Essential Layers for Bathroom Lighting

Lighting in any room is essential, but the need for bathroom lighting is sometimes greater than in any other part of the house, because not only do we need good lighting for doing things like taking out contacts, applying make up, and such, but we also want to have lighting that is flattering and lends a nice atmosphere and ambience to the bathroom – especially for those that have special features like garden bath areas, jacuzzis, saunas, exercise areas, or dressing rooms.

One way to accomplish several lighting tasks at once with bathroom lighting is to rely upon dimmer switches that allow you to adjust the light from dim to strong with the turn of a dial or the movement of a switch. This way, you can illuminate the room when necessary, for example when using it as a dressing room or when cleaning it, and can switch the mood to low light, for times when you are taking a quiet soak in the bath, using the jacuzzi tub, or when you want to open it up to guests during a party in your home.

No matter what kind of lighting you have in other rooms, and what kind of fixtures you choose for your bathroom lighting, it is most likely that the lighting in your bathroom will be best accomplished by using more than one kind of lighting. For instance, you may have a strong overhead light, but you may want to augment it with a table lamp or floor lamp, for other times when the overhead lighting is too much. Or you may have one light for generally illumination of the room, and may want to have a special make up lighting mirror at the vanity area.

There are many different kinds of bathroom lighting and it is a convenient and a good idea when planning to purchase fixtures for your bath to first look at Lighting4sale.com online, to give yourself access to the many different styles and design ideas that are now available to you. And keep in mind that the designs and styles are constantly being changed and updated with new ideas and new technology, so it is a good idea to refresh your mental inventory of lighting options, from time to time.

Mini Pendant Lighting

One of the best instant upgrades to the hub of your home, the kitchen, is to replace your antiquated island, breakfast nook or counter lights with sparkling new mini-pendants.


Pendant lights gently hang from the ceiling getting their name from the jewelry accessory of the same name. Mini-pendant lighting has a distinctive appeal and is considered perfect for places like kitchen islands, desks, breakfast nooks and the like.

I advise mounting mini-pendant lighting fixtures at 18" to 24" above the surface area to be lighted. Today’s mini-pendants are hung with coax cable, solid rods (6 and 12 inch) or decorative metal designs with stylish chains. This allows you to achieve the perfect height for your application no matter how high or low your ceiling may be.

The light source of preference is halogen. Many of our customers enjoy the option of using a color corrected MR16 for focused lighting or a simple halogen bi-pin lamp that brilliantly illuminates the shade. Most of our mini-pendants allow the user to swap out these two halogen lamp sources for effective lighting.

Whether your tastes are fine European hand blown glass, dazzling arts and crafts, ultra modern lines or timeless Americana, mini pendants will brighten your kitchen and bring to your home the WOW factor.

Ceiling Fans and Light Kits

Ceiling fans with lights are a good way to add light to your home while saving money on your energy bills. Most individuals are aware that ceiling fans can help them save money in the summer (up to 40 percent off cooling costs), but many are unaware of the savings ceiling fans can offer during the winter (up to 10 percent off heating costs). Perhaps most surprisingly, ceiling fans typically use as little energy as a 100-watt light bulb. Convenience is also a benefit, as today's ceiling fans often have remotes that provide speed and dimming options.

Ceiling fans are appropriate for use in many rooms of your home, including the kitchen, dining room, patio, and bathroom. They come in a wide selection of styles and can be coordinated to complement any type of home decor. Common styles include polished brass, antique brass, iron, nickel, chrome, black, and real wood veneers. There is much variation in color as well, with ceiling fans available in colors ranging from earth tones to vibrant solids. Ceiling fan lights offer a wide range of choices also, from classic and contemporary to futuristic and retro, with marble, crystal, or opal often added to the fixture shade as decorative enhancements.

By far, the most important part of a ceiling fan is its motor. The motor works to both drive the movement of the blades as well as to provide for quiet operation. Lower-quality home center ceiling fans with less-powerful motors may be less expensive, but have the disadvantages of noisier operation, higher operating temperatures, and dramatically lower air circulation. Additionally, they tend to warp, lose balance, and even break down over time. For optimal performance, efficiency, and longevity, a motor with heavy-duty windings and perpetually lubricated sealed bearings is of maximum importance.

Fan blades have a great effect on air circulation. For ideal circulation, it is important that fan blade brackets be fixed to keep the blade at a 12-15 degree angle. For durability, select a fan with a high-quality blade finish to protect against tarnishing, fading, and blistering. Since ceiling fans and light fixtures become a part of your home, adding both beauty and value, it is wise to purchase the best fixtures available. For high-quality lighting in all the latest styles, visit Lighting4sale, an ALA-member lighting showroom.

Highlight Your Home

When you decide to sell your home, there's usually a lot of "sprucing up" to be done. Lighting in every room of the home - and on the exterior can help buyers see the property in the best light, or not. Here's a quick checklist to make sure you're giving lighting its proper due:

1 At minimum, check to make sure all light bulbs work - and are clean. Replace blown out bulbs. Any switch that is turned "on" should generate light.

