How to Choose the Right Lamp for a Family Room

Choosing the best lamp or lamps for a family room is about your style, the room color palette, the mood you want to create, and the kind of light you want to have in the room during the day and at night. Lamps come in all matter of shapes, sizes and colors. You have numerous choices about style and materials. They also come with choices of light bulbs, incandescent, fluorescent, and halogen.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Choose your Style

1. Define your style such as: traditional, contemporary, Asian, Spanish, Mexican, English Country, Italian, Mediterranean, Swedish, Victorian, Vintage Retro-there are many styles to choose from.

2. Decide if you want a table lamp, floor lamp or a combination.

3. Define the size of lamp you want.

4. Decide what color you want the lamp to be and what type of material you want for the shade and the body of the lamp.

Evaluate Room Usage

5. Define the traffic patterns in the room.

6. Define where the room is lightest and darkest both during the day and at night.

7. Decide where you want to put lamps-the buffet, dining table, end table, side board for example.

Choose Lighting Options

8. Decide how you want to operate the lamp-from a switch or wall, with a dimmer switch or a three-way bulb.

9. Decide if you want a soft and warm or bright and cool color effect-use incandescent or fluorescent bulbs.

10. Use halogen bulbs for a high intensity bright light.