Shining Light
New trends and options have expanded the realm of lighting possibilities.
Steve Raphael
Special to the Jewish News
T
erry Hotke said she had only
planned to replace "the ugly ceil-
ing light in our kitchen."
After much debate, Hotke and her hus-
band Don bought two pendant lighting
fixtures for their South Lyon home at a
cost of $350. They didn't stop there. They
bought another light to hang over their
kitchen table. It cost $150.
And the Hotkes still may not be fin-
ished. "We're thinking about replacing the
kitchen sink light after the holidays:' Terry
says.
Welcome to the bright new world of
indoor lighting, where fixtures and style
choices flourish.
Once an afterthought in home decorat-
ing, indoor lighting has become a hot
commodity, replacing the "plain vanilla"
fixtures builders installed, says Ed Berne,
chairman of Michigan Chandelier in
Southfield. "Lighting has now become
a way for homeowners to express their
design philosophy more than it had been
in the past."
You can buy or tailor a different fixture
for any room in the home. For example:
• Pendants can be placed over a large
island in the kitchen or in the foyer, bath-
rooms or powder rooms. They can be
hung from tracks over breakfast room
tables. Prices start at about $40 and can go
much higher.
•A large chandelier can lighten up a
foyer while a mid-sized chandelier can
work well over the everyday dining room
table.
• Wall sconces add style and a little
drama by highlighting a dimmer area of
the home, or they assist in creating a focal
point of a room feature or wall art.
• Lamps — floor lamps, table lamps,
swing arm lamps and even Tiffany styled
lamps aren't fixtures but they continue to
play a major role in indoor lighting. They
remain a great way to add warmth charac-
ter and are ideal for task lighting.
Home lighting revolves around ceiling
fixtures, experts say, serving as the room's
primary and best source of light. They can
set a mood, create an atmosphere and make
a statement. The fixture can be hanging,
recessed or flush mounted to the ceiling.
Margie Rosenberg of Beverly Hills shows some of the styles at Michigan Chandelier
in Troy.
Each room has different lighting needs
determined by the room type, size, layout
and function, such as the bathroom for
shaving, the kitchen for cooking, slicing
and dicing and family room for watching
television.
The fixture choices these days are noth-
ing less than mind boggling. For example,
about 20 years ago there were about 20
chandeliers to choose from, says Berne.
Today, the choices are in the hundreds.
Settling on the desired fixture may be
the easy part. The latest trend, Berne says,
is coordinating lighting and plumbing,
primarily in the bathroom.
There are lots of styles and finishes
to pick from. When Berne entered the
business 35 years ago, finishes were avail-
able in antique brass, polished brass and
pewter. Today, there are more than 100
finishes, the most popular being darker.
Painted finishes are popular and polished
brass is history, he says.
Many people today are coordinating all
their lighting fixtures in the same design.
Light importers and manufacturers are
making available coordinated fixtures to
accommodate the demand, Berne says.
Environmental concerns are playing
a major role in indoor lighting with the
biggest impact found inside the fixture.
Fluorescent lighting is replacing the time-
honored incandescent light bulb.
Fluorescents last from 10 to 15 times
as long as an incandescent bulb, use less
power and are heading down in price. The
fluorescent bulb is no longer a long tube
fixture that hangs from every office in
America. Today, fluorescent bulbs are no
bigger than a regular household bulb and
can fit almost any fixture, Berne says.
Most people are familiar with LED
displays, or light emitting diodes, on their
alarm clocks, which are the granddaddy
of today's multipurpose LEDs. Popular in
commercial applications, LEDs are still
three to five years away for residential
usage, says Berne, citing the $80 to $100
price as the major obstacle. Over time,
Berne foresees LEDs placed under coun-
ters or mounted in cabinets.
Xenon bulbs are incandescent bulbs,
very small and long lasting, that are used
for under-counter lighting. They can be
found in a contained lighting fixture or on
miniature tracks. Track placement of indi-
vidual lights provides more control over
where the light will be directed.
The best light of all doesn't require an
electrical outlet. Natural lighting, courtesy
of the king of all light — the sun — can
be harnessed through the proper use of
Shining Light on page C6
October 16 • 2008
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