Turn Your Home into a Summer Retreat

"During the summer season, it's important to make both the interior and exterior spaces feel inviting, as well as create the sense of a larger entertainment space," explains Randall Whitehead, a lighting designer in San Francisco and author of Residential Lighting, A Practical Guide (www.randallwhitehead.com). "Light layering, combining levels of lighting that have different decorative and functional qualities, helps this to occur."

Whitehead designed four layers of lighting for this elegant and understated dining room that is seamlessly integrated with the outdoor patio. "A dramatic over-scale crystal chandelier is the decorative lighting source and the centerpiece of the room," the designer explains. "It adds visual sparkle without overpowering the rest of the elements in the space."

Two uplights at the base of the columns that flank the French doors add ambient light, while candles help soften the shadows on people's faces and create a warm glow in the room. A pair of recessed fixtures acts as task lights to cross-illuminate the tabletop, allowing people to see what's on their plates. And low-voltage, outside accent lights create a living tapestry of greenery to invite people onto the deck.