Lighting Guide
Lighting Guide
Know Your Lights
Suspended from the ceiling, chandeliers direct their light upward. They refract light, a chandelier’s branches of glistening crystals, baubles, or beadwork elevate a space wherever they’re hung.
This type of fixture is mounted directly to the ceiling and has a glass or plastic shade concealing the light bulb.
Pendant mounts are fixtures that hang from the ceiling and are suspended. These types of lighting fixtures allow light to be directed straight down from the light source.
Table lamps are versatile and portable sources of light in a room. Most lamps direct light downward. The shape of the shade can also make your lighting more dramatic.
Floor lamps have a freestanding design that allows them to be placed anywhere within reach of an electrical outlet. They don’t require complicated installation, mounting, or wiring.
Surface-mounted to the wall, sconces can direct light upwards or downwards, and their covers or shades can add a stylistic touch to a room. Sconces are available as corded plug in sconces or hardwired.
Lanterns add outdoor ambiance and additional lighting settings for your porch or patio. Our assortment of candle lanterns, decorative metal lanterns, and votives make great path lighting for outside areas.
Outdoor installations can make sure your outer home is always well-lit.. They can light up your patio space without sacrificing style.
Ceiling fans combines lighting and be helpful for regulating a room’s temperature in both warm and cool seasons.
Lighting for every room
Lighting can be the jewelry of your home, bold and sculptural, delicate and refined, or something that gleams and sparkles. Burke Décor has options to perfectly illuminate your style.
Browse the collection to discover how many ways you can give your space a whole new look with the right lighting.
Living Room
Lighting the living room is all about options. It is often the most used space in the house, this room’s lighting should reflect its architectural elements, your furniture setup, and your personal taste. Lighting in the living room can set the mood for your room and having multiple light sources allow you to change the lighting as it suits your mood. We always recommend have 3 types of lighting if possible, overhead, wall lights and table or floor lamps. Being able to dim all of your lighting sources allows the most flexibility.
Consider placement before making your purchase by being mindful of sight lines and your seating area, For floor and table lamps consider access to outlets and the placement of the switches (on the cord or on the lamps).
Dining Room
There are certain rules to follow when it comes to the placement of your dining room overhead lighting. Hanging pendants and chandeliers about 30-36 inches above the center of your dining table. A cluster of pendants should be placed between 24-28 inches apart at varying heights.
Over a round table we recommend a fixture that measures between 1/2 and 3/4 the diameter of around table.
The right dining room lighting is all about scale and proportion. The best rule of thumb is that your light fixture should be about half the width of your dining table, but a slightly oversized pendant or chandelier can work beautifully as the dining room is be the perfect place for a bold move.
For long narrow tables, consider linear lighting, which is normally found above kitchen islands, bars or pool tables, but can create a stunning and dramatic moment over a long, rectangular dining table. The key is proportion. We recommend selecting a linear light measuring no more than 2/3 the length of the table or island. Consider hanging a pair of linear fixtures to light extra long surfaces.
Bedroom
A bedside sconce is a good solution for your bedroom. Depending on the height of your bed, a good rule of thumb for sconce placement is to measure 50-60 inches from the floor to the top of the fixture. Plug in sconces are an easy way to get a designer look without hiring a an electrician. Many of our favorites are pivoting and/or articulating and come with a cord cover in the same finish as the backplate.
If you prefer a bedside lamp, keep the proportion and height of your nightstand in mind. Allot no more than a third of the stand’s surface area to the lamp’s base.
Kitchen
Good lighting in the the kitchen is essential. The kitchen functions as the command center of most homes and functional lighting is a must, but making it pretty is even better. There are three main components to lighting a kitchen ambient, task and accent lighting. A combination of recessed or track lighting, flush mounts (ambient), under cabinet or directional sconces (task), and pendants, linear lights or decorative sconces (accent), all on their own switches, allow you to turn it all on when preparing food or cleaning, but also allow the ability to create a warm glow and lower lights for family meals or that after dinner glass of wine when the day is done.
Kitchen islands tend to be both workspaces and gathering places, we love a pretty pendant above a squarish island, and a bold linear light over a long kitchen island.
For Kitchen Islands we recommend selecting a light measuring no more than 2/3 the length of the table or island. Or, you may consider hanging a pair of linear fixtures to light extra long surfaces.
Bathroom
There’s a critical difference between good bathroom lighting and great bathroom lighting. Great bathroom lighting has some sort of overhead brilliance above or near the mirror. It’s acceptable to have somewhat harsher, higher-wattage bulbs. A sconce (or two) near your vanity, hung 5-6 feet above the floor, is a useful fixture. For vanity lights above the mirror, the ideal light will measure at least 3/4 the width of the mirror but not extend over its edges. For larger mirrors, consider mounting a pair of evenly-spaced linear sconces.
Lighted Mirrors are also excellent choices when space is tight.
Be sure the fixture you select is approved for damp or wet environments, depending on where you will be installing it.
Rules for every room
The best-lit rooms have two to three different sources of light shining at different heights. While the perfect wattage for every room and fixture depends on your space and your taste, dimmers and lighting on multiple levels (ceiling lights, wall lights, and floor or table lamps) allow you to set the mood. To ensure your lighting retains its aesthetic, opt for a decorative bulb anytime one is visible – we like a halogen lamp in a traditional, clear glass bulb if your fixture is meant to throw light and shadow, and mirrored or oversized bulbs can make an exposed bulb feel like a design choice. Most fixtures come with specific recommendations and limits for lamping, be sure to follow them to make sure you don't damage your shades or wiring.
Several common mistakes include:
- using an incandescent bulb where a LED is specified. This can cause both paper and fabric shades to burn and stain, as will delicate natural stone like alabaster.
- using a non dimmable bulb with either a wall or cord dimmer
- using a wattage that is too high for the fixture.
Halogen lamps with a clear glass bulb are excellent at mimicking the light of an incandescent and also throw dramatic lights and shadow. There are also LED options that mimic the artful filaments and unusual tints of vintage Edison bulbs.
