How high/low/big/small should lights be?

(Daily Life : Simple Life)
Simple House, Lighting,

3 how high/low/big/small should lights be?

Bedside lamps
When you hunker down in bed to read, you want the bottom of the shade to be a little below your line of sight, or about 16 to 18 inches from the top of the mattress. A table lamp that's 26 to 28 inches tall (base and shade together) usually works well.


Kitchen pendants
They should clear the head of the tallest family member and not obstruct views-figure 36 to 48 inches from the top of the counter. Start the row of lights 12 to 15 inches from either end ofthe island or table, and space them evenly within that span.
 

Dining-room chandelier
Go for a fixture one-half to three-quarters the width of the table; anything larger will cast shadows on faces. Hang the light 36 to 48 inches above the table. Choose the lower number for more intimacy, the higher one if you want to stand when toasting.

Bathroom sconces
Mount sconces on either side
of the mirror (36 to 40 inches apart is ideal) to cast even illumination across the face. Position the fixtures so the bottom edges of the shades are a little below eye level, or proximately 60 to 65 inches from the floor.
 

4 Is it complicated to replace fixtures?
Absolutely not. Swapping an existing fixture for a new one is an easy job for an electrician (you'll pay about $45 to $125 an hour, depending on where you live). It's also a fairly manageable DIY project for someone who's handy. New fixtures normally come with mounting hardware and instructions, and you can view a how-to video at home depot.com (click "how-to," then "project guides"). You can even convert a recessed light into a flush-mount, a semi flush, or a pendant with a recessed¬conversion kit (from $30, the can converter.com). If you want to put a hanging fixture where there is none, consider a swag, which has a long chain (concealing a cord) that you can hang on a hook. The cord plugs into a wall outlet; you can also find plug-in sconces that work on the same principle. If you don't have outlets where you need lamps (say, your sofa is floating in the middle of the room), consider hiring an electrician to install floor outlets. This is no small job; it can take about five hours and means removing a small section of flooring. It's easier as part of a larger renovation-for example, if you're redoing the floors anyway.

5 what's the best wattage for reading Web surfing and applying makeup?

READING
Use a 40- to 6O-watt bulb. To prevent shadows, the lamp should be between your head and the page. A lamp with an opaque shade, like a metal reading lamp, cuts glare.
 

STARING
AT A COMPUTER To prevent eye fatigue, keep the light in the room no brighter than the screen. Sixty watts in a desk lamp, supplemented by soft, ambient light (from outside or overhead) will do the trick.

PUTTING
ON MAKEUP You'll need 60 to 80 watts of light.
So a 40-watt bulb in each of a pair of sconces or three to four 25-watt bulbs above the vanity work well. Add the overhead if you need more.