The media room is perhaps the most lived-in area of your home.  Whether you are watching TV or reading a book, the lighting should be comfortable, energy-efficient and beautifying.  Tune in to a picture-perfect setting with lighting tips from Capitol Lighting’s professional consultants.

1. Track and Recessed:  General or ambient lighting is a must in any room, but it is especially important in a multi-functional space such as a den or media room where there will be a wide range of activities that call for specific light settings.  Overhead lighting should be installed as part of the initial room design.   Oftentimes, a standard grid lighting pattern does not work well with your seating and furniture layout, so it is best to draw up your lighting design in the initial stages of planning.

NOTE:  In general, recessed cans should be installed 30 inches away from the wall and 4-5 feet apart.

Track heads, recessed and/or rail lights should be strategically located so as not to create glare or cast unflattering shadows upon individuals in the room.

Rail lighting from WAC Lighting highlights artwork;  hanging pendants provide soft ambient illumination and artistic accent light.  Rail and track lighting are highly versatile and allow for easy adjustments if you decide to change your decor.

2. Wall Lighting: Wall lights work well in a media room as they expand the space and provide an evenly distributed balanced illumination.

Image from HGTV.com “Must-see Media Rooms”

“Jaxon” wall lighting from Troy Lighting, available in a variety of color options

3.  Portables:  From sturdy reading lamps to decorative table lamps, portables are a useful addition to the multifunctional media room.  They provide individualized task light, as well as general illumination throughout the room.

Room design by Sandra D’Amata International

Ambience table lamp (shown above), Frederick Cooper “Script Reader” floor lamp and Minka-Aire’s “Great Room” fan from Capitol Lighting

4. Control Systems:  Dimming and automated control systems are a must for the media room.  Even if you have programmed your lighting controls into your Smart phone, wall switches with a variety of room settings and dimming capabilities are a good idea and are available in a choice of colors to complement your rooms’s decor.

Dimmer switch from Kichler Lighting

5. Special Considerations:  LED bulbs and LED light fixtures are suitable for media room lighting designs, just be careful to choose all your light sources with the correct color rendering, color temperature and shielding. Look for LED light sources that are dimmable and in warm (2700K)  color temperatures. *

LED torchiere floor lamp from Holtkotter

* Solid State Lighting and LED light sources are being refined so that predictable color rendering and color temperature will be more visually accurate.  A new metric to measure LED illumination is in the works:  The Color Quality Scale (CQS) will help to identify the visual characteristics of LED light sources more clearly, but right now–a bit of trial and error may help you find LED light sources that are complementary to your media room’s decor.

3 Keys to Remember:

*  Avoid having sharp areas of contrast between dark and light–illumination should be evenly dispersed with slight variations that allow your eyes to transition from reading a book, conversing with friends or watching  TV.

* Make sure lighting/fan controls are easily accessible–opt for a remote control system in addition to wall switches.

* Go for the most energy-efficient light sources, but do not sacrifice the overall look of your room.   If you are not using fluorescent or LED light sources, opt for eco-halogen or top quality incandescent bulbs in portable light sources.

For you to be able to ensure that you get the best possible job done in your home, you should limit your options among contractors that will be able to take the best possible care of your home systems. Even if highly skilled professionals tend to ask for higher fees than their other counterparts, there is no doubt that spending your money on their services will be worth it. Here are some points that you should keep in mind as you go about looking for the contractor who you will hire, to ensure that you will receive high quality services in your home.

The first thing that you have to check out when you hire contractors to carry out electrical repairs in your home is the amount of experience the employees of the company can boast about. Obviously, you need to find a contractor company that hires mechanics that can carry out the repairs that you need. There are a lot of resources that you may use to find the best mechanics in your area, so you need to make sure that you go through as many of them as possible.

It will do you well to do a run over on the variety of electrical repairs that a certain contractor company offers as well, before you go on to negotiating their working terms. Obviously, you want to find a company that will be able to implement every single repair that you need in your home. Hiring contractors that can boast of a wide range of skills will be best for you, because there will be no doubt that they will know everything that is important in their field. Yes, they will tend to have higher professional fees, but rest assured that you will receive high quality services as well.

Finally, make sure that you hire contractors who will be willing to work within the kind of budget that you have set for the electrical repairs that you need for your home. While it may be a fact that high quality services tend to go for higher rates, this does not mean that you have to shell out an arm and a leg for them as well. Look for a company that will be willing to give you discounts, in exchange for you having all the services that you need carried out by its employees. This way, you will get your house in tip-top shape without breaking the bank.

Kitchens are used more often, and are more versatile, than any other room in the home. In years past, they were used solely for meal preparation, typically illuminated by a single, inefficient ceiling fixture, but the kitchen of today is also used for entertaining, homework, dining, and making memories. With such an impressive resume, this hard working room deserves to shine a little brighter, with lighting that makes a statement, helps to get the job done, and creates a feeling of warmth.