Light is much more than that element permitting us to see. It also creates atmosphere, defines the space around us and sets the ambience and the moods by which we live. Good home lighting can permit us to work and function effectively in our daily lives, shows off the beauty of our environment, and can even provide security both inside and outside our walls. It can convey character, efficiency, and intimacy at various levels of intensity. Ordering up the lighting design that reflects you in your new home may take more thought and planning than just settling for the builders' standard stuff, so why not look into how your homebuilder provides optional lighting?

First, you'll need to determine what to light by analyzing the space within your home.

• What will the room or space be used for?
• Will any tasks be performed there on a regular basis?
• What would you like to be area's focal point?
• Where do you want people to sit?
• How will the atmosphere be affected by the lighting design?

According to lighting and design experts, there are several types of lighting techniques and lighting plans that can be used to illuminate spaces within your home. The first, general or ambient lighting, provides even, overall illumination. This type of light is attractively provided with recessed down-lights and doesn't clash with any particular type of décor. Down-lights are spaced in a regular pattern, and should be positioned according to furniture placement, windows and door openings. In living rooms, ambient lights should be placed about 8 feet apart, providing for functional lighting needs as well as for mood setting scenarios using dimmers. General lighting in dining rooms can provide accent lighting to table settings, on either side of a chandelier, and can highlight artwork, buffet displays, or curio objects. Bedrooms can make excellent use of ambient lighting and help eliminate the need lamp-lighting; have the builder provide a switch for recessed overhead lighting close to where the bed will be located for ease of use. In bathrooms, down-lights can be used to chase shadows and provide light in spaces that are sometimes overlooked, such as in the shower.

Accent lighting concentrates its focus on art, interesting architectural detail, and items unique to the homeowner and worthy of attention. Paintings, sculptures, table settings, archways, plants, etc. can all be accent-lit with various intensities, with these fixtures activated either when ambient lights are switched on or separately for even more emphasis. Three-dimensional objects look best when cross-lit, according to lighting experts, and small objects look best with small accent lights shining on them.

"Wall washing" is referred to a series of special down-lights that direct a waft of light from ceiling to floor, drawing focus to the perimeter of the room. These emphasize spaciousness and feature wall objects as well, with the maximum effect achieved around 24 inches apart and 4 inches from the wall itself.

Another placement of recessed lighting is close to a wall, known as "wall grazing". This lighting effect provides dramatic illumination that reveals texture and detail. It works well on natural stone and masonry surfaces, as well as smooth, polished surfaces. By placing these lights approximately 12 inches from the wall as well as apart, reflections are minimized and placing these lights approximately 12 inches from the wall as well as apart maximizes beauty by creating an "archway" effect along the wall.

Builder design centers may or may not have the design expertise to help buyers design their recessed lighting schemes. So plan ahead. It's safe to assume that builders will not consider installing this type of lighting after drywall is installed, since retrofitting this type of lighting can be messy, expensive and time-consuming. In doing some research and designing your own lighting plan for your new homes, you may find that it is time and money well-spent, even when your decorating budget doesn't provide for much beyond it for fancy extras. Think long and hard about where to "show off" wall treatments, furniture pieces, and objets d'art as well as provide practical task lighting where it is important.

Anyone strolling through expensively-designed office lobbies or elegantly laid out museums and galleries can attest to the difference lighting can make in a given area. Using the same kind of attention to detail in your own home and can make the difference between a conventional (and somewhat dull) home ambience, and one that shows off your home, your tastes, your belongings, and your sense of style.

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Published: February 23, 2000

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A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home. Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.