If you are thinking about how to make your home not only bright, but also energy efficient, you should pay attention to fluorescent lamps. They are a gas-discharge light source. The luminous efficiency in such lamps is several times greater than in conventional incandescent lamps. The service life is also generally higher. As an alternative, designed to completely replace the incandescent lamp in everyday life, a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) has been developed, which is screwed into the base in the same way as a conventional one, but consumes much less electricity.
A conventional lamp of 100 W corresponds in terms of illumination to a CFL with a power of only 20 W. The cost of CFL is from 200 to 250 rubles. However, all fluorescent lighting fixtures contain mercury in doses ranging from 1 to 70 mg. Therefore, such lamps require special disposal. Today, with the growing popularization by the state of energy-efficient policy, not only at enterprises, but also in everyday life, points of free reception of such lamps are opening, which can be found either in the energy sales company or in the administrations of the city districts.
Recently, interior designers have paid a lot of attention to the lighting of houses and apartments. And as practice has shown, not in vain. With the help of light, small communal apartments can be turned, if not luxurious palaces, then into very decent apartments.
Lighting changes color a lot. Therefore, before buying any “colored” element for the future interior (fabrics, paints, wallpapers, carpets, furniture, etc.), a competent designer “tests” his sample not only in natural light in the store, but also in the lighting that will be installed in the apartment . Otherwise, it can easily happen that, say, a beautiful blue carpet, together with an ensemble of bluish furniture and accessories carefully matched to it in a room with “warm” lighting, will turn into an inexpressive cluster of mouse-gray objects that seem to be numb in a somnambulistic trance, completely forgetting about the original color. idea.
There are special color tables showing how "warm" and "cold" artificial light affects color mutations. For example, pastel shade yellow (in daylight) becomes brighter in "warm" lighting and very weak and grayish in "cold". It is well known that the color of the walls, floor and ceiling can change our perception of the size of the room.
Dark colors make rooms look smaller and ceilings look lower. Light colors give an optical expansion, the room seems more spacious, the ceilings "rise".
The cold blue tones create the impression of space. Walls and ceilings optically retract.
Warm colors with a distinct presence of red have the opposite effect. They seem to move towards the viewer.
Warm yellowish tones are less aggressive than shades of red. dark shades narrow the room light - expand.
Speaking of lighting design interior, these effects should be taken into account and separately for each lighting mode.
Light endows furnishings of some kind own life and a special facial expression. They enter into new spatial relationships. Their contours can dissolve in the air or, on the contrary, become clear, contrasting and "muscular". Something will come closer from the darkness, something will move into the shadows... It's time for bliss for everything in the room, and especially for those who are "aged". Old furniture acquires youthful freshness and grace, faded curtains are again made of muslin and velvet, a wall disfigured by planning ledges becomes slender and mysterious ... etc., etc. - the light creates its own fairy tale every evening.
Bedroom
The main rule: the light must be necessarily reflected and in no case should it fall into the eyes.
Local sources are constantly present in the bedroom, they often act as sconces and carry a double load: at night, as a source of light, during the day - a design element.
The necessary type of local lighting is the light near the head: read, dream, look at the clock. For this purpose, several options for lamps are used: table, wall, floor and built-in headboards.
It is believed that a light source located at a height of about 1.3 meters is optimal for local lighting.
No less convenient in the bedroom are lamps on movable brackets or on flexible legs. They allow you to change the point of the outgoing light and the angle of the light flux.
And near the mirror in the bedroom, it is better to place several identical lamps around the perimeter. For the morning toilet thing is simply irreplaceable.
Bathroom
Unlike other areas of the apartment, the bathroom needs bright light. There are many options for lighting design, the main thing is that the lamps match the design of sanitary accessories and fit into the interior, both on and off. The main criterion when choosing a lamp for a bathroom should be its safety. Electrical equipment must be protected from direct moisture, and the metal fittings of high-voltage lamps must be grounded.
The most popular solution for lighting bathrooms today is the use of halogen lamps, which have gained their popularity due to their miniature size. In addition, halogens, in comparison with conventional incandescent lamps, provide higher illumination at the same energy consumption. Halogen lamps can be built-in and open.
Kitchen
The ideal lighting for a small kitchen is zoning. Light sources should be placed above the functional areas: working surface, dining table and a bar counter, if there is one. The tasks of local lighting are well performed by spotlights with halogen lamps. A fairly popular solution when they are built into the top cornice wall cabinets. If your kitchen does not have hanging cabinets, use standalone lights. Above the dining table, if it is not against a wall, hang a single lamp that should provide an intense, directional light. Well, if its height is adjustable, it will help create a certain atmosphere.
The corridor
To visually enlarge narrow corridor, it is necessary to place the lamps in a straight line, along one of the walls of the room.
