Floor lamps with light footprints

There are a few basic rules to lighting: Make sure each room has three or more sources of light, place light at various heights and ensure that all tasks are well lit. These rules exist to make sure rooms have enough light to see in but also so that they cast enough of a warm glow that you want to be in them. Breaking these rules can ruin a whole room’s design, says Breeze Giannasio, a Malibu, Calif., designer. “People will worry about furniture, finishes, flooring, throw pillows — going to town on everything — but if the lighting isn’t right, you can’t see all of the work you’ve done,” she says.