Improving Contemporary Indoor Lighting in the Bathroom

To effectively light any room, there should be three or four types of lighting working together: accent lighting, task lighting, general lighting, and, sometimes, decorative lighting. The bathroom is not an exception to this, especially around vanity mirrors where task lighting is critical. Task lighting can assist in performing basic tasks like applying makeup, dressing a wound, shaving, or putting on manicure. Here are tips in working with contemporary indoor lighting in your bathroom. Tip #1: It is recommended to get a good task light installed either on both sides of the mirror like the Bell A0 Wall Lamp by Illuminating Experiences, or above the vanity mirror located near the sink. This will prove to be very critical in giving good bathroom task lighting. Tip #2: For light fixtures installed around your vanity mirror, install incandescent or halogen lights like the Nemo Italianaluce Norma 25 Halogen Wall Lamp by Illuminating Experiences. This will allow you to easily control the brightness of thee fixtures with a dimmer. Tip #3: Ensure that certain vanity lights that you install will give you more than enough light. One simple technique to make sure that you will always have enough light is to “over-light” the space and then just use dimmers to control the amount of light that you need and want at any given moment. Use a wall sconce like the Nemo Italianaluce Alkaid Incandescent Wall Sconce by Illuminating Experiences and get dimmers. Tip #4: If you can, use special neodymium light bulbs in your vanity area as they give excellent light that very closely simulates sunlight. A neodymium light bulb is an incandescent light bulb that has a slight bluish tint that is created by a thin coating of neodymium inside the glass envelope. This causes the light bulb to give less yellowish light like a standard incandescent light bulb and be more like the sun. Tip #5: Do not use recessed downlights to light your face at a mirror because the light coming from it will cause too many shadows on your face. Use them instead on other parts of the bathroom for general lighting but not for task lighting. Tip #6: Consider having a small lit concave mirror near your main vanity mirror. The concave curvature of the mirror magnifies what you see while the additional light improves the lighting for special tasks like applying makeup or shaving. Tip #7: An area of the bathroom that is usually overlooked in lighting is the tub, shower or Jacuzzi. Install one or two recessed downlights with special shower trims so you can illuminate each of these...

Modern Indoor Lighting: Today’s Best Table Lamps

Today’s decorating styles are all about big, dramatic and vibrant. The idea is to be unique, make a statement and grab attention. We are seeing lots of daring colors in furniture design and modern indoor lighting is not to be left out. Today, we are seeing a wide range of new lamp shades and base designs, offering exciting new looks that will add a whole new brightness to your home decorating. Here are our top 5 lamp styles for you to explore. Big and Bold Bases Lighting designers have gone big and bold with their lamp bases. The whole idea is to make lighting a sculptural and dramatic focal point for the room. Popular looks include designs with antique appearances and organic-shaped vases that mimic forms found in nature. To bring in an organic look, use big lamps with  big wooden bases  like the Bligh Table Lamp by Kenroy Home. Bright Colors Runway-inspired décor makes it’s presence felt in a selection of brightly colored modern lamps. Poppy lavender, intense cobalt, cool teal, and glittering color treatments are all making a big splash this year. There is also emerald green, the color of the year, which gives an intense and warm blast to spice up bedrooms and seating areas. Because this is an intense color, keep in mind that a little goes a long way. Clear Glass and Mirrors To balance out your big and bold room elements, designers are turning to glass and mirrored designs. Glass table lamps like the Boda Table Lamp by Kenroy Home give a pure and clear form that provides  sparkle without fighting with other shapes and colors in a room design. Mirrored lamps offer more punch, reflecting colors and textures throughout a room and hey are perfect  for small rooms. Metallic Table Lamps It is not just eye-catching glass and splashy colors that are turning heads. Bold metallic tones of gold and silver are also being used. Metal table lamps like the Bishop Table Lamp Chrome by Kenroy Home offer wonderful glitter and texture. They make an impact in the room, especially when they are set against more organic elements or soft paint walls, giving an extra layer of richness for a room. Custom DIY Looks With the boom in Etsy crafting and DIY home projects, there is also a big movement to customizing table lamps to create unique designs. Adding new ribbons or trims to a shade is one of the easiest ways to add a little personalization. Looking at a new finial would also be a good idea. You can find lots of unique and affordable finials, from abstract shapes to animals and...