2 To show your home at its best, turn on floor lamps or accent lamps throughout -rather than flooding rooms with overhead lighting.

3 If you have a favorite chandelier or other light fixture, replace it with one you wouldn't mind giving up - since you will sell your home with fixtures in place.

4 Check your exterior lighting. Again, all lamps should - at least - work. You can sometimes "dress up" an exterior by replacing run-of-the-mill light bulbs with decorative ones.

5 Break out the watts. Maximize the wattage in your light fixtures. Brightness sells.

6 Consider upgrading your light fixtures, inside and out. One night before putting your home on the market, drive past your home and see how well your existing lighting conveys warmth. You're aim should be a warm glow, much like that popularized by the American artist Thomas Kinkade.

Remember: your home's appeal will be elevated if it's well illuminated.

Landscape Lighting

If you want to bring out the very best in your garden this summer consider your outdoor lighting. While it’s important that exterior areas such as those areas directly outside the home in both front and backyard have fixtures to provide lighting for visibility and security (homeowners can choose from a wide range of exterior fixtures such as wall mounts, post lights); it is also a great idea to incorporate lighting into the garden. If you are thinking about doing so, remember that there are a number of options to consider.

Basically, there are a couple of ways to add lighting to your garden: line voltage and low voltage. Both can be installed quickly and safely, without risk of electric shock. These lighting types are also low energy consumers. As far as lighting options go, with a low voltage system you can accent or create visibility lights to decks, pathways, stairs, and garden beds. You can do the same with solar fixtures; however, there may be less choice, style and intensity.

Keep in mind that you’re not lighting up a ball park at night and that excessive lighting can disturb your neighbor. Design your garden with lighting in a careful manner. Use fixtures to provide safety and visibility along paths and in areas of circulation and add other lights to gently highlight a small area, focal point, beautiful tree or shrub.

Imagine enjoying views of the garden at night during any season. When warmer weather arrives, a carefully lit garden can be as inviting for evening pleasures as any spot within your home. Fixtures such as pathway lights and lanterns can mark a strolling path and along the way, a beautiful tree is lit from below, casting interesting shadowing. There is so much that can be done to enhance and highlight the garden at night. Take a look at the selection of fixtures available and determine which form of lighting (solar, low voltage) you prefer.

Types of Lighting

There are four general layers of lighting that can and should be used to achieve the best lighting design. They are:
Ambient lighting
Task lighting
Accent lighting
Decorative lighting.

Ambient Lighting provides an area with overall illumination at a comfortable level of brightness, enabling one to see and walk about safely. Ambient lighting can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed, track lights, and lanterns outside your home. A basic form of lighting that replaces sunlight, general lighting is fundamental to a lighting plan.

Task Lighting helps you perform specific tasks such as reading, sewing, cooking, homework, hobbies, games, or balancing your checkbook. Task lighting can be provided by recessed lighting, track lighting, pendant lighting, and portable lamps. Task lighting should be free of distracting glare and shadows and should be bright enough to prevent eyestrain.

Bedroom Lighting Checklist

To make sure you have proper lighting in your bedroom or master suite, I suggest asking the following questions. (Tip: You want to be able to answer "yes" to all!)

1. Can I see well enough to get dressed?
2. Is there a light in the closet?
3. Are there individual reading lights on each side of the bed?
4. Is there an overhead light source?
5. Do I have enough light to determine the colors of clothing in my drawers?
6. Do I have a light source near the door?
7. Have I installed outlets in convenient locations while building/renovating the bedroom?
8. Can I fill dark corners with portable lighting sources?
9. Do I have a dimmer installed on the overhead light source?
10. Are there lights at the dressing table to help with makeup?

Mini-Pendant Installation Options

Hanging Island Pendants with Only One Junction Box?

Over the years I’ve often been asked what to do when considering replacing or adding lighting over a kitchen island or bar.

My answer: three to four individual mini-pendants. That’s great if you are willing to have an Electrician install the junction boxes or if you’re lucky you already have them in place.

But some applications with special ceilings have the homeowners standing firm as cutting up their ceilings and installing more electrical boxes is not an option they are willing to explore.

My first question is: what is the kitchen island used for? I get a lot of different answers but most people are eating, reading or preparing food. Knowing this information helps with how many pendants and what type of light bulb, directional or non directional, is best suited for their use.

So getting back to the challenge of lighting a kitchen island with only one power source, here are my top 3 picks:

(A)Three low voltage pendants hung on a 12” decorative circular canopy.

(B) Three low voltage pendants hung on a 24” decorative rectangular bar canopy.

(C) A mono rail system with pendants and maybe a few directional heads for good measure. Low voltage systems offer more contemporary styles of glass pendants but 120 volt systems are the easiest and least expensive to install.

Low-voltage vs. line voltage: What's the difference?

I often get asked why one would choose low voltage over line voltage or vice versa.
Today, I’m posting a very informative article from our brilliant friends at Residential Lighting Magazine.

Residential Lighting: What is the difference between line voltage and low voltage?

