Issue No. 15, January 2011

All it takes is a few small upgrades and improvements in lighting to make a huge impact on the warmth and inviting feel of your home. During the cold, dark days of winter, the right lighting is especially important. Using a dimmer will help create the perfect ambience for indoor activities.

In a room where a central lighting fixture dominates the space, dimming allows that fixture to provide a more subtle and comfortable light, and lets other fixtures provide appropriate contrast. The addition of one or two portable light fixtures will help set the perfect stage, especially if they are connected to a table-top dimmer, which can be found at most ALA-member showrooms.

For help with selecting the best lighting to create the perfect ambience for your home, talk to a lighting professional at any ALA-member showroom.

Photo courtesy of Murray Feiss

Four lucky homeowners are winners of the American Lighting Association's 2010 Home Lighting Makeover Sweepstakes. The winners' names were randomly selected from among nearly 28,000 entries received from across the U.S. and Canada. The fortunate four are in the process of receiving a total of $10,000 worth of lighting products from their local ALA-member lighting showrooms.

Congratulations to winners:
» Elisa M. of Wildwood, N.J. (grand prize = $5,000)
» Cyndy K. of Woodbury, Minn. (2^nd place = $2,500)
» Derrick H. of Missoula, Mont. (3^rd place = $1,500) 
» Amy W. of Pittsburgh, Pa. (4^th place = $1,000)

Visit an ALA-member showroom to get valuable tips for creating your own home lighting makeover.

All of the seating in my 20' x 20' family room is removed from the walls, but there are no outlets in the center of the room. How can I use a portable lamp on my coffee table without creating a hazard with the cord running from the nearest wall?

To add a plug in the middle of a room, there are two options:

1. • One is to use an extension cord with a very low, essentially flat profile. Also available are rubber covers that can be placed over extension cords to minimize the danger of tripping.
   • The better option is to add a floor receptacle in a location below a table or a piece of furniture near the area where you want to place your table lamp. If you have a basement or a crawl space this can be accomplished by an experienced electrician, though it would require cutting and then repairing the area after installing the plug.

Do you have questions about lighting your home?
Click here to submit your questions for an ALA-trained lighting professional.

To get answers to all your home lighting questions, contact an ALA-member showroom.

Photo courtesy of Hubbardton Forge