Installing Outdoor Home Lighting Fixtures: Where to Begin?

Good lighting makes a walkway easy to navigate after dark, gives security and safety, and creates a welcoming ambience for you and your guests. You just have to exercise flexibility on choosing and installing outdoor home lighting fixtures. Bright, standard-voltage lights, like a post light or under-eave porch light, add strong illumination to repel intruders or allow you to walk without tripping when carrying your groceries from the car. Still, they might end up too glaring for entertaining. Low-voltage lights are mellower, and yet are still bright enough for most evening activities. For many patios, a mixture of the two types of lighting is ideal. If you already have strong standard-voltage lighting, then consider installing dimmer switches so you can soften the light when the event calls for it. Types of Lights Path lights like the San Juan 60″ Floor Lamp with 2″ with Chili Linen Sunbrella Shade Fabric by Patio Living Concepts usually come with shades that produce a wide and downward spread of light. Lantern-type lights like the Moonlite 64″ Floor Lamp with 3″ with White/Bronze Globe by Patio Living Concepts will both illuminate your paths and provide  general lighting. Floodlights or spotlights can be swiveled to point at a feature, or to any area in the yard. Brick lights are shaped to resemble a patio paver and are installed right in the soil where they point diffused light upward. Rope lights are strings of tiny and evenly spaced bulbs that can be hung from a tree like Christmas lights. Deck lights like the Plateau Large Wall Lantern by Kenroy Home can be fastened to a vertical structure like an overhead roof or a trellis. Economic Option If you are looking for an inexpensive option for patio lighting, then a kit that contains 10 or more lights, a programmable transformer, and all the connectors and cables that you need would be your best pick. If you want to install various lights, or if you do not like the lights that come with the kit, you will have to purchase the new components separately. When choosing a transformer, make sure that you carefully check out its specs first. You can also consult a salesperson to be sure that it is strong enough to supply power to all the lights that you will install in your outdoor...

Today’s Most Popular Contemporary Accent Furniture Solutions

Contemporary accent furniture commands a special place in the home and deemed an essential element by many home enthusiasts. The category runs the scale from the perfect performance piece that solves a problem to one that you just fell in love at first sight and knew that you just have to have it. Accent furniture is favored because of its versatility. Think about how an end table can double as a nightstand; a storage ottoman that conceals bedding textiles,  or an upholstered bench that can move from the bedroom to the family room added seating. Upholstered benches are especially very popular right now. Many homeowners are looking for them, along with high back settees for entryways. Inviting and cozy, these pieces can be treated with bright colors, fun patterns and a soft finish. Settees invite guests to congregate, letting them feel that they are welcome. Below are other popular accent furniture solutions that are winning the favor of many homeowners and interior designers. Console Tables Because they stand higher than their matching mates (the cocktail table and the end table), console tables can be used in more places throughout your home. For starters, put one behind the sofa in an open-plan family room or great room. A console table can also be a TV stand in the master bedroom which should perfectly clear the height of the footboard. You can also get a statement console like the Gita Console Table by EuroStyle which should be great on your entryway or foyer. Laptop Desks Today’s popularity of tablets and laptops has turned the writing table into the new furniture standard for professionals working at home. Minus the boxy equipment and excessive cords, many wireless workers do not want large-scale furniture that will restrict them to one area in a room. Rather, they now opt for airy and open writing desks like the Z Deluxe Desk – Small by EuroStyle that allow one to set up shop in the great room, living room, or family room. Ornate Pieces By choosing an upholstered chair, instead of the conventional sectional or sofa, a homeowner opt to go more daring with color and pattern. This also goes the same with accent furniture, as it allows for a more creative expression. Unique markings, surprising scale, unexpected color, detailed carvings, and elaborate finishes can me an ornate conversation piece exactly what is it — the talk of the space. Extra Storage Any accent furniture piece that gives added storage is prized above the others. Even an extra shelf on an end table can already make a huge difference in the living room, where homeowners may want to display their book collection, glass vessels or decorative boxes. The Zen Collection Bonded Leather Lift Top Tufted Storage Trunk by Diamond Sofa can store magazines, albums, remote controls, extra pillows and even toys. Take note that, when choosing occasional...

4 Creative Outdoor Home Lighting Ideas for Your Home

With today’s lifestyles where we spend the entire day at the office, we tend to relax and entertain ourselves come nightfall. And because going for a nice dinner with charming lights and music can help you unwind, why not spend such precious moments in your own yard when you need it? Keep this sanctuary out of the dark with any one of these illuminating outdoor home lighting ideas. Candles and Torches Whether you favor dramatic torches or ethereal lanterns, candlelight emits a warm and gorgeous glow at the strike of a match. You can find candles practically anywhere but always keep safety in mind. When hanging candles, keep them in deep containers so its wicks are a few inches lower than the rims. This should prevent flames and sparks from blowing out. Torches are not really a great idea to use in the presence of kids and pets. Reserve them for adults-only gatherings. Battery-Powered Lights With these kinds of lighting fixtures, you will get the ambience of candles without having to worry about gusts of wind and dripping wax. Many lights come with nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cadmium (NiCD), lithium and alkaline batteries which you can recharge hundreds of times. How the LED Lighting Ball by Infinita, for instance, would make for great lighting in your pool or pond. Make sure that you bring such lights inside afterwards, as batteries can leak and short if they get wet. Electric Lights Use an outdoor lamp like the Canyon 34.5 ” Outdoor Table Lamp with Nutmeg Sunbrella Shade by Patio Living Concepts to brighten up a buffet. You can also swap twinkling strands around a column. These options should be able to withstand rain and heat. When stringing up lights, use plastic hooks as metal staples and nails can puncture the wires. To hide cords, duct tape them to the ground and cover with an outdoor rug. You can also tuck them under bushy garden plants. Electric string lights can stay outside for up to 3 months. For winter, store them indoors and check for frayed wires before you bring them out next season. Solar Lights These eco-friendly models have solar panels that gather energy during the day and automatically turn the fixtures on as darkness fails. Solar lights have either nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel cadmium (NiCD) batteries and can be left outside all year long. Keep in mind that solar lights last for about 4 hours at a time, so it is possible that they will start to fade before your guests do. They come in a variety of options, from path lights to hanging lanterns like the Solar Stake Light – Espresso Finish by Outdoor Greatroom...