Meeker: Line voltage means that it’s running on the line voltage of the home without a transformer, which is 120 volts. It’s table lamps, and most ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, are line voltage. Low voltage means there’s a transmitter, and [the electricity is] being transformed so the 120 volts is being brought down to 12 volts. Some chandeliers are low voltage. A lot of recessed cans are low voltage. Task lighting, desk lights are low voltage sometimes.

Residential Lighting: What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Meeker: Typically the advantage of line voltage is that it’s going to be a less expensive fixture because you don’t have a transformer. It tends to be sort of more traditional lighting style fixtures.

Low voltage, on the other hand… uses smaller lightbulbs, so you can have more compact fixtures. There’s a type of lamp called an MR16, which is used in recessed cans, and the great thing about MR16s is they make incredible variety of beam spreads. So if you want to have a really super narrow spot or if you wanted to have a big, wide flood, they’ve got that and everything in between. So, the advantage of low voltage is that it’s got a lot more interesting lamps to use than with line voltage.

With line voltage, [if you want] recessed cans, usually you have either a flood or a spot; there’s a choice between the two, and that’s about it. Whereas with the low voltage, there might be 20 different beam variations in any given wattage. And the other advantage for recessed cans is that there are different types of lenses that can be put in front of low voltage — some line voltage lamps have that but more usually in the low voltage field — so you can change the way the light is. So not only do you have all these beam spreads, but you also have these effects you can create: You can soften the beam, you can stretch it out, you can do all sorts of things with it. So it’s great for lighting artwork, for creating mood and accent, that sort of thing.

Residential Lighting: Is there one that’s becoming more popular these days?

Meeker: Well… the lighting industry is kind of thrown up in the air right now. And that’s because there’s a lot of legislation going through right now to eliminate tungsten light bulbs, which is a line-voltage light bulb. Australia, right now, I don’t know if they’ve done it yet, but they’re going to eliminate the standard old light bulb because it’s not very energy efficient. It creates a lot of heat for the amount of light it produces. So for energy reasons they’re getting rid of it. MR16s, halogens, was kind of the ruling light source, and what’s going on now is LEDs are now sort of usurping its position… The LEDs are very expensive, and they haven’t completely filled out all the different categories that are being done by the low-voltage light bulbs right now. I think it’s just a matter of time before that occurs. LEDs are a light-emitting diode. It’s a type of lamp that they used initially on electronic equipment and they started using it for signal lights, like when you have a controlled intersection, when you have an automobile traffic. The advantage of them is their life is astounding… [A] line-voltage standard light bulb has about a 700- to 1,000-hour life. The low-voltage light bulb has between a 2,000- and 3,000-hour life. The LED [has about a] 10,000- to 100,000-hour life. They also use very little electricity. The disadvantage, though, is that right now [LEDs are] really expensive, but if they go into higher production, the price will come down. They are low voltage. You have to have a special [device] — it’s called a driver, which is a kind of transformer that powers them.

Residential Lighting: What are some other disadvantages to low-voltage light fixtures?

Meeker: One of the disadvantages of the low-voltage light bulb [is] that you need to have a transformer somewhere. And sometimes transformers buzz and hum. You don’t normally get a buzz or hum from a line-voltage light bulb.

Residential Lighting: Is there anything that retailers can suggest to consumers to buy to reduce that sound?

Meeker: Well, buy good quality fixtures, number one. Number two, when you are installing low-voltage light fixtures, you have to have a low-voltage dimmer to go with it. That sometimes helps reduce the noise. And then proper installation also helps. If you follow those three guidelines — good equipment to start with, the proper dimmer and then also the right installation — you should have a problem. But, you know, it does come up every once in a while, so it’s a matter of sort of fiddling around with some of the components to see if you can get it to quiet down.

Residential Lighting: In terms of energy usage, which is better?

Meeker: [Low-voltage is not a whole lot more energy efficient than line-voltage]. It turns out that tungsten, as we said, is not very energy efficient; it generates a lot of heat. Next up on the ladder of electricity usage is halogen… [which] is more efficient with its wattage, so it produces more light per watt, about one-and-a-half times the amount. The next up on the ladder would be fluorescent. And fluorescent in a sense is low-voltage because it has a ballast with it. It’s more energy efficient. One of the disadvantages of fluorescent is you can’t really focus the beam very well; it’s more of a general illumination. It can be dimmed, but you have to use special dimmers and ballast to do it. And then on the top of efficiency heap would be LEDs.

Residential Lighting: In terms of installing a transformer, is that something a homeowner can do themselves?

Meeker: Well, usually. Let’s say you buy a chandelier that has little low-voltage light bulbs on it. The transformer is usually inside the canopy that attaches to the ceiling. So it’s not as if it’s some sort of special box that you have to deal with. It’s part of the fixture. But the designer had to create room when they designed the fixture to put the transformer somewhere. So it’s usually a half-sphere that’s on the ceiling. Whereas with a line-voltage they don’t have to deal with that issue because there is no transformer. And it tends to be a little flatter or not a half-dome. It’s usually not a big obstacle; it’s just part of the fixture, and you just install it as you would any other sort of fixture.

