Give Your Home a Green Light
A well-placed lamp can transform a room from flat space to Vermeer painting. And you don't have to forgo this beauty in the name of environmentalism: Eco-friendly lighting has come a long way from ugly coiled bulbs and ghoulish colors — and compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes ( LEDs) are improving every day.
For help getting our shine on, we called Joseph A. Rey-Barreau, lighting designer for the American Lighting Association. With his placement tips and these gorgeous table, floor, and pendant lamps, you're guaranteed to show your home in its best light.
Table Lamps
Whether the goal is to brighten a dark corner or provide reading light, “you can never have too many table lamps in a room,” Rey-Barreau says. A classic tapered shade is best for reading. “It will throw the light vertically and thus onto your page,” he says.
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If you'll be doing more intense work, use a task lamp with an adjustable arm and focused light, and reduce eye strain by choosing an LED lamp or a cool-colored CFL (often marked “bright white” or “daylight”). For general lighting, a warm CFL (also labeled “soft white”) comes closest to the glow of an incandescent bulb.
Placing the Lamp
The bottom of a shade should be at eye level, to prevent glare. Arrange task lamps so the bulb is about 15 inches above the work surface.
Table Lamps: Our Picks
Lights Up! Cancan Adjustable Table Lamp ($124; designpublic.com)
Bulb pairing: 13-watt Philips Energy Saver Mini Twister soft white CFL
Roost Mandara Lamp ($250; velocityartanddesign.com)
Bulb pairing: 13-watt Philips Energy Saver Mini Twister soft white CFL 101
CB2 Crane Desk Lamp ($100; cb2.com)
Bulb pairing: Comes preinstalled with three 1-watt LEDs
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Fuz Curly Lamp ($35 or $45; uzfarm.com)
Bulb pairing: 23-watt Philips Energy Saver Mini Twister soft white CFL
Pendant Lamps
Hanging lights produce soft illumination and add a wow factor. If the pendant has an open bottom, use a covered-globe CFL to reduce glare.
Placing the Lamp
Hang a pendant so the bottom of the shade is between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 feet from the floor (depending on the height of the inhabitants and whether they'll be walking below it). If you're hanging one over a table, arrange it about 30 inches from the surface.
Pendant Lamps: Our Picks
IKEA Knappa ($30; ikea.com)
Bulb pairing: 9-watt GE Energy Smart soft white CFL globe
West Elm Woven Pendant ($200; westelm.com)
Bulb pairing: 9-watt GE Energy Smart soft white CFL globe
Room & Board Banded Medium Pendant ($149; roomandboard.com)
Bulb pairing: 23-watt Philips Energy Saver Mini Twister soft white CFL
Moso Endgra in Pendant Lamp ($288 or $318; branchhome.com)
Bulb pairing: Comes with a 19-watt Longstar soft white spiral CFL for the large, and 13-watt TCP soft white spiral CFL for the small
Floor Lamps
These models are great for squeezing into tight spaces and providing a layer of illumination between a table and overhead lights. Again, use a cooler bulb if the lamp will be used for reading.
Placing the Lamp
If a floor lamp is more than 3 feet above your head when you're sitting, the harsh light of the bulb will be visible. Adjust the height or place the lamp farther from your sitting area.
Floor Lamps: Our Picks
Noguchi Reverse Pod Floor Lamp ($400; roomandboard.com)
Bulb pairing: 13-watt Philips Energy Saver Mini Twister soft white CFL
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JC Penney Studio LED Floor Lamp ($100; jcpenney.com)
Bulb pairing: Comes preinstalled with 60 1-watt LEDs
Target 3-Way Resin Bamboo Floor Lamp ($160; target.com)
Bulb pairing: 50-100-150-watt Philips Energy Saver three-way soft white CFL
CFLs vs. LEDs
LEDs are mercury-free and last 10 times longer than CFLs. But LED technology is newer, so the glow LEDs cast is colder, and the bulbs aren't as affordable or widely available.
CFLs: How to Pick the Wattage
CFLs use less energy than incandescents, so the wattage will be lower for the same amount of light. The packaging usually indicates the incandescent equivalent; you can also divide a lamp's recommended wattage by four.
