For a multi-purpose room, such as a living room, you should have multiple kinds of light to give interest, establish the different “areas” of the room, and create the ambiance for the room’s different “purposes.” A combination of different hanging lights on dimmers for overall illumination works well, especially when it’s used in conjunction with table lamps for task lighting. Combining “up lights” with “down lights” is always a good idea. In a dining room that is also used for detail-oriented purposes like homework, try installing a large reflective chandelier on a dimmer. Then, paint the ceiling in a high-gloss, subtle but warm color; if you can find “Never-need-a-facelift Pink,” that’s the kind of color to get. This will give the room both wonderful light for working in with the dimmer up, as well as a cozy and very romantic glow for dinner parties with the dimmer down.

• accent
• decor
• decorating
• focus
• lighting