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Modern track lighting offers more
visual appeal, with slender, monorail design straight tracks,
flexible track systems, cable systems and ribbon-type systems, says
Tom DeCicco, marketing manager of track
and surface products for Cooper Lighting of Peachtree City, Ga.
“Fixture styling and the materials they are made from are
ever-changing, providing countless aesthetic options for consumers,”
he adds.
The development of low-voltage
systems (that operate at just 12 volts, instead of the standard 120
volts) has allowed manufacturers to create smaller, more visually
appealing tracks and fixtures, says Joe
Rey-Barreau, consulting director of education for the
American Lighting Association, and a professor at the University of
Kentucky. “We are seeing looks that are much more modern and
futuristic.”
Fixture styles range from glass
pendant lights and metal domes, which are very popular in modern
designs, to classic cylinders in a variety of colors. Ready-made
tracks come in traditional linear patterns or a range of curves,
waves and zig zags.
Flexible tracks and cable systems allow homeowners to customize the
look by bending the track to meet their specific design needs.
Tracks can even be installed on walls now, where once they were
restricted to ceiling installations,
Rey-Barreau notes.
The advent of monorail track and
wire cable systems has revolutionized track lighting, Brown says.
For example, many homeowners are using the new cable systems to
solve a typical home decorating problem – positioning of the dining
room light fixture.
Builders always offset the
fixtures. In the past, homeowners had to choose between not standing
up straight near their dining room lights,
or creating the dreaded “swag” effect by looping the light cord and
adding a hook in the ceiling to move the light where they wanted it.
Modern track lighting solves that problem by allowing you to adapt
your fixture to a cable track system that moves the light to exactly
the right spot, Brown says.
“Track lighting is a very viable
product to solve lighting problems in existing homes,” he says.
“Every type of track lighting does the same important thing – it
delivers electricity to where you want the light, and delivers light
to some feature you want to draw the eye to.”
Updating your interior design
with new track lighting can be easy. Confident do-it-yourselfers can
tap a wide range of track kits that simplify installation as well as
design decisions. Or, you may opt to simply switch out your old
fixtures. Most major manufacturers are designing their new fixtures
to fit into older tracks, Brown says. To find out what new fixtures
may be available for your old track, look for the manufacturer’s
name inside the light fixture, he suggests.
The experts agree – the future of
track lighting is brighter, more efficient and flexible fixtures.
Technology like Light Emitting Diodes will boost a bulb’s usable
life from about 2,000 hours per year to well over 100,000 hours,
Brown predicts. “Miniaturization continues,”
Rey-Barreau adds. “We are seeing bulbs as small as 3/8 inch
in diameter that produce an amazing punch
of light in a very small package.”
For more information on the new
generation of track lighting or to find a lighting showroom near
you, call the American Lighting Association toll free at (800)
BRIGHT IDEAS or go to
www.americanlightingassoc.com.
The American Lighting Association
is a not-for-profit association of leading manufacturers, retail
lighting showrooms and sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada
dedicated to expanding public knowledge about lighting.
Courtesy of ARA Content |
