Like a good meal, good lighting
depends as much on what you
don't include as what you do.
Using good sense and avoiding the
temptation to overdramatize can
reduce the cost of the fixtures,
installation, switching, and
operation.
Lighting Options
Suppose you have a limited
budget for lighting: How should
you spend it to your best
advantage? The first step is to
categorize the available options:
1. Direct lights are surfacemounted
on the ceiling and wall,
or hanging (pendant) lights.
Whether left bare or shrouded
with diffusing globes or lenses,
these lamps are the cheapest and
most efficient kind of light. (By
efficient, I mean they produce the
most usable light per watt.) On
the down side, they also produce
the most glare and,