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How to choose the right
lighting inside your home
Lighting in a home
serves both practical and
aesthetic purposes. It’s
easy to maneuver around
a well-lit home, reducing
the risk of slips and falls,
and the right lighting can
help homeowners create
their desired ambiance,
which typically changes
depending on which
room you’re in.
When choosing light
ing for their homes,
homeowners must walk a
fine line between appear
ance and functionality. A
fixture in the foyer that
instantly impresses visi
tors likely won’t prove
as awe-inspiring if it’s in
stalled in the living room.
When choosing lighting
for a home, some general
rules about what works
in each room can help
homeowners make the
most informed decision.
Kitchen
Kitchens are often the
busiest room in a home,
so lighting here can be
especially important. A
kitchen often benefits,
both practically and
aesthetically, from differ
ent types of lighting. For
example, pendant light
ing above kitchen islands
can make meal prepara
tion easier and safer, but
such lighting likely won’t
work in breakfast nooks
and informal dining areas
in the kitchen. Recessed
lighting works best in
such areas. In kitchens
with no island, under
cabinet lighting can be
used to illuminate coun
tertops and simplify meal
preparation.
Formal dining room
Many people enjoy
the look of chandeliers in
formal dining rooms, and
such fixtures can be in
stalled directly above the
dinner table. The interior
design experts at Better
Homes & Gardens advise
hanging chandeliers
roughly 33 inches above
the table in dining rooms
with eight-foot ceilings,
adding three inches for
each additional foot
above eight feet. Dark
ened dining areas may
be ideal in restaurants,
but homeowners may
want to split the differ
ence at home and choose
dimmable chandeliers for
their dining rooms. This
allows homeowners to
dim the lights for roman
tic dinners but turn them
up for family gather
ings with lots of people
around the table.
Living room
Adaptability also is
important in the living
room, where homeown
ers may host anything
from movie nights to
book clubs to parties for
the big game. It can be a
tall order to accommo
date such a wide range
of activities, and many
homeowners come down
to deciding between
recessed lighting and
track lighting. If the liv
ing room currently has
neither style, homeown
ers should recognize
that it will cost consider
ably less to install track
lighting than recessed
lighting. Better Homes
& Gardens notes that
flexible track lighting
provides ambient, task
or accent lighting, and
track lights can even be
moved to change light
ing schemes at any time,
making them a budget-
friendly option for home-
owners whose living
rooms are multi-purpose
spaces. Recessed lighting
also works well in living
rooms, especially ones
with low ceilings. That’s
because recessed light
ing is installed into the
ceiling, meaning it does
not take up any visual
space in the room. That
can help living rooms feel
bigger.
Bedroom
The home improve
ment experts at BobVila.
com note that bedroom
lighting should provide
enough light when get
ting dressed, but also be
able to be toned down
as residents prepare
for their bedtime rou
tines. Both portable and
installed lighting can
be used in bedrooms to
serve these various func
tions. Recessed fixtures
that dim can ensure
there’s ample light to get
dressed in the morn
ing, but they also can
be dimmed at night as
residents try to get ready
to sleep. Portable night-
stand lights can make it
easier for couples shar
ing a bedroom, allowing
one person to stay up
and read while the other
goes to sleep.
Homeowners have
many options and many
needs when choosing
lighting for their homes.
A professional consul
tation with a lighting
expert or interior decora
tor can help homeowners
find lights that provide
both practical and aes
thetic appeal.
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®ljt ®)?ralti <©a?fttf Tuesday, April 6,2021 3B
Stay safe when working in the
yard this spring and summer
A day spent working
in the yard is an ideal
way to pass the time on
spring and summer after
noons. A pristine land
scape can add value to a
property and instill pride
in homeowners who put
a lot of thought and ef
fort into their lawns and
gardens.
A sun-soaked day can
make it easy to overlook
potential threats when
working in a lawn or gar
den. But safety precau
tions are of the utmost
necessity when working
in the yard, where the
risk for serious injury is
considerable. For ex
ample, the American
Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons reports that, in
2016, more than 90,000
patients, including nearly
5,000 children, were
treated in hospital emer
gency rooms for lawn
mower-related injuries.
Lawn- and garden-
related injuries can be
prevented without going
to great lengths.
• Know your terrain
before mowing. Knowing
the terrain in your own
yard can reduce the risk
for accident or injury.
This can be especially im
portant when mowing the
lawn with a riding mower.
Adhere to manufacturers’
recommendations regard
ing inclines to reduce
tip-over accidents that
can pin riders beneath
the mower. Study hilly
areas of the yard prior
to mowing so you know
which areas are safe to
mow with a riding mower
and which areas are best
mowed with a walk-be-
hind mower. For greater
control when using a
walk-behind mower on an
incline, mow parallel to
the slope.
• Apply and reapply
sunscreen. Sunburns
may not require trips to
the emergency room, but
they can still be serious.
In fact, the Skin Cancer
Foundation notes that
sunburn is a leading
cause in the majority of
cases of basal cell carci
noma, squamous cell car
cinoma and melanoma,
which is the deadliest
form of skin cancer. The
SCF recommends apply
ing sunscreen 30 minutes
before going outside
to allow the sunscreen
to bond to your skin.
Reapply sunscreen at
least every two hours,
and more often if you’re
sweating excessively. The
SCF recommends broad
spectrum sunscreens,
which protect the skin
from both UVA and UVB
rays. Though a product
with a sun protection
factor (SPF) of at least 15
is acceptable when walk
ing the dog or driving to
work, the SCF advises
using a product with an
SPF of 30 or higher when
engaging in extended
outdoor activities like
gardening or mowing.
• Employ the buddy
system. Use the buddy
system when pruning
tall trees or performing
any tasks that require a
ladder. The Orthopedic
Institute of Pennsylvania
reports that more than
164,000 people are in
jured each year falling off
a ladder. Ask a significant
other or neighbor to hold
the ladder in place while
you climb up to reduce
your risk of falling. If
cutting large branches,
cut them piecemeal to
reduce the risk of being
injured by heavy falling
branches.
• Inspect the property
for insect hives. The
OIP notes that the most
common insect stings in
spring come from bees,
wasps and hornets.
Homeowners who are not
careful can inadvertently
come across hives when
doing spring cleanup,
making them vulner
able to bites and stings.
That can be very dan
gerous for anyone, and
especially so for people
with a history of allergic
reactions to insect bites
or stings. Inspect areas
where you’ll be work
ing to make sure insects
haven’t put down roots
in your property. If you
discover any hives and
are hesitant to remove
them on your own, con
tact a local landscaping
firm.
Lawn and garden ac
cidents and injuries can
be serious. Thankfully,
accidents and injuries are
easily prevented when
homeowners take a few
simple safety precau
tions while tending to
their lawns and gardens.
|AJ^cros^merica|
Jim Graham, owner ^
5th generation Benjamin
Lamar County Businessman F?S e
Helping build the future of the Lamar County
area on a firm foundation of the past
132 Taylor Street • Barnesville, GA 30204
770-358-2682. Fax: 770-358-1710
www.balamo.doitbest.com
/f \
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