Ceiling Lights

Ceiling light fixtures provide good general illumination, often referred to as ambient lighting. In essence, ambient lighting provides a minimal amount of brightness, enabling people to move around and see each other easier. A ceiling light fixture can provide the finishing touch to any room and can be used in virtually any location from the living room and bathroom to the stairway and hall.

Flush-mount ceiling light fixtures are a popular choice for overhead, widely distributed lighting. Flush-mounts work especially well in kitchens, bedrooms, hallways and foyers. They are also good for use in areas in which ceilings are lower, making chandeliers and hanging fixtures impractical.

Semi-flush light fixtures offer the appeal of being mid-way between flush and hanging fixtures. Semi-flush lamps do hang from the ceiling, but only by a small amount. This type of light fixture works well in the same locations as flush-mounts and provides dispersed lighting from above, in addition to good indirect brightening.

Chandeliers, pendants, and other hanging lights provide both good general illumination and more focused lighting for specific areas, like dining room tables. Whether you choose flush-mount, semi-flush, or hanging lights, you'll be amazed by the array of styles and colors to suit all decorating themes, from traditional to retro and everything in between. Quality lighting can last a lifetime, both enhancing your decorating style and increasing property values. To ensure you get the best-quality light fixtures for your home, visit Lighting4sale.com, an American Lighting Association member lighting showroom.

Remodel Your Lighting for Eyesight, Energy and Style

As people get older there is more time to really enjoy the homes they have built for themselves. The kids have grown and moved away, and being physically comfortable has, perhaps, become more important than it was once. Knowing that aging eyes need a better kind of light and more of it to be comfortable, remodeling the lighting in your home improves comfort threefold.

From function to design, lighting affects everything. A room's appearance and feel, highlights and accents, and utility and cost are all important in considering how our home‘s lighting affects how we live. When contemplating a renovation, consider how lighting renewal can transform your eyesight, living space and energy consumption.

"Many of today's lighting trends include energy efficiency and conservation," says Rick Wiedemer, president of Hinkley Lighting in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Certified Lighting Consultant (CLC). "People are seeking decorative ways to direct light exactly where it is needed and still conserve energy. Under cabinet fixtures and multiple pendant lights in nooks and over sinks and counters are ways to add decorative flare when they need special light. And the new lighting is available with high wattage and low voltage to get a higher output per watt."

Ceiling, wall-mounted and portable fixtures, and recessed and track lighting are all available in energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs as well as light-emitting diode (LED) lights.

Baby boomers are finding that they need three to four times as much light and that glare is hard on the eyes. Fluorescent bulbs are easier to see by than regular light bulbs. LED lights are being used more for their reduced glare, as well as Halogen, for their white light quality. You can choose energy-efficient bulbs in many styles for redecorating your whole house.

So, you have heard about LED lights but aren't sure what they are?

As Joe Rey-Barreau explains, "Light-emitting diodes resemble a very small computer chip - a sandwich of two very thin layers of glass with a chemical in between, that when charged with electricity, emits powerful illumination and saves energy."

Rey-Barreau, a professor in architecture and interior design at the University of Kentucky and consulting education director of ALA says, "They're being used in traffic lights, flashlights and cars. They are now penetrating the residential market, and will eventually replace regular light bulbs. They're extremely long lasting with 50 to 100 times more light and 50,000 to 100,000 more hours."

LED lights are being constructed for every type of lighting to fit the style in your home. Rey-Barreau says, "There's no singularity to style. I call it populism in a continuing major trend that’s going on; a diversification of styles. Because there’s a style for every person, and everyone can get what they want."

With decorative finishes in brushed nickel, pewter or Italian glass, you can find a look that suits your taste. In the kitchen, the keystone of entertainment, adding a few under-cabinet fixtures will make food preparation easier, and a few pendant fixtures over the island or breakfast nook will add a touch of art that draws the eye in a whole new direction.

Historically, exotic finishes were seen as high-end, pricey items that are now more affordable and can be found in the entry level of product availability. For example, items like Murano glass from Italy in a pendant, chandelier or sconce have become available to the mainstream.

"More recently, the varied styles in light fixtures have been combined to create a new combination of designs for a completely different look. Traditional and contemporary styles come together - modernist materials like stainless steel combined with crystals - for a trend that's different that anything weíve seen in the past," says Rey-Barreau.

Create a lively, warm living environment with precisely placed light. Illuminate your prized painting, book collection or family heirloom with recessed lighting, sconces or the latest, MonoRail.

MonoRail is the biggest thing since ice cream. MonoRail is like track lighting was 40 years ago. It's twistable to configure to any position you want, to hang pendants or directional head lights, or fixtures - right up to the rail, and they come in brushed aluminum and bronze, which is great if you have a wood ceiling; it just disappears.

Carefully aimed light allows you to see well, and lights up what you want people to see; as if creating a work of art with your living space. In the dining room, where the attention is on the guests at the table, a chandelier provides the general lighting you need and adds style and sparkle, perfect for dining, tasks or table games.

"The dining room fixture is like jewelry for your house," says Held. "You don't change it as often, but when redecorating a room you notice that your fixture is dated."