The often found arrangement of fixtures, when they are installed along the middle line of the ceiling, on the contrary, narrows the space.
The illuminated wall at the end of the corridor makes it wider.
Bright transverse light visually reduces the length.
deepen perspective long corridor It is possible by placing an even row of the same type of lamps on the ceiling.
Longitudinal lighting allows you to stretch a short space.
There are many tricks with which you can increase, narrow or expand the space. Here are a few rules that you can put into practice when adjusting the lighting of living spaces.
The lighting design of a residential interior is important not only for eye health, it stimulates the brain and promotes good rest. Therefore, the selection of lighting for your apartment must be approached with all seriousness.
Light plays a very important role in human life, like air or water. Thanks to the right lighting, the room takes on a complete look, so it is so important to correctly calculate the illumination of the entire apartment and each room separately. Many factors of human life, in particular, the psychological state, depend on how well the room is illuminated. In addition, light affects the functioning of the brain, the health of our eyes. It is the quality of lighting that can positively (or negatively) affect the rest.
main goal artificial lighting is as close as possible to natural light to create a comfortable environment. In the process of calculating the correct illumination, it is necessary to take into account the type of light source, as well as its power.
We calculate the power of light sources
In order to roughly calculate the power of all the fixtures that you may need, you can use the following formula: P = pS/N. Conventions: p- specific power for lighting W/sq. meter (as a rule, this value is 20 W / sq. meter, since this is an average value); S- the area of the room for which the lighting is calculated (in square meters); N- the number of light sources used.
Such calculations can only give approximate results, since the illumination depends on the type of room, on the selected fixtures, on your preferences and on other factors. Moreover, different types of lamps (halogen, fluorescent) give different light and its quantity is also different.
To make the calculations more accurate, it is necessary instead of an average value of 20 W / sq. meter to substitute the value inherent in the lighting of a particular room (living room, kitchen, nursery). So, for example, in a children's room, lighting should be equal to 30-90 W / sq. meter, in the living room - 10-35 W / sq. meter, in the bedroom - 10-20 W / sq. meter, in the kitchen - 12-40 W / sq. meter, in the bathroom - 10-30 W/sq. meter.
An example of calculating the power of lamps in a bedroom (with an area of 13 square meters): P = 15*13/3. As a result, we get that the power of each lamp for the bedroom is 65 watts.
The rooms may have both general lighting (chandeliers) and local, spot lighting (sconces, desk lamp, floor lamps). And this should not be overlooked in the process of calculating the correct lighting, because each type of lamp gives a different amount of light, which differs in its brightness, shades (warm, cold tones), intensity.
It is much better to use various types of chandeliers as sources of main light in the apartment. At the same time, if you choose chandeliers with shades, then pay attention to the glass from which they are made: it must be matte. The light, passing through the frosted glass, becomes soft and diffuses throughout the space of the room, covering even the most inaccessible (and, as a rule, dimly lit corners). To date, plafonds from frosted glass popular all over the world.
If you want to illuminate not the whole room, but, for example, only a section working area, then you should choose lamps, the surface of which has a special reflective layer. Thus, the light will not spread throughout the room, but will concentrate on a specific area.
Which lamps to choose?
Lamps that can be used to illuminate an apartment are divided into three main types:
Incandescent lamps;
Halogen lamps;
Fluorescent lamps.
The most common are incandescent lamps. They have a low cost, but their light output and service life are also at a low level. Almost 95% of the energy that is released by incandescent lamps is spent on generating heat, so the name "heaters" is more suitable for them than "light sources".
Halogen lamps, unlike incandescent lamps, are able to convert energy much more efficiently, in addition, their service life is several times longer, and the light that comes from them is bright. The main advantage is excellent color reproduction, which is why they are used where accurate transmission is required. color shades(like a mirror).
The highest light output of fluorescent lamps, as well as a huge selection of shades of light. The service life of fluorescent lamps is almost 15,000 hours. Thanks to these lamps, you can make the bedroom cozy and gentle, and the office bright and bright.
Correctly made calculation of lighting individually for each room will allow you to feel comfortable and cozy in the apartment. Moreover, the right light has a positive effect on performance and health.
Proper selection of lighting fixtures allows you to make the house comfortable and attractive for living. It's just that choosing lighting and its type is sometimes extremely difficult. The purchased device should decorate the room and, at the same time, increase the functionality of the living space.
Buyers are advised to make a small homework. It consists in studying the parameters of lighting devices and the possibilities of light output. A similar approach is also used by professional designers. It will allow developing cozy interior. Harmoniously combined lighting fixtures have a positive effect on the emotions of residents. The quality of lighting is a guarantee of the safety of the vision of all family members. After all, good lighting also plays an important role in improving the safety of a building by acting as a security guard.
