It’s a great question because lighting is often overlooked when decorating your home.  Proper layering of light makes all the difference.  If you get it wrong you’re squinting – either from not enough light or from the glare of too much.  Getting your lighting right will not only make it easier on your eyes and a more comfortable space to live in but it will also make your décor look fantastic!

What are the layers?

There are three layers of lighting – ambient, task and accent lighting.  Each layer has a purpose and it takes all of the layers to have a good lighting design.

Ambient Lighting

The first layer is ambient.  Ambient lighting is the general lighting in your home.  It actually comes from multiple sources.  You get ambient lighting from windows and skylights but it is also the lighting that substitutes for natural lighting.  In other words, the overhead lighting – chandeliers, ceiling fixtures and any recessed or track lighting you may have.  This light source provides the basic lighting needed to see.

Task Lighting

The second layer is task lighting.  Just like the name implies this is the lighting you need to perform some type of task.  It could be a lamp by your chair you use to read by or the desk lamp on your desk you use to help you see your work. Task lighting may be under cabinet lighting that helps you prepare food or vanity lighting that allows you to see to apply your makeup.

Accent Lighting

The third layer is accent lighting.  This layer provides atmosphere and is typically used to highlight something.  For instance niche lighting or directed can lighting may be used to highlight an architectural feature of your home.  Picture lights are used to highlight artwork. Wall sconces might be used to highlight a mirror or piece of art.  Even the lighting inside a cabinet with glass doors is accent lighting.  This level of lighting is often the most neglected.

Where do mistakes happen?

Patricia Rizzo of the Lighting Research Center was quoted in 3 Basic Types of Lighting, a post by Jill Connors for HGTVRemodels.com as saying “Too many people make the mistake of expecting one type of lighting to do it all.  Each type meets a particular need.”  We agree completely.  It is the layering of light at all levels that creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere.  You can’t leave one out and expect the same effect.

How do you plan for lighting?

It really isn’t as hard as it seems.  You just address all three layers of light.  First stop and think about what the purpose of the room is.  What kind of tasks will you perform?  What type of lighting will you need to perform the tasks and where will you be?  

It is typically best to address the layers in the order mentioned above.  Start with ambient or your general lighting.  Then add in your task lighting.  Now take a look at the room – what do you want to accent?  Approaching it systematically will ensure that you have all three layers of the light you need for functionality but also for visual interest.

If you’d like to learn more about lighting, Light Logic is a blog dedicated to helping consumers learn about lighting.  There are tons of tips for lighting every room of your home and they cover energy efficiency as well.

There are a lot of people who collect vintage linens.  It’s hard to imagine in today’s time that at one point, no self-respecting young lady reached marrying age without a hope chest full of linens that she and her mom had been collecting for her home to come. Often embroidering the linens themselves.  It was a part of the young lady’s dowry to have a chest full of linens to enter her marriage with.  From tea towels and dinner napkins to embroidered sheets, pillowcases and coverlets, these linens were made from exquisite Irish linen, Eastern European damasks and fine Italian needlework.  Wealthy families may have purchased them on trips around the world but even the working classes would follow this tradition.

You can find vintage linens today in a multitude of places - garage and tag sales, antique shops, flea markets and sometimes in one’s own attic or grandmother’s linen closet.  Sometimes you will find museum quality linens and other times not but we’ve found they’re all beautiful in their own way.  Many are reflective of a time when needlework was treasured and the tiniest of details were included.  We often don’t take the time to produce such quality now and even rarer would it be produced by hand.  Cutwork, embroidery and tatted lace edging was common place.  A simple intricate design on a guest towel could take hours to produce. Quilts were made with intricate patterns pieced together from fabric scraps and outgrown clothing.  I personally have a quilt made from the sample book for men’s wool suits.  Some distant relative thought these wool fabric samples were too precious to waste when the sample book was discontinued.  The pieces are carefully sewn together with a bright red crewel stitch and I must admit it is the warmest blanket in the house!

Unfortunately vintage linens are often stained or yellowed and it takes careful laundering to return them to their formal glory.  You can actually get rid of these stubborn yellow stains but it will take time and effort.  Good Housekeeping has a great guide on How to Revive Vintage Linens.  Light, dirt, fluctuating humidity and pests can all cause damage to textiles.  It will pay to learn how to properly store your linens to protect them from damage.  The Institute of Conservation in an article entitled Care and Conservation of Costume and Textiles.  There are businesses who will work on cleaning and repairing your linens for you as well.   The Laundry at Linens Limited is one such place who has been caring for fine linens for over 50 years. 

You can still purchase textiles today of fine quality and workmanship. If you care for them properly and store them well, you’ll be passing them down to your grandchildren and they will be antique, vintage linens one day.