No_2_April_and_May__1939 — Page 14

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Hong Kong Builder

(Left) A further example of good general and local lighting. The kitchen is the workshop of the home and it is impossible to use it efficiently under poor lighting conditions. The recom- mended illumination at the sink is 8 foot-candles.

(Below) Five different designs of fittings for use in the kitchen. They are designed for totally excluding dust and moisture and are perfect for use in steamy atmospheres. The gallery or firing is usually chromium plated but can be obtained in a cellulose finish of any colour. That part of the fitting actually surround- ing the lamp is of opal glass, preferably white, though this can again be supplied tinted if necessary.

In considering the lighting of a kitchen it is always as well to bear in mind that light coloured walls absorb less light than dark ones, white being best of all because it absorbs the least light. Not less than a 100-watt lamp is recommended for use even in the smallest kitchen.

For greater convenience it is advisable in a kitchen of any size to have a separate lighting fitting over the sink, draining board, and the cooker. For these purposes a small, white-enamelled bracket of the overhanging type should be installed on the wall with a 40-watt lamp in a six-inch of eight-inch enclosing glass globe. It is advis- able to incorporate an insulated switch on the bracket itself or placed immediately adjacent to it, so that the light can, for economical reasons, be turned off as soon as it is finished with.

Many people rely on the spill of light from the kitchen or scullery to illuminate the larder. It is nearly always preferable to have a separate light here as it ensure cleanliness and easier working conditions. There are two methods of switching, one by an ordinary switch placed by the door or, secondly, an automatic switch working with the opening and shutting of the door. For such equipment as water heaters, cookers, washing ma- chines, etc. it is advisable to have a small pilot light which glows red when the apparatus is turned on.

THE BEDROOM

Many people suffer the most serious inconvenience through endeavouring to read in bed, or dress in a room which has for its entire illumination a clear gasfilled lamp, three parts covered by a small silk or glass shade suspended on a piece of flex in the centre of the room or over the dressing table. This is quite wrong. Lighting should be provided at the bed, at the dressing table, at the long mirror, and apart from this there should be general illumination.

General Illumination

In the home where the saving of labour is an import- ant consideration, general lighting in the bedroom can be most suitably achieved with fittings of the enclosed type, because dust cannot easily collect on the inside and there- fore they do not require such frequent cleaning as open inverted fittings. On the other hand, fittings of the

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