Good light is essential to seeing well, especially for the tiny fine print. For better lighting where you need it most - for reading or hobbies - MonoRail is perfect. Direct it exactly where you need it, and readjust the direction later when your need changes. Or, include recessed lighting around the whole room with numerous switches and dimmer choices to adjust the light on demand.

Pendant Lighting - Still a Treasure

Pendant lighting fixtures are suspended from the ceiling and get their name from the jewelry accessory of the same name. Pendant lighting has a distinctive appeal and is considered perfect for places like kitchen islands, desks, breakfast nooks and the like. Pendant lighting can be either a single pendant lighting fixture or two or three different ones teamed up to provide a dramatic effect. Generally when two or three pendant lighting fixtures are teamed up, mini pendant lighting fixtures are used. The area of pendant lighting provides a lot of scope for the use of creative designs and ideas.

It is advisable to mount pendant lighting fixtures at least 24" to 30" above the area to be lit. When mini pendants are used, the ideal height would be 18" to 24" above the surface area to be lighted. When two or three pendants are used, an adjustable pendant bar can be used to fix them at different heights. This makes it possible to adjust heights from time to time, varying the overall lighting effect in the process.

Pendant lighting fixtures are available in various styles. Some of the commonly seen styles are sleek clean designs, reflective stained glass and crinkle glass designs. Pendant lighting fixtures are task oriented and provide necessary lighting for specific areas. The intensity of light needed can be dictated by the choice of bulb used inside the pendant lighting fixture.

Most pendant lighting fixtures are available with chains and rods that enable adaptation for different heights. Multiple pendant lights in a single fixture at staggered heights create a dramatic effect and are ideal for use little corners of large rooms. This kind of lighting creates an interesting area in an otherwise ordinary room.

Illuminating the Future of Kitchen Lighting: Energy Efficiency

It doesn't matter if you live in a home with a modern kitchen that has all the fancy upgrades, or one that just has a single overhead light in the center of the room. If you're not using the latest generation of energy-efficient bulbs, it's time for a lighting upgrade.

"Kitchen lighting has made great strides in the past couple of years, not just from a design standpoint, but with regards to energy efficiency. So upgrades are definitely worth looking into," says Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Interior Design. He travels the country tracking trends, and one he's noticed lately is the focus on energy conservation.

"Lighting manufacturers are spending a considerable amount of time, and dedicating a lot of resources to developing fixtures capable of using more energy-efficient light sources than the standard incandescent," Rey-Barreau says. "And it's no coincidence that this trend is growing in popularity at a time when energy costs are on the rise," he says.

As recently as two years ago, the only fixtures available for the kitchen that used the most energy-efficient light sources available today - fluorescents and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) - were not aesthetically pleasing. In today's marketplace, however, decorative energy-efficient fixtures are available in every product category, whether you're looking for something traditional, modern or artsy.

As for concerns people may have about the quality of light given off by compact fluorescents and LEDs, Rey-Barreau says that "while in the past color rendering may have been a concern, it is no longer a problem. Consumers can rest assured the quality closely matches that of incandescents."

Today's advancements are quite impressive, but what does the future hold? Rey-Barreau expects the lighting industry to work hard at getting more products on the shelves that use the most energy-efficient technology developed to date – LEDs.

New LED undercabinet lighting and LED landscape lighting to be introduced in September by Lighting4sale, an ALA member.

Kitchen Lighting Video from ALA

I've posted many times the styles, trends, types and layering of Kitchen Lighting.

Let's look today at a very informative video from the American Lighting Association regarding kitchen lighting.

Click here to see it.

Disk Lighting

Thinking of adding a new layer of lighting to your kitchen
and don't know where to start? Here are a few FAQ's that I address on a daily basis with homeowners across the country:

First off, how many disks will I need for my under cabinet lighting?

The average distance from the bottom of kitchen cabinets to the kitchen counter top is 18”.
At this distance I would recommend a task type throw which at this mounting height will produce a 12” cone of light on your kitchen counter. I recommend spacing the disks 12-16 inches apart.

How many transformers will I need?

In general, you will need one transformer per wall switch/dimmer.
Let’s say you’ve penciled in 10 disk lights. If you have a large kitchen and want to independently switch five disks on one switch and the other five on another switch then you will need two transformers.

Tip: most people I help with disk lighting systems prefer to switch the entire system with one wall switch or better yet a dimmer which means you can usually get by with only one transformer.

What are my options on transformers?

We offer both electronic and magnetic transformers and both work well depending on your total load and placement of transformer.

Electronic transformers will handle a range load of 15-60 watts but must be placed within ten feet from the last disk in the run. I recommend placing the transformer in the middle of the run to assure compliance with the 10 foot rule. We do offer a dual output 60 watt electronic transformer that will allow 60 watts per output max. The dual 60 watt electronic transformers are perfect for smaller jobs, but remember, the ten foot rule is still in effect.
For a smaller system I recommend using a 15-60 watt electronic transformer or the dual 60W output.

