During the day, the dining room falls into deep shadow.

Lighting design is still a relatively new field. A basic lighting course or book alone can't begin to cover every aspect of this emerging discipline, so it's important to use all the resources available to you to broaden your learning.

On many projects, it's helpful to seek the services of a professional lighting consultant. While more scarce in mid-America, there are plenty in most larger cities. With new construction projects, they can easily work from the architect's drawings.

Try to find a lighting professional who you feel is knowledgeable and reliable. Ask for their professional associations and references. Establishing a good working rapport is essential. You should feel comfortable asking questions throughout the design process.

At night the room comes to life, taking on another personality.

If you decide to undertake the design work on your own, make a visit to your local lighting showrooms. Make use of their lighting labs (interactive displays). Many showrooms now have some type of lab available, along with working displays of dimming options.

Also, check with your local building departments to verify local and state code requirements concerning lighting installations. It's far better to ask questions beforehand than to have to rip out a ceiling because a non-approved recessed fixture has been specified.

Take advantage of the information available for this exciting and sometimes daunting field. New products are constantly being developed, and keeping up with new product information is increasingly important.