A TIP - LIGHTS
CHAIRS EXTRA Tuck in a few extra seats. Be prepared for extra guests by sneaking a few extra seats into your arrangement. There’s no need to spend a lot on these pieces — look for little stacking stools and small ottomans at budget-friendly stores and scoop up one-off chairs at flea markets and yard sales. Here are a few ideas: ◦Place a pair of X-benches in front of the fireplace. ◦Tuck a pair of stools beneath a console table. ◦Place an occasional chair or a low bench against a blank wall. ◦Swap out your regular coffee table for a comfy ottoman that can double as a seat.
Another example: Highlight the silhouette of a cabinet with undercabinet and in-cabinet lighting. “I think that indirect lighting under and above the cabinets should be mandatory in modern lighting design,” Kilgore says. She suggests using tape lighting to achieve a subtle illuminated line of sight. “Xenon lighting is an affordable choice for indirect lighting and costs less than LED lighting,” she says.
2. Does My Lighting Have Layers? A perfectly lit room has three basic layers: overhead lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. This bedroom pulls all those together — the chandelier for overhead, bedside reading lamps as task lighting, and accent lights above the headboard and artwork. Eclectic Entry by Cornerstone Architects Cornerstone Architects Save Email Bright idea for layered lighting: Think of the functional and decorative purpose of each light source. For example, in this entryway the wall sconces are a decorative touch, table lamps function as task lighting and a chandelier provides overall light.
3. Do My Lights Dim? Good lighting should multitask and set the mood. A dimmer is an inexpensive ($20 to $25) and essential tool that puts you in control of the quality and quantity of light. You can install a dimming system either as a whole-house lighting control or by adding a wall box dimmer in each room and lamps with dimmer switches. “Think of lighting like a radio. You don’t want to have just one volume. Lighting should have the opportunity to be task lighting and ambient lighting. Dimmers give the light multitasking capabilities,” says Kilgore. The American Lighting Association (ALA) estimates that a dimmer switch saves $30 a year in utility costs. Before installing a dimmer, make sure you have dimmer bulbs.
Bright idea for dimmed lighting: To make the most of your lighting, install the highest-wattage lightbulb possible, then dim it down to accommodate the mood and lighting needs. Consider putting dimmers on both overhead lighting and lamp lighting. "As another bonus, dimming your lights 50 percent can save approximately 40 percent in electricity and increase the life of your bulb," says Kilgore.
Traditional Bedroom by Gordana Car Interior Design Studio Gordana Car Interior Design Studio Save Email 4. Do My Fixtures Reflect Current Styles? One of the quickest ways to update the look of a living space is to swap decorative lighting fixtures for more up-to-date styles. The ceiling fan as a light fixture is now a bit passé. Bright ideas for current lighting styles: Consider replacing your ceiling fans with eye-catching chandeliers. Keep the overhead light at 150 to 300 watts for optimum illumination.
DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers Miami, FL Save Email Bright idea for focused light: Pick focal points that you want to highlight, then direct a light source toward them. “Wall sconces are great accent lighting fixtures to highlight artwork and bring light to a space at eye level,” says Kilgore. Wall sconces typically cost $50 to $100. by Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery Save Email If you want the room to mimic daylight, the ALA recommends using a bulb rated 4,000 Kelvin or higher. (The Kelvin, or K, rating describes how visually warm or cool a light is.) The higher the K rating, the cooler or bluer the light appears. The Color Rendering Index (CRI) is the second important number. A higher CRI is optimum. For example, 100 CRI mimics natural light and is perfect for highlighting skin tones and clothing. CFLs and LEDs usually have ratings in the 80s and are usually less flattering light sources.
To warm up a room's color: Look for a bulb with a temperature close to 2,700 Kelvin. Halogens are a good choice, but all types of bulbs are available in warmer ratings. ◦To cool down a room's color: Look for a bulb with a temperature close to 4,000 Kelvin. Standard fluorescents will generally cool down a room, but check the numbers. ◦To most accurately replicate natural daylight: Midday sunlight is around 5,000 to 6,000 Kelvin, but keep in mind that this is very cool light — contrary to what you might expect.
Tips for choosing a lightbulb. You've probably noticed that there are a lot of options these days when it come to shopping for lightbulbs. Though most of us have a sense of what to expect from a 40-watt incandescent bulb, watts are no longer a good way to describe a bulb's light output, now that different technologies use different amounts of power to produce the same light. Compare lumens to see how bright a bulb is, and if you want to know how warm or cool the light produced will be, look for the kelvin rating. For the warm light traditionally produced by incandescent bulbs, look for close to 2,700 Kelvin. Most of the old fluorescent tubes you're familiar with are around 4,000 Kelvin. Fluorescents come in many varieties these days, from warm to cool, from traditional tubes to compact fluorescents (CFLs), all in many interesting shapes. Each will have its own effect on the colors in your house.
f you're concerned that the government has outlawed your favorite lightbulbs, plunging you into a confusing world of ugly-looking lightbulbs that give off weird light, have no fear. The only thing that has been outlawed is selling lightbulbs that heat your house more than light it. The old incandescent bulbs converted only 10 percent of the electricity used into light; the rest became heat. Ever hear of an Easy-Bake Oven? Incandescent light is still available but in a more efficient package. Look for a halogen bulb like the one lighting this chandelier. These bulbs look the same as traditional bulbs, but with the filament encased in gas, they are able to produce light like a 100-watt incandescent bulb with only 72 watts.
Use light to your advantage. The light source you choose affects how colors appear in a room, but so does the way you use the light. On this project, the gold leaf wall is washed with light from a bright LED strip. This combination gives off a warm glow. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the longest-lasting bulbs out there, and they cost the least to operate. They have a greater up-front cost, though. Don't be surprised to pay $20 for an LED. Though the lifetime savings are worth the investment, if you don't like the quality of the light, it's all for naught. Go to a lighting showroom where you can see different bulbs in action, or buy one and use it in the basement or garage if you don't like the color. If you like the yellowish light cast by a traditional incandescent, try the Philips Ambient LED. At 8 watts, it uses 80 percent less electricity than an incandescent 40-watt bulb.
Adjust bulb color with fixtures. If the color of light produced by a bulb isn't quite to your liking, you can tweak it by picking a fixture shade that changes the light, like this glass shade from Schoolhouse Electric. But know that an enclosed shade on a fixture that hangs upside down like this has limited bulb options. LED bulbs will not last as long if they're exposed to the heat buildup in an enclosed shade. CFLs don't like to hang upside down — they will work and still generally last longer than an incandescent, but you won't get the full predicted life out of them.
“cowbells for lamps inspires making chandelier out of repurposing bathroom glass lamps” “Hanging bells like chandeliers”
Who makes it?” “Ceiling tins repurposed to make a chandelier.” “The chandelier/lights...Homemade chandelier”
“The chandelier over the dining table is by Studio Steel. It is our Crystal Sierra Chandelier.”
This chandelier started out black with heavy chains looping around” “Love the way the chandelier pulls the colors of the” “Put your own beads on an existing chandelier”
. Get the light right. Using many low-watt lights creates a far more flattering light than using a few bright lights. Three light sources are the bare minimum for decent lighting; in all but the smallest spaces, you should aim for five to seven. Try a mix of table lamps, floor lamps and candles or twinkle lights. If you have an overhead fixture with a dimmer switch, keep it on low during a party; otherwise, don’t use the overhead.
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