Magnetic transformers will handle loads ranging from 75-500 watts. Magnetic transformers are more tolerant of distances allowing them to be placed in attics, utility closets or any reasonable out of site location. Toss the ten foot rule out the window!
Magnetic transformers are great for any sized disk lighting job and are what I recommend for maintenance friendly operations.

Which light bulbs do you recommend?

I always recommend an 18 watt xenon light bulb as they produce a crisp clean halogen like appearance while lasting 2-3 times that of halogen. Xenon also burns a bit cooler than halogen.
Incandescent light bulbs are also offered in lower wattages. These typically cast a yellow white light that is associated with incandescent and have a much shorter life than the xenon version.

Ideal Lighting For Your Outdoor Life

The same rules of layering light apply indoors AND outdoors. You'll want overall lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting - a chandelier overhead, sconces close to tables and chairs, and lighting around plants, for example. Use lights in trees, under the leaves of potted plants, and as edging for pools. Provide task lighting around the grill area, but choose a fixture with a metal shade, to avoid adding too much glare to the surroundings.

Here are some easy ways to light an outdoor room that fits your life, your style, and your budget.

1. Include lights that follow the steps or go between levels, whether ground or deck.
2. Add lights for safety near front and back doors, garage doors and along paths.
3. Consider an automated control system that turns on lights with a timer and allows you to adjust light levels from outside and in.
4. Provide motion lights over rarely used doors, such as a basement access.
5. Have porch posts wired for lighting. You'll add ambiance and a unique touch to your patio.
6. Include lights off the deck and patio, as well in garden nooks and along walkways.
7. Add uplights against unique plants or interesting trees to up the drama factor in your garden.
8. Consider solar powered fixtures. You'll take advantage of a natural resource that's free to boot.
9. Choose dimmable lights or lower output for fixtures to eliminate nighttime light pollution.
10. Match the style of your lights to the style of your house. You'll carry the design theme from indoors to outside.

Lighting Considerations For Your Living Room or Den

The lighting in our homes living room is expected to serve dual purposes. The general purpose is for everyday living. The second purpose is for entertaining. Many of us expect our living room lighting to switch from general lighting, to the softer lighting that we prefer when we entertain.

When looking for the proper lighting, it is also important to consider the room’s features. For example, do you have a darker room with darker furnishings, or do you have a lighter room with lighter furnishings. What style furnishings do you have? Which features would you like to accent, and which feature would you like to draw less attention to.

A chandelier is a major source of light and should always be considered in the living room. A chandelier can light up the entire room, or, with a dimmer, you can provide the glow that you would like to achieve for an after dinner party gathering. However, you need to make sure that the chandelier you choose does not overwhelm the rest of the room. The chandelier needs to be proportionate to the room, and blend easily with the style of the room.

A variety of light sources seem to make people the most comfortable. So combine different types of lighting. For example, add the proper amount of table lamps with the chandelier, and possibly some candles to the mix. Candles, along with an ornate candle holder, always add to the tranquility of the room. Thus, making your guests, and yourself, feel more relaxed.

With so many varieties of lighting available these days, it is difficult to choose. But when you consider that each source of light is also a work of art, your decision is easier. Just remember the style that always makes you feel more comfortable and make your choices around that.

Lighting Tips for Older Adults

According to experts, our eyes are like onions, and each year another layer of cells forms on top of our lenses. As our lenses get thicker, it takes more light to get to the back of the retina, so older people need higher light levels in order to see better.

Basically by the time people are 65, they need five times the amount of light to see with the same acuity that someone, say, in their 20s or early 30s would need.

Each layer that forms on the lenses also makes the eyes register more amber, and that changes our perception of color. Amber absorbs bluish and purplish colors, so the older you get, the less blue you can see. That’s why it’s important for older adults to have light sources that give off cooler, bluer light — such as fluorescents and blue LEDs — rather than incandescent bulbs, which tend to have a more yellow cast.

And as our lenses get thicker, we also become more sensitive to glare because the additional layers scatter the light we see.

That’s why experts say one of the best ways to increase overall light levels for older adults is to install full spectrum linear fluorescent tubes near the ceiling to let the light bounce up on light-colored walls to increase the amount of indirect light in a room.

Undercabinet lighting can increase overall light levels, as well. Use fluorescent fixtures with prismatic acrylic lenses and electronic ballasts that power T8 (1” diameter) or even better yet high output high color rendering T5 fluorescent tubes. Fluorescent tubes with a Kelvin temp of 41K or 50K are stronger in the blue spectrum.

Undercabinet lighting is ideal with a light colored countertop and a matte surface, otherwise the light may cause too much glare. A polished black marble can be a real glare bomb.

Task lighting is especially important for older adults, who have a harder time adjusting their eyes to varying light levels, and both say task lighting should work in tandem with bright, overhead lighting. Recessed light above the kitchen sink are a great help.

It’s also important to combine both general and task lighting in the bathroom. In the shower, for example, installing a wet-location-rated downlight to provide good task lighting in the shower. And next to the mirror, avoid lighting that will create shadows.

If you don’t have large mirrors that bounce the light around it’s important to have lighting on the sides of the mirrors so you’re lighting your face from both sides, and for men, particularly [for] grooming.