Helpful Tips and Advice on Contemporary Kitchen Lighting

The kitchen might mainly be a work area, but it is also a gathering place for friends and family. This is why contemporary kitchen lighting that is comfortable and functional is needed. Under cabinet or under shelf fixtures offer both accent and task lighting. Under kitchen cabinet lights  are designed to light a countertop while a display cabinet will show off prized possessions. They are also used in a workshop or anywhere you need lighting right at hand. They include slim low voltage mini lights, small track lighting and energy-efficient fluorescents. Pendants can give both general and task lighting, and can be halogen, xenon, incandescent, or standard with globes or shades to avoid glare. They are suspended from the ceiling over kitchen counters, game tables, dinette tables, or other work areas. The use of a dimmer gives you the flexibility to vary the light to suit the occasion. Using mini pendants have become popular recently both as a good light perspective and as a piece that brings together the rest of the room. A big ceiling fixture like the Elba 12 Light Chandelier by Uttermost, equipped with energy-efficient bulbs will give plenty of well-diffused general lighting, but it can leave your working in your own shadow at the countertops, range and sink. These areas will require supplemental task lighting. For instance, recessed lighting or track lights over the sink will give you the illumination that you need for scouring pans and washing dishes. Recessed lighting that is properly installed in a kitchen can give fantastic task lighting. When combined with other task lighting, it can be both functional and beautiful. Dinettes, island counters and nooks — These areas can be lighted with decorative pendants like the Arpeggio 5 Light Pendant by Kenroy Home. When used with dimmers, these fixtures will give ample task lighting for crafts or homework, and allow you to adjust the lighting for entertainment and dining. Sink and range — A single recessed downlight with the right bulb will give you enough task lighting when it is installed in the ceiling or in soffits over these two very busy work areas. Countertops — Undercabinet lighting is ideal for countertops. They have to be mounted as close to the front of the cabinets as possible to prevent any glare reflecting off work surfaces, like fluorescent, halogen or xenon. The size of the fixture will depend on the light source that you pick. Kitchen cabinets — Your cabinets can be accentuated by placing lighting on the tops, under, and inside. One way is to use a wall sconce like the Zip Linear Wall Sconce by De Majo by Illuminating Experience. With the wide range of lighting fixtures available, you can use anything that you like depending on where you want it installed....

Top Contemporary Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Home

Contemporary outdoor lighting is an effective element to design and  accentuate the different elements of a home or landscape design, helping evoke specific moods with the use of different intensities and colors. There are so many ways to use outdoor lights to beautify the look of your home, so be creative and use it to enhance the natural elements of the architecture and landscape of your home. Here are some ideas to get your started. Go for a Natural Look When designing an outdoor lighting scheme, consider a natural aesthetic to complement the outdoor elements. To get such effect, soft lighting would be a nice touch as it resembles starlight or moonlight. Make sure that it highlights the landscape, and not be a focus on its own. Put a light behind or below a bush or tree to create a silhouette effect bringing attention to your landscape. Unless they are decorative like the Vesta 72″ Citronella Flame Planter Lantern by Patio Living Concepts, hide them from view: conceal conduit, cords and wires under dirt or behind shrubs, branches and other foliage. Focus on Architectural Features Many homeowners opt to use outdoor lights to highlight certain architectural features of their landscape or home. A spotlight brightens the side of a house while a focused beam can graze a textured wall, fence or gazebo. Up-lighting a façade, archway or arbor creates a dramatic effect. If you have a pond or pool, submersible or floating lights like the LED Lighting Ball by Infinita will illuminate water for a soft and romantic look. You can treat your gardens with backlit lights if you want specific elements to be accentuated. If you love entertaining outdoors, low-voltage lights placed beneath benches and chairs will allow your guests to see after dark. Use larger lights to illuminate areas for outdoor activities like a basketball court, so it can be enjoyed during the evening as well. Try Colored Lighting To create a more festive look, colored outdoor lighting can be used to accent your landscape elements. Most outdoor lights might be pure white, but you can use tinted lights to create a variety of effects. Warm colors like yellow or red can give your landscape a soft look, while green lighting will help make shrubs, grass, trees and other foliage look healthier and greener. Be careful when choosing colored light, however, as they can create a garish and carnival-like look when they are too bright. It would be best that you go with one that will allow you to change the color as you please like the 59″ Portable Color Changing LED Floor Lamp by Patio Living...