LED dominates home lighting choices
While recessed can lighting is preinstalled in most new homes, the homeowner has a remarkable breadth of choice when it comes to completing their lighting design. Ambient, task and accent lighting needs can be fulfilled by ceiling fixtures, floor lamps and table lamps, among other selections. In addition, bulb type also comes into play.
When it comes to the bulb, light emitting diode, or LED, choices predominate, and not by accident, according to area designers. In California, the state has a say about home light bulb choices.
As of January 1, light bulbs must meet a minimum efficiency level of 45 lumens per watt (LPW). That is about three times more energy efficient than the old incandescent bulb.
In “California, basically you have to have all high-efficacy
fixtures,” notes Sheila, staff designer at Berkeley Lighting. “So that means LED or compact fluorescent (bulbs).”
If you’re concerned about the color or quality of LED lighting, don’t fret. LED has come a long way since its early days.
“The quality of LED bulbs has improved so much within the last few years,” reports Sheila.
“There are a lot of choices now that give you a nice light, not a cold light.”
“We’re selling more dedicated LED lights,” she continues. “It’s usually a strip of diodes mounted on a plate with a diffuser in front of it which gives
you a nice, diffuse light. … (It’s) basically linear (and) can come in an orb kind of shape or crazy patterns.”
And LED technology can offer greater flexibility when it comes to ceiling fixtures.
If “you have a shallow ceiling,” suggests Sheila, “the LED fixture can be closer to the ceiling than an incandescent because it doesn’t have the depth of a bulb, so that’s a plus.”
The LED strip is also a popular choice for under-cabinet lighting in kitchens.
Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same. As with cell phones that feature an analog ringtone, the pull of old school design remains.
Filament bulbs that use LED technology, also known as Edison bulbs, are trending here and nationwide. They offer an old-fashioned look but offer the energy efficiency required by the state.
An apparent yearning for the past also comes into play as relates to architectural style and materials choices.
“Brass is coming back, definitely,” states Sheila, noting that the finish is often requested for kitchens where brass is resurgent as a material generally.
As to style, Sheila reports a marked trend toward Mid-Century modern for fixtures throughout the home.
For task and general lighting, she says pendants remain a big seller.
“People use (pendants) over (a kitchen) island or you can do a cluster of them over a table,” she suggests. “They’re very versatile that way. The trend is going
larger-scale, but then a lot of people still like the small-scale pendants because they’re kind of like jewelry for your space.”
“In a desk lamp,” continues Sheila, “people want to have control over where the light goes, but they also want to have a decent amount of light coming from the lamp.”
The versatile nature of LED technology can prove especially useful.
“LEDs are basically little diodes and they come in different sizes,” advises Sheila.
On the market today, she reports, you can find linear lights of about 8 inches long that produce even lighting over a work surface. Lights of a smaller head produce more concentrated light. In some instances, you can even change the color of the light, for example, from an approximation of daylight to a warmer, incandescent look. Some fixtures even allow the source of light to pivot and rotate. Dimming the diodes is another option.
Even without the change in law, Bay Area consumers would likely have embraced the latest technology in lighting the home. The versatility and flexibility of light emitting diodes can be a plus for task and general lighting from kitchen to bathroom to bedroom. However, a certain nostalgia for the gentler, more homey appeal of the Edison bulb remains.