These days I suppose that old expression means something quite different than it used to. At our new house it means something yet again.
As we considered the many options for lighting we opted for pot lights as our primary source of lighting. With the modern LED lighting solutions this is a good way to spread the light without having the lights grab the attention. A seven watt bulb can now add as much light as a seventy five incandescent watt bulb used to. That means we can light an entire room for less than it used to cost to turn on a single bulb. The new LED's don't generate heat either. We don't want the lights to be the focus of our house but rather just be there and do what they are supposed to. This week I've been measuring and fastening up the pot light housings in each room. There are many, with the total being in excess of 120.
There will also be accent indirect lighting that shines up onto the curved ceilings through the hallways, in the dining and living room areas and under the top cabinets in the kitchen areas. This will be special low voltage strip LED lighting using Heico lighting modules.
The ceiling joists in our house do not all go in one direction (often in the same room) and so many measurements must be taken and some compromises must be made as I carefully space them out through the rooms. The trick is to imagine where we might need the light to best focus on our needs in the future. It is far easier to add an extra light or two at this stage than to retrofit them later.
Pretty soon we will light up the house and see just what we have done.
-grampa dan