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Display Lighting

Most of the lighting schemes concentrated on illuminating individual rooms Andproviding good task lighting for thevarious activities carried out in them. However, lighting can also be used as ameans of decorating rooms and highlighting their best features. Spotlights offer great flexibility here.They are available as single, double and triple spot units for wall or ceilingmounting, as individual spotlights that is designed to fit on a lighting track, or as recessed 'eyeball' ceiling fittings. Thebeam diiection can be adjusted to'wash' walls, curtains (drapes) orceilings with light, which may becoloured instead of white; or toilluminate an individual area of theroom such as a fireplace, an arch, analcove, a display unit (cabinet) orsome other feature.

Small spotlights, especially therecessed eyeball types, can be used toilluminate individual pictures orpicture groups. Alternatively, atraditional picture light - a small striplight in a wall-mounted holder maybe set or below the picture.

Shelves or closed cabinets displayingchina, glass or other objets d'art can belir in several ways. Spotlighting is one,but this can look harsh. What often works better is either backlighting viasmall tungsten filament strip lightsfined beneath the shelves or, whereglass shelves are used, a lamp behind afrosted glass panel at the tor or bottomof the unit.

The last area of lighting that needsto he considered is indoor securitylighting. It is well known that intrudersare deterred by good lighting outsidethe house and this also applies indoors.If a would-be intruder sees an indoorlight, he or she can never be sure whether the house is occupied or nor,especially if the curtains are drawn.Even if I he owners are out, an intruderwill be less keen to break in and riskbeing seen from outside.

There are several types ofprogrammable controls which can beused to switch on both fixed lightingand plug-in lights, either at preset times or ar stinset. Some cant hen mimichuman behaviour by turning lights onand off at random during the night,