The Homeowners Comprehensive Guide to Lighting (part 2)

Lighting Basics

Rules of thumb for selecting lamps for the right color

Task, Accent and Art lighting use halogen or xenon lamps.  Small voltage lamps such as PAR halogen or MR16 work better for art because they throw their heat back, away from the object.

General Lighting.  Compact fluorescent and PAR halogen work will, but make sure the compact fluorescents have a color temperature of about 3500K (they range from 2700 to 6500K).  If you use fluorescent tubes, choose lamps with a CRI over 80 and a color temperature of 3000 - 3500K.

Dining lighting.  Incandescent lamps are hard to beat for the soft, warm lighting they case on food and people's skin, even though they are not energy efficient.

Lighting Types