The Most Common Mistake Made in Choosing Lighting Fixtures
I see it all the time – and it drives me crazy! How can you choose a light fixture when most often you don’t get to see that light fixture – with the light ON!
Let’s face it, whether you purchase through a lighting showroom or online – it is challenging to really understand and visualize how that light fixture is going to look AND perform in your space. I’ve been helping my clients choose lighting for 20 years and I know the challenges involved.
But of all the issues faced in determining the right fixture, there is one issue I try to educate my clients on when it comes to the design of the fixture itself. I am referring to the structural and functional aspects of the fixture and how they affect the way the light is cast on the rest of the elements in the space.
Recently a new client came to me asking for helping moving into their new high-end condominium in a nearby city center. The previous owner had spent a good deal of money on lighting fixtures and left them in the unit. The fixtures I saw while doing my initial walk-thru of the space where such extreme examples of what happens when people don’t consider the side effects of their lighting selection.
The walls and ceilings of the condominium were painted a shiny gray and the crystal ceiling fixtures created such glare and distracting shadows on the walls and ceiling that I felt as if I was in a horror movie. Although the lumen level where high, it was extremely difficult to actually see anything in the rooms. Fortunately my new client is changing ALL the fixtures in the space – AND adding dimmers.
But I just had to document and write about this common mistake that I see many homeowners make, a fixture may look cool, funky or have lots of “bling” but it doesn’t mean that it will look just a good when it’s turned on!