighting, task lighting and feature lighting. The amount of light for a room has more to do with the room's use rather than any other criteria. For example in areas such as kitchens or home offices more task light is needed than a bedroom or a living room would require.

Occhio is both a multiposition spotlight and ambient table lamp combined. Designer: Pablo Pardo. List price is to be $275 at www.ylighting.com.

"Lighting can easily have the most dramatic impact on any environment,” says Jeff Zwelling, cofounder of YLighting. “I have learned some great ideas from our best design clients. Here's a few that can help you make your homes and businesses look even better."

1. If you have dark corners, a well-placed floor lamp with a low voltage bulb can help brighten up the space.

2. Be aware of color -- incandescent lighting looks great at night, but terrible in the day. Halogen lights create a more natural light effective for both day and night in the home.

3. The light from sconces should be diffused either by glass or paper shades.

4. There are several sources now for amber filament bulbs. When dimmed they feel like candlelight and create the warmest quality of light. They can be great in a floor lamp near a sofa or chair since there is no harsh glare when you look up.

5. Recessed lighting can improve almost any design, accentuating key elements such as art and furniture. These are very useful to add as decorative and atmospheric elements to a room.

6. To enhance your home from the outside in, I prefer to under light landscapes and focus on functional lighting of organic elements such as trees and shrubs. My favorite trick is to light plants outside to create light inside. We have this outside of a dining room window and it really creates a different feeling at dinner parties.

7. For the bathroom to further reduce glare, opt for frosted white bulbs, rather than clear models, and avoid fixtures with exposed bulbs.

YLighting was founded in Palo Alto in 2001. The company is an integrated provider of high-end modern lighting and accessories that it markets and sells through a Web site and showroom in Palm Springs. YLighting offers over 1,200 sought-after lighting products from designers such as Flos, Estiluz, Foscarini, LucePlan, and Pablo Designs among many other brands. For more information on YLighting visit www.ylighting.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content