While natural light is nice to behold, Ron Dumais, store manager of Lighting Concepts in Lewiston, wants to bring a little bit more light to the world.

“With 3,000 lights to choose from in our store and 90,000 to see on our website, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to find whatever kind of light you are looking for,” said Dumais. “And if we have a picture of something that you found in a magazine, chances are good that we can find the supplier that produces it.”

According to the American Lighting Association, (www.americanlightingassoc.com )

there are three basic types of lighting to consider in any project.

One is general lighting that provides an area with overall illumination that replaces sunlight. The second is task lighting that provides illumination in a particular area to do tasks such as reading, sewing, cooking, homework, playing games or other activities. The third is accent lighting that spotlights an item of importance such as a painting, plant, collectible, or prized possession. The trick, according to this trade association, is to define the type of lighting that you will need in a home lighting project.

Dumais suggests that shoppers do basic planning before proceeding with a lighting makeover.

“We always start with the question, ‘What are looking for?’” explained Dumais, who works with customers in the store, at their homes, or through online communication. “It is good to know the size of the room that you are lighting including the square footage, the height of the ceiling and the color scheme.”

Some customers take current photos of rooms in their house to give Dumais an idea of what they want changed. Other customers even make reference to things they saw on a television show in hopes of finding exactly the right lighting fixture.

“Any information helps,” said Dumais, though he still meets customers who have no idea what they want and who go to a lighting store to see what is available.

One such recent customer was this writer’s wife, Denise Marois, who wanted to replace an aging fixture over the kitchen table.

“I was looking for something with a contemporary look that could give plenty of light over the kitchen table area,” said Marois. “I didn’t want just one light hanging down over the table.”

Marois decided on adjustable track lighting with individual lamps fitting into tracks secured to the ceiling. “I chose track lighting because I could place the track anywhere over the table and point the individual lights to the areas that needed the light.”

Being a theater lover, Marois is thrilled that the individual lights resemble mini-spotlights. “There are two sets of light shades that can be changed to give the track lighting a bolder or more subtle light in the room. If I ever get tired of the lighting pattern, I can always change the positions of the individual lamps.”

While consumer preferences change from year to year, Dumais noted that customers currently are choosing bronze and polished nickel lamps. There’s also a trend toward energy saving bulbs in the popularity of the curly shaped fluorescents that have flooded the market.

And when asked to cite what the next emerging technology in lighting might be, Dumais responded with three letters – LED.

“It will change the industry,” said Dumais, referring to light emitting diodes, now used on such things as computer screens, but rapidly making the transition to home lighting. “It is starting to be available, though it is expensive right now.”

The energy savings is significant where a .7 watt LED can produce the equivalent of 18 watts of light from other light sources.

In the next ten years, Dumais believes that LED lighting may become the standard in the industry.