After considering the requirements and decorative schemes of the various rooms the householder should be competent to judge the appropriateness of the lighting effects obtained from fixtures which the dealer displays, but he should insist upon a demonstration.  If the dealer is not equipped with a room for this purpose, he should be asked to demonstrate in the rooms to be lighted.  If the fixture-dealer does not realize that he should be selling lighting effects, the householder should make him understand that lighting effects are of primary importance and the fixtures themselves are of secondary interest in most cases.  The unused outlets that have been installed for possible future needs may be sealed in plastering if the positions are marked so that they may be found when desired.

An advantage of portable lamps is that they may be taken away on moving.  In fact, when lighting is eventually considered a powerful decorative medium, as it should be, it is probable that fixtures will be personal property attached to ceiling, wall, and floor outlets by means of plugs.

A variety of incandescent lamps are available.  For the home, opal, frosted, or bowl-frosted lamps are usually more satisfactory than clear lamps.  Bare filaments should not be visible, for they not only cause discomfort and eye-strain but they spoil what might otherwise be an artistic effect.  Lamps with diffusing bulbs do much toward eliminating harsh shadows cast by the edges of the shades, by the chains of the fixtures, etc.  These lamps are available in many shapes and sizes and the householder should make a record of voltage, wattage, and shape of the lamps which he finds satisfactory in the various fixtures.  The Mazda daylight lamp has several places in the home and the Mazda white-glass and other high-efficiency lamps supply many needs better than the vacuum lamps.  In brackets and other purely decorative lighting-units small frosted lamps are usually the most satisfactory.  There is a general desire for the warm yellowish light of the candle-flame, and this may be obtained by a tinted shade but usually more satisfactorily by means of a tinted lamp.

The householder will find it interesting to become intimate with lighting, for it can serve him well.  The housewife will often find much interest in making shades of textiles and of parchment.  Charming glassware in appropriate tints and painted designs is available for all rooms.  In the bedchamber and the nursery some of these painted designs are exceedingly effective.  Fixtures should shield the lamps from the eyes, and the diffusing media whether glass or textile should be dense enough to prevent glare.  No fixture can be beautiful and no lighting effect can be artistic if glare is present.  If the architect and the householder will realize that light is a medium comparable with the decorator’s media, better lighting will result.  Light has the great advantage of being mobile and with adequate