Email from American Lighting Association

April 2025

Bring on the Spring

See the lighter side of things

Spring is the perfect time to refresh and brighten your home. In addition to letting the sun shine in, gleaming new lighting can also give new life to a well-lived space.

It does not take a sparkling chandelier or grouping of geometrical pendants to put a spark in your space, though a show-stopping fixture always does the trick. Less conspicuous options include in-cabinet lighting, sconces highlighting a fireplace or architectural feature, directed spots illuminating special artwork, or mini pendants in an out-of-the way nook. The options are too many to name.

There are myriad ways to add a little spark to an otherwise overlooked or dark area making your home cheery and bright. If you can imagine it, chances are an ALA-member showroom has it or can find it for you. Thanks to the versatility of LEDs and the demand from sophisticated homeowners, today’s lighting designs are more beautiful and creative than ever.

Find your brightest light at a nearby ALA-member showroom or go online to ALALighting.com.

Progress Lighting

Ready for a light vocab refresh?

When visiting your local ALA-member showroom, make sure you and the lighting pros are talking the same language by familiarizing yourself with these basic terms:

Lamp (or Bulb) – a fixture’s light source

Watt – a unit of power for a lightbulb

Comparable watts: 60 incandescent = 45 halogen = 9 LED

Lumen – the amount of perceived light

the higher the lumens the brighter the light

Chromaticity – the color or tone of a light measured in Kelvins (K)

2,700-3,000K = warm light
4,000-5,000K = cool/blue-white light

Color rendering index (CRI) – a 0-100 measurement of how colors look

People and spaces look best with a CRI of 90or higher

Revelation by Uttermost

For more tips, pick up a copy of Lighting magazine while visiting an ALA-member showroom or go to ALALighting.com.

Livex Lighting

Find your best light at your nearby ALA-member lighting showroom where you can pick up a copy of Lighting by Traditional Home. The inspiration and tips throughout the magazine will help define and narrow your search for a comfortable and stress-free shopping experience.

Can't get to a showroom soon enough? View Lighting magazine digitally at Ideas.Lighting. For more ideas, go online to ALALighting.com.

American Lighting Association