What type lighting to use in stamping room?

[TeresaMH]

I have the walls up for my stamping room and am ready to move on to the ceiling but the light fixture I have is just not bright enough. I am wondering what to put in there and what you have found works best for you. I was thinking recessed flourescents in the suspended ceiling but am not sure if that is the best type of light. Maybe recessed pot lights, track lights? Ah, too many decisions. Hopefully some of you may be able to help me shed some light on this. (Pun intended)

Thanks,
Teresa

[heresrita]

Good lighting is a must. I prefer natural sunlight if possible. I detest flourescent lighting, it gives me a headache and eyestrain. If/when I finish my room, I will install either recessed pot lights or track lights. DH wants me to install flourescent lights, but I refuse to have poor lighting and I don't find the flourescent lights up to my standards. Right now I have a floor lamp "torchier style" that has a reading lamp on an arm and the main lamp is a tri-light that takes up to 150W bulbs. DH complains about the "extra cost" for the power, but I just point out to him that the stereo system uses at least 3-4 times as much as my measily 150W bulb :!:

[Laney13]

I have an OTT light on my stamping table that I LOVE!!! I also have a small Longaberger light and a hanging light above my stamp area. I don't get a ton of natural light in here, as my stamp area is in the family room in the basement and we only have a french door going outside. To top that off, it faces North.

Laney

[Kymbers_Stampin]

I don't have a "stamp room" but in my living room I use the GE Reveal lightbulbs and have put one in my desk lamp. I love it, there really is a difference in what you see. If you can put track lighting and the Reveal bulbs, well, any lighting and the Reveal bulbs, you'll have a great way of seeing your work. Natural is the best, but the Reveals come really close.

[mltunnel]

I use the reveal lights in my room plus I also have the OCC (is that right) light.

[row4d]

Please, oh please don't use fluorescents! Their color rendering index (how true to life the light makes colors look) is horrible, and fluorescent light has a high UV component -- this will alter the color of your cardstock!

[pedstamper]

In my stamp room I have three big windows which are great on sunny days. On cloudy days or at night I have an OTT light on my stamp island. Overhead I have two ceiling fans with four lights in each fan. I have LOTS of light. DH really wanted to put fluorescent (sp?) lights in but I nixed that one. It makes very artificial light and I don't think my colors look good in them.

[pedstamper]

What are Reveal bulbs? What do they do? Maybe I need these for my ceiling fan lights in the stamp room?

[jlcghs27408]

It's just a normal looking light bulb, but it's not frosted white, it's clear glass. I'm not a lightbulb expert so I say ***MAGICALLY* it makes everything you look at as close to it's real color as it gets besides actually standing outside on a sunny day.

I've seen magazine ads that show a room lit with a normal bulb vs a Reveal bulb and the rooms appear to be different shades of the color they are painted! It's really cool. My mom uses them, but I use a halogen lamp.

[LateBlossom]

Ott light here. Love it!

[stampinsuzy]

My Ott light was the best purchase I've ever made. It's funny how some colors will look so similar under natural light when in fact they're totally different.

[deblin]

I have an Ott light that I put up on top of storage cartons so it gives light over a wide area of my stamping table. I also have a desk lamp with the reveal bulb in it-- you can angle the neck to give light where you need it most. GE *reveal* bulbs are available at any large store. I have also read about mounting towel bars on the ceiling or walls if you can't afford a big electric project. You then mount those *clip* lights on them to shine where you need light the most.

[2katjes]

My craft room is a spare bedroom and used to have the standard ceiling light fixture. I tried using clip-on lights for my work area, but it always got too hot, or the gooseneck would sag. When I told hubby that I needed better lights, he first suggested flourescent fixtures. Yuck. Then he suggested track lights, and that is what we installed. I like how there are no sharp shadows when I work, so I don't even notice the light sources now. For color matching, I plug in my Ott light, but with SU colors, you don't need "natual" lighting all the time to get colors to match.

Alice

[blueheron]

I use a fluorescent fixture with full-spectrum bulbs. These have sometimes been referred to as "grow lights". They are the closest thing you can get to natural daylight in a light bulb. I suspect the OTT lights use the same kind of bulb, only smaller. The full spectrum fluorescents are often recommended for people with SADD. They aren't cheap--about $17 a bulb. But they last forever, give GREAT light, and don't bother you the way regular fluorescents do. I feel so strongly about them that I have even bought my own and brought them to work to be used over my desk!