Modern Contemporary Lighting: Top Chandelier Trends

Right on the heels of major home décor industry markets, we have identified the top trends in modern chandeliers. By looking at the most popular consumer picks alongside the latest colors and designs in the industry, you should have an idea on what modern contemporary lighting will look best on your space. Trend #1: Going Green For the modern home, saving electricity and money is best. This is why efficient lighting is very hot these days. Pendant chandeliers are particularly great with  LEDs. The simplicity of these lights has long been very popular, but when outfitted with LED like the Eos LED Pendant by Adesso, they are made more flexible and green. Multi-swag fixtures and clustered lights are now possible at a fraction of the energy cost of incandescent bulbs. Trend #2: Lay on the Color This year, color lighting is big and bold. Since emerald green was introduced as the color for 2013, big primary colors like blue and red are now showing up as lovely compliments. Chrome finishes and brushed steel are fixed in modern design, but we are also seeing designers taking big leaps when it comes to color. The most popular of which is red. Red glass chandeliers are hot this year, exemplifying such a bold use of color. Trend #3: Glam and Glitter Another new trend is the combination of traditional glam elements like glass and crystal with the simplicity of modern design, establishing eye-catching juxtapositions. A tasteful mix of styles is the ultimate conversation starter. When people might expect a simple ceiling light, a modern crystal chandelier like the Barclay Ceiling Fixture by Ren-Wil would be a great choice. Modern design can be very playful. Trend #4: Back in Black Just as women need a little black dress, the same goes with home lighting. In the last couple of months, home design  features in blogs have shown  a little black chandelier. Black chandeliers and pendants like the Walker 3-Arm Clip Chandelier by Lights Up! are seen in upscale stores and may very well represent a growth area in modern home décor for years to come. Just as in fashion, black is truly the ultimate color of versatility and elegance. Trend #5: Mid-Century Time It might not be an actual trend per se, but mid-century lighting continues to be the standard bearer for more than half a century and counting. Featuring clean and organic forms fashioned from simple materials, retro modern lights remain to be one of the best ways to bright the dining room or the living...

Modern Home Lighting Design Ideas for Your Space

With the amount of modern home lighting options available today, many homeowners might find it hard to get started installing fixtures in the rooms of their homes. What might be a great starting point is to break it down into sections, and consider the areas you looking to decorate when it comes to budget, size and usage. Here are some lighting options to help you get started. Balcony Just because you do not have a garden space, it does not mean that you cannot have a gorgeous outside area. If you live in a flat or small town house and you have a courtyard or a balcony, you can use lighting to make the area appear bigger, better and more inviting. You might have colors or styles in mind, but look for lighting that is  compact and price-effective. If you have the right space and walls, then an outside wall lighting like the Boulder Small Wall Lantern by Kenroy Home will help to spark up the area. Family Room In the household area, concentrate on what you like to use the space for, what time you will do these things, and the amount of people that spend time in it. This should come in handy if you want to purchase furniture or make any drastic changes. It is a sizable area so you might want to consider flush mount ceiling lights like the Meltemi 12 inch Fluorescent Wall or Ceiling Light – M10129 by Illuminating Experiences which should effectively light up a small space. Kids Play Area The children might want to play and revel in a space that meets their needs. Think about what kind of lighting you will need and when you will need it, especially if the area is being used all throughout the day. Usually, even when it is not used in the evening, it will still require some kind of lighting, so lamps with dimmer switches like the Sonar LED Desk Lamp by Adesso should come in handy. It would be best to hire an electrician to fit all the lights so no harmful loose wires can be found. Whether you select simple lighting, out side wall lighting or lamps, your rooms are yours to create an ideal setting. Many people are drawn to modern lighting ranges, while some go with more traditional options. In either case, pick something that you like, something that will make you happy in your...

Modern Home Lighting: Chandelier Dos and Dont’s

Chandeliers are a great addition to practically any room in your home, but determining the best size and height can be tricky. Check some these important dos and don’ts when decorating with this gorgeous piece of modern home lighting, DO ensure that the chandelier is the right size. A good rule of thumb is to add the dimensions of your room together in feet and convert it to inches. The resulting number should equal the diameter of the fixture. For instance, if your room measures 10 feet by 15 feet, the diameter of the fixture should be about 25 inches. DON’T necessarily follow the above rule in dining rooms and take into consideration the size of the table. The diameter of a dining room fixture should be about one-half to two-thirds the width of the table, or about a foot less than the width at its widest point. DO go bigger than smaller in dining rooms. If the lighting fixture appears too big like the Welles 12 Light Chandelier by Kenroy Home, hang it a little closer to the ceiling so it does not feel too overwhelming. DON’T let the chandelier get closer than four feet from any wall or piece of furniture like a sideboard or cabinet. This might not be always achieved in small spaces but this is a good rule to keep in mind. DO hand chandeliers low enough so they are able to light up the desired area, but not too low that anyone will hit their head. DO hand a dining room chandelier between 30 inches and 36 inches from the tabletop. DON’T hang chandeliers that are too ornate close to the table. Because heavy-looking fixtures tend to take up a lot of space, it would be okay to break the rules and hang them a few inches higher than the normal standard. DON’T limit yourself to a single chandelier in a very big room. Instead, go with two slightly smaller fixtures like the Kane 6 Light Chandelier by Uttermost. DO hand entryway chandeliers about 7 feet from the floor in a single story foyer. Any lower than this and tall people might hit their head. DON’T hang a chandelier so that it hands below the second floor of a two-story entryway. DO use chandeliers in various rooms of your home. They should look great in bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and even home offices. DON’T be afraid to experiment with styles. At times, a modern chandelier like the Pemberton Ceiling Fixture by Ren-Wil can look great in a room teeming with antiques, and a vintage piece can jive well in a contemporary...