Many older adults may use LED Lighting lighting in the toe spaces of their vanity safely leading them on frequent trips to the bathroom during the night.

Ten Tips & Techniques for Home Lighting

Have you ever wondered how to improve your indoor lighting? Here are 10 tips and techniques to help you improve the lighting in your home.

1. Replace your recessed light trims with wall washers or eyeballs to redirect harsh overhead light to focal points (bookshelves, sculpture, pictures, fireplace, etc.).

2. Replace some of your translucent lampshades with opaque ones to increase the dramatic lighting effects.

3. Add accent lights (picture lights, plant uplights, sculpture lights, etc.).

4. Provide for a reading/task light beside each seating piece.

5. Change your light bulbs! Put PAR bulbs in your accent recessed lights, regular reflector bulbs in recessed downlights, 3-way bulbs in table and floor lamps, and install dimmers on all switches. Try pink and full-spectrum bulbs for a rosy glow!

6. Change your center ceiling light to a softly diffused glass fixture with an uplight function.

7. Add wall sconces in strategic places (behind sofas, in hallways, above fireplace, etc.).

8. Look for interesting architectural features (painted ceilings, columns, crown molding, etc.) and emphasize them with uplighting.

9. Study the room at night to make sure you have balanced the light and have eliminated dark corners.

10. Put your accent lights (for plants and sculpture) on automatic timers. These timers will control when the lights turn on and off. Imagine how soothing it will be to come home at night to subtle dramatic lighting!

Applying Ceiling Fixtures

Ceiling light fixtures provide good general illumination, often referred to as ambient lighting. In essence, ambient lighting provides a minimal amount of brightness, enabling people to move around and see each other easier. A ceiling light fixture can provide the finishing touch to any room and can be used in virtually any location from the living room and bathroom to the stairway and hall.

Flush-mount ceiling light fixtures are a popular choice for overhead, widely distributed lighting. Flush-mounts work especially well in kitchens, bedrooms, hallways and foyers. They are also good for use in areas in which ceilings are lower, making chandeliers and hanging fixtures impractical.

Semi-flush light fixtures offer the appeal of being mid-way between flush and hanging fixtures. Semi-flush lamps do hang from the ceiling, but only by a small amount. This type of light fixture works well in the same locations as flush-mounts and provides dispersed lighting from above, in addition to good indirect brightening.

Chandeliers, pendants, and other hanging lights provide both good general illumination and more focused lighting for specific areas, like dining room tables. Whether you choose flush-mount, semi-flush, or hanging lights, you'll be amazed by the array of styles and colors to suit all decorating themes, from traditional to retro and everything in between. Quality lighting can last a lifetime, both enhancing your decorating style and increasing property values. To ensure you get the best-quality light fixtures for your home, visit Lighting4sale.com, an American Lighting Association member lighting showroom.

Layer your Space

A well illuminated room has a more complex lighting structure than just a single overhead fixture or table lamp. Rooms should be designed with layers of light, creating a warm and welcoming space.

Start by picking what’s important in a space, work from that one layer, and build on it. For example, in a living room or den, light pictures on the wall creating the accent layer. Create general or ambient lighting with a chandelier, pendants or even recessed can lighting. Table and floor lamps are great layers of task lighting for enjoying a great book or crossword puzzle.

Whenever possible, I highly advise using lighting controls such as dimmers that will allow for fine tuning the layers of lighting in your home.

Low-key Outdoor Lighting

With the moon rising and the temps falling, summer nights can be the best part of the day. Don't let darkness drive you inside; use these four tips to switch to outdoor lighting:

1. Less is better. Use less than maximum wattage light bulbs. Strive for a soft evenly lighted area. Light a 30-ft. walk with three to five low wattage fixtures and the house front with two low wattage fixtures.

2. Good lighting simulates full moonlight, not high noon. A full moon shines 1/2 foot-candle of light on the ground — not much, but plenty to see by.

3. Choose one item to highlight with focused lights: gables, stone walls, flowering trees, ornamental gardens, house numbers. Use a powerful flashlight to simulate effects before buying fixtures. Play with placement and note where light and shadows fall. A fixture shining on an object nearby casts larger shadows. Up-cast shadows do not occur in nature, so they look both unusual and dramatic.

4. Reflected light works well to cover large areas with soft light. Bounce light off walls, trees or shrubs.

Something else to reflect on: Outdoor lighting will increases curb appeal, makes walkways safer and discourages prowlers.

Recently Asked Lighting Questions

How do I determine the right size chandelier?
A chandelier should be approx. half the width of your dining table and approx. 30" above the tabletop. Ceilings higher than 8', raise the height of the fixture about 3" for every additional foot in height.

What size chandelier for my foyer?
For an approx. diameter, add the length and width of the room. Example: for a 10' x 12' room, you would add 10 + 12 = 22 for a diameter of 22".

Will a chandelier alone be enough light?
If you’re not comfortable with the amount of light based on the formula above, you can add sconces, portable lamps or recessed lights to add more light and ambience.

