Choosing Your Home's Ceiling Light Fixtures

Whether you are building a new home or remodeling an existing one, picking out the right ceiling light fixtures for your home ranks among the most important decisions to be made. Ceiling fixtures can add value to the appearance of the house, or they can look like careless afterthoughts.

You always want the fixtures hanging from the ceiling or recessed into it to match the style and feel of the room. A giant chandelier is rarely a good choice for a child's bedroom. A bare bulb fixture will not impress guests as the enter a large foyer. So, taking the time to select the right ceiling light fixtures for each room is essential to good decorating.

If you have a large foyer or dining room, a tasteful chandelier that fits with the size of the room can be an excellent choice. Whether you go with a modern art deco type of fixture or a traditional chandelier with lots of cut crystal is determined by the character of the room and its furnishings. The style of the house itself may need to be factored into this decision.

For a smaller foyer, you may want to consider wall fixtures or pole lamps instead of a ceiling fixture. However, a nice well-lit foyer with an ornamental fixture that does not protrude a great deal from the ceiling can be a great addition, too. Your foyer lighting should telegraph the mood of your house to guests as soon as they step through the door.

Kitchen and dining areas should be lit with fixtures that will give maximum lighting to the guest area. A multiple bulb fixture is usually a safe bet. If you are concerned about making the room seem more intimate at special times, installing a dimmer can give you the needed flexibility. Go slowly about installing a lighted ceiling fan. Often these can be dust collectors and sometimes become noisy near the end of their life. If you are a fan of the fan, make sure you opt for quality.

Hallways need a fixture about every 8 to 10 feet if ceiling fixtures are the only source of light. Simple single-bulb fixtures will usually do the trick. Given the choice of fewer and bigger or more and smaller, try to go for more and smaller to get a more even light dispersion in a hallway.

Bedrooms can usually be served well by a fixture that holds 2 or 3 bulbs located in the center of the room. If you have exceptionally large bedrooms, you may need to plan your lighting to incorporate some smaller ceiling fixtures with an assortment of lamps to bring light to specific areas of the room.

Ceiling fixtures for bathrooms may incorporate ventilation fans or heaters depending on need and taste. As in other rooms, try to make the fixture seem to fit the style of the room. If you have put expensive fixtures in the bathroom, do not short change the ceiling lighting. For those putting together a romantic bathroom suite, you may want to bring in some indirect sources of light and use dimmers.

To light areas in any room that are not well served by the main fixture, recessed lights and various styles of track lighting can add ambiance. Some areas to consider would be near the kitchen sink or stove. You may want extra lighting brought to accent a fireplace or breakfast nook.

When putting ceiling fixtures in rooms that are relatively sterile in their feel, you may want to consider flourescent fixtures. Many people are not great fans, but with a suspended ceiling you can hide the fixtures and still get great light. The bulbs last a long time even with heavy use and use much less electricity than incandescent bulbs. One area for this type of fixture would be a basement family room.