Home Lighting How To: Switch Up Your Illumination Design

Pendant lights 
Architectural Justice owner James Justice says these three pendants actually serve a couple purposes. They can be used to highlight what’s below — in this case a Brazilian marble kitchen island — and serve as design pieces. But they also shine a light on things such as food prep during cooking. “All of a sudden, these key focal pieces of this room provide task lighting,” he says.

Canned or recessed lighting 
These are lighting workhorses. A handful of them provide all the illumination a room needs. Since they’re installed in the ceiling, the fixture itself is hidden. “You don’t have these fixtures all over the place that would detract from the design of your room,” Justice says. As an added bonus, recessed lights can be installed at an angle (some are even adjustable), meaning you can aim the beam to highlight a piece of art hanging on the wall.

Chandeliers 
Justice suggests having fun with chandeliers. “The aesthetics are most important,” he says. You can use them to emphasize pieces of furniture such as this wooden dining room. “If you turn the surrounding lights off, that tabletop just glows,” he says.

Floor lamp 
Place floor or table lamps in family gathering areas to create ambient or mood lighting while you watch TV or read a book. In situations where recessed lighting isn’t available, floor lamps can fill in since they shine light up and down. “You might need that lamp to give you general illumination,” he says.