There are several available ways lighting. They depend on the operating parameters and the installation mechanism of the lighting device. Among them you can choose best option for any room.
Ambient light is the most common type of lighting. In this case, the rays of the light flux are directed at an angle relative to each other. This allows you to evenly distribute light throughout the room. Ambient lighting is soft, but sometimes it is not enough for some tasks.
The type of lighting device must be selected depending on the size of the room. Uniform illumination can be provided by both conventional light bulbs and fluorescent lamps. The form of installation is always ceiling. It is recommended to give preference to energy-saving equipment. Design can be free. This is perhaps the most extensive group of lighting fixtures. It includes both ordinary ceiling lamps and luxurious chandeliers.
Directional lighting allows the use of direct light beams. A beam of parallel beams directs light only to a specific object or to a specific point. For example, lighting can workspace, furniture and other interior items. During the daytime, this type of lighting creates shadows. At night, the room will be lit only in the place where the light is directed. Lack of dispersion allows you to concentrate the lighting. It becomes extremely bright and sometimes hurts the eyes. 
by the most simple example directional light is considered to be the use of a flashlight. Spotlights work on the same principle. One of the most popular lighting fixtures of our time uses this type of lighting. We are talking about spotlights. Inside their design, a flask with a special coating that reflects light is installed.
Indirect light also uses a directional form of lighting, but the luminaire will be directed upwards. The ceiling reflects light, resulting in dimmed lighting. This form of lighting is highly appreciated by designers. It can be created by sconces and spotlights. Instruments must be pointed upwards. 
Mixed light is a combination of several types of lighting. Indoors, you can use at least all three forms of lighting fixtures. Installing floor lamps of different configurations or table lamps can provide the simultaneous use of diffused and directional light. These devices combine several types of lighting. 
Lighting a room is both challenging and creative. A huge selection of lighting fixtures of various styles is amazing and allows you to show maximum imagination. But you need to take into account a few rules that will help you choose the degree of illumination of a room that will make it cozy and life comfortable.
Choosing bedroom lighting is about understanding the basic art of lighting and matching it with the theme of the room. colors. The bedroom is a secluded place that everyone decorates depending on the needs of the mood. It can be calm, romantic, bright, functional. Lighting plays one of decisive roles in creating the right atmosphere.
Size matters
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the size of the room. This applies not only to the bedroom, but to any room. You need to choose such lamps that can illuminate all corners of the room. A common mistake is to arrange many lighting points in the hope that they will help emphasize all the details of the created layout. But in reality, everything turns out to be the opposite. As a result, one corner turns out to be illuminated excessively, and the second turns out to be in shadow. Even as decoration, all chandeliers and lamps should be in proportion to the size of the bedroom and the surrounding décor.
Harmony of styles
Bedroom lighting should also match the theme and color palette. If the room is decorated in a luxurious Hollywood style, then a cascading lamp would be an ideal choice for the centerpiece. If you need a minimalist style, then you should pay attention to the lamps in niches with original floor lamps.
Tiered lighting
Several tiers of lighting cannot be replaced by any other effects. The interior is carefully thought out, including different kinds lighting that not only fulfills its intended purpose, but also emphasizes all the advantages. If the general lighting creates an atmosphere in the room, then the directional light focuses on certain details.
Innovative bedside lighting
Bedside lighting for last years became extremely diverse. It is no longer limited to simple table lamps on each side of the bed. Now they are increasingly being replaced with original chandeliers and floor lamps. This frees up space by the bed, for example, you can refuse bedside tables, replacing them with other decor. At the same time, table lamps a good option to create visual symmetry. In addition, it is not at all necessary to abandon traditional approaches, sometimes time-tested options turn out to be much more advantageous than modern ones.
Playing with lighting
Unique Trait modern lighting- the presence of a dimmer. It allows you to easily change the degree of illumination in the room by simply pressing a button or screen. With the rapid development of technology, it is hoped that the possibilities of lighting will become limitless. Already now, for example, when reading a book, it is not at all necessary to illuminate the entire room.
Lighting-decoration
One of the common mistakes when choosing lighting fixtures for a bedroom is to favor aesthetics over ergonomics. Of course, a floor lamp or lamp should look unique and attractive, but this does not mean that they will provide proper lighting. Will they be just as functional if other tiers of lighting are added? If you manage to pick up lamps that combine functionality and beauty, then this is good luck. If not, then you have to take into account the illumination, intensity, good angles.
colored streams
Whether it's the color of the lampshade or the color of the bulb itself, any shade can completely change the atmosphere in a room. Lampshades can be used to completely change the interior. If the background is done in neutral tones, then colored lamps can turn into a stunning color accent.