Ironically I have two 6 ft fluorescent tubes hanging over a large fish tank. One is 8500 kelvin and the other is 4500 kelvin, the two are shielded because of the glare. The ambient light bouncing off the tank is enough to light up a large open plan lounge. All other lighting is pretty much redundant. We do have fluorescent tubing accent lighting throughout the house and I now fully understand the usefulness of pelmets. I too are irritated by CF bulbs and refuse to install them in my office, the refresh rate of my monitor and the refresh rate of the bulbs constantly clash, creating havoc on the brain and eyes.