Let There Be LIGHT
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
One of the simplest ways to set the stage and change the look and tone of your rooms is to install different lighting fixtures. You can create as much or as little drama as you want, but you don't have

PHOTOS BY ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Changing the light fixtures in your home is an easy way to create a new look. The Nantucket Lightshop and Val Maitino Antiques carry extensive lines of lighting, both for inside and outside use. Many of the lamps at Maitino's (top left) are reproductions of fixture designs from the Colonial, Federal and Victorian periods.

to change the drapes, furniture, rugs or color scheme when you

change the lighting.

On Nantucket, both the Nantucket Lightshop and Val Maitino Antiques offer many selections to suit every design need.

The trend in overhead lighting has shifted from the once-popular track lighting to monorail and cable systems, said Lightshop owner LuAnn Burton.

Monorails can be installed in either circular or straight line patterns, mounted on ceilings or walls and use low wattage bulbs. Though the bulbs are small, advanced technology allows them to produce as strong an illumination as higher wattage bulbs. Cable systems may also be installed on ceilings or wall-mounted. The bulbs, which are MR-16 of low voltage or of the efficient LED (light emitting diode) variety, are suspended between two thin wire cables. This design works well in post and beam houses with high ceilings.

The Lightshop has a wide selection of wall-mounted lamps which are especially suitable for bathrooms, children's rooms and living rooms. The hand-forged electrified decorative sconces look attractive on either side of a fireplace and in hallways. Swing-arm-wall-mounted lights are ideal for the sides of beds and window seats because they may be positioned away from the furniture for ease in getting in and out of the bed or seating, and turned inward for reading or more direct illumination.

Wall-mounted bathroom lamps are available in styles that project light upward, outward or down and in models that can be installed over a medicine cabinet mirror or on either side of the cabinet. The candelabra styles are good choices for powder rooms where bright light is not desired for applying makeup or for shaving, said Burton.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Along with lamps of all types and sizes, the Nantucket Lightshop has a variety of lampshades to choose from as well as lightbulbs in stock.

Chandeliers are available in many styles from traditional to transitional to modern. They have always been popular over dining tables, but Burton said they are finding their way into new locations.

"People are using chandeliers in lots of unexpected places," she said. "Some bathrooms have gotten so elaborate they lend themselves to a chandelier."

Another ceiling design that is popular are the pendant lamps that homeowners like to suspend over kitchen islands because they do not obstruct a person's view. These are available in several sizes and some styles feature attractive Italian glass shades in a range of different colors.

For kitchens, many people choose recessed lighting and add chandelier or pendant styles as complements.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Trading simple and traditional table lamp styles for lamps with decoratively designed bases will add pizzazz to a room's appearance.

"That's a place where you want good light," said Burton, noting that having different lamps on dimmer systems lets a home's occupants vary the light level according to a room's changing activity. "It's nice to have layers of light. Dimmers save a lot of energy and the bulbs last a lot longer."

The Lightshop also carries a variety of standing lamps suitable for use in bedrooms and living rooms. Decorated with a cloth shade, this style provides general light into a room. Pharmacy lamps with small, metal shades are good for reading or knitting, for example, because they offer intense, focused illumination on an object. Some designs use halogen bulbs.

"It gives you a lot of light without a big, bulky shade," said Burton.

Burton explained that if customers see a style in the store that they like but would prefer to alter some feature, she has catalogs of similar designs by each vendor and with different shades and metal finishes that can be substituted for what she shows in her inventory stock.

"It's personal preference, and there are so many variations in each category," she said.

Val Maitino Antiques has carried lighting for decades, but began increasing its selections about 20 years ago, said owner Clare Maitino. The shop specializes in fixtures which are reproductions of Colonial, Federal and Victorian styles made by a halfdozen New England artisans who work for the business. Many choices in sconce and chandelier designs are available. They are all crafted of brass or copper with some finished to look like wrought iron. One chandelier is unique in that the craftsman pours melted beeswax over the candle sleeves that hold the bulbs, giving a final appearance of a burning, dripping candle.

"But you can only use a 25-watt bulb. If you use a 60-watt bulb you'll get more drips," said Maitino.

The shop also carries refurbished, authentic ship lights as well as reproductions, sconces with glass hurricane shades, bathroom fixtures made by their craftsmen finished in brushed or polished nickel or polished chrome and various hanging designs used in kitchens. In addition, bulbs and lamp finials are in stock, and if a customer finds a style they like, but need in a different size or want a change to a feature, Maitino will sketch the desired product and have the artisans create that model.

"People come in and pick for each room," she said. "We really have gotten into lighting in the past 20 years. We do a lot of custom

work with designers." I