What spacing should I use for wall sconces?
Install sconces approx. 60" from the floor and 8' to 10' apart.

How do I determine the amount of light I need for a certain size room?
Multiply the square footage of the room by 1.5 to determine the approx. wattage necessary. Example: for a 10' x 12' room, you would multiply 10' x 12' = 120 sq. ft. x 1.5 = 180 watts approx.

How much light do I need for my kitchen island work area?
Multiply the square footage of the island by 2.5 to determine the approx. wattage necessary. Example: for a 4' x 6' island, you would multiply 4' x 6' = 24 sq. ft. x 2.5 = 60 watts approx.

How do I make a room look bigger than it really is?
Using mirrors to bounce light from fixtures and windows will give the room an appearance of being bigger than it really is.

Island Pendant Lighting

Hanging Island Pendants with Only One Junction Box?

Over the years I’ve often been asked what to do when considering replacing or adding lighting over a kitchen island or bar.

My answer: three to four individual mini-pendants. That’s great if you are willing to have an Electrician install the junction boxes or if you’re lucky you already have them in place.

But some applications with special ceilings have the home owners standing firm as cutting up their ceilings and installing more electrical boxes is not an option they are willing to explore.

My first question is: what is the kitchen island used for? I get a lot of different answers but most people are eating, reading or preparing food. Knowing this information helps with how many pendants and what type of light bulb, directional or non directional, is best suited for their use.

So getting back to the challenge of lighting a kitchen island with only one power source, here are my top 3 picks:

(A)Three low voltage pendants hung on a 12” decorative circular canopy.

(B) Three low voltage pendants hung on a 24” decorative rectangular bar canopy.

(C) A mono rail system with pendants and maybe a few directional heads for good measure. Low voltage systems offer more contemporary styles of glass pendants but 120 volt systems are the easiest and least expensive to install.

Find fabulous Island Pendant Lighting fixtures at Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member.

Transitional Lighting

The effortless curves and solid foundation of the fixtures of the Transitional Lighting style make it an attractive choice with designers these days.

Unifying the smooth, flowing lines of the Contemporary Style with the embellishment of the Classic Style, Transitional Lighting has become the all-encompassing buzzword to describe and sell fixtures that don’t fit conveniently into any formal design style.

Those wanting a “cheerful feel” in their homes typically choose the Transitional Style as it has a warmer feel than the Contemporary Style but not quite as ceremonious as the Traditional Style.

Find great transitional style fixtures at Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member.

Outdoor Lighting with Wall Lanterns

Wall lighting isn't just for your home's interior. An outdoor wall lantern is often the lighting installation of choice for a home's front porch or exterior entryway. Often, the wall lantern is mounted right next to the entry door to allow for convenient access in unlocking your door.

Outdoor wall lighting is also a great way to decorate and accessorize the exterior of your home. Outdoor wall lantern fixtures, just from placement, are a lot more visible than overhead porch lights. Consider a fixture that employs the Old World look of a lantern for a feeling of timeless elegance.

Most FAQ about Posts and Pier Mount Application

One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to putting together components for outdoor post lighting is:

Can I use a pedestal or pier mount along with a direct burial post for a more decorative finished look?

Generally speaking, this is not done. The universal 3” post will not feed though the pier mount nor will it sufficiently anchor a 72” standard post that is forced into the aluminum pier mount.

If you are using a direct burial post think gravel, grass, bark or another aesthetic ground cover for a nice looking transition.

If you are looking for a decorative post, Good News: Some manufactures are finally producing decorative surface mount posts that won’t break the bank.The Covington surface mount outdoor post offers timeless style raising the reputation points in your neighborhood.

Make a Splash with Tiffany Pendant Lighting

Tiffany pendant lighting styles are as diverse as they are beautiful. The storied and infamous tradition of art glass lighting has been carried on to perfection by such manufacturers as Quoizel Lighting, who employ the same techniques and high quality materials used over a century ago when Louis Tiffany was still creating his masterpieces.

Tiffany pendant lighting can be found in two basic varieties: upward or down light. Upward Tiffany pendants are designed so that the light is bounced off of the ceiling and then reflected back downwards into the room. In other words, the upward Tiffany pendants are inverted so that their bulbs and shades both face the ceiling. This produces a very calm and flattering illumination.

For Tiffany pendant lighting fixtures designed in the down light style, the bulbs and the lampshades are facing downward and directly illuminate objects below. This may be a better choice if you read, sew or do basic tasks directly under the pendant lights.

Beautiful Tiffany Lighting Pendants can be purchased at Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member.

Shining a Light on Wall Sconces

Many people don't consider the value and beauty that wall sconces add to a room because subtlety is their main purpose. They create general or accented light while still remaining discreet and unobtrusive. Not only are they a significant source of ambient light, they also add a decorative flair to any room. Their function is often hidden by their elegant presence. These mounted wall fixtures throw a dramatic lighting effect along the entire surface of a wall, adding decoration and texture to a room while still being able to illuminate it. And unlike traditional lighting, this type creates a unique look to a home due to the fact that they come in a large variety of styles and designs. Plus, they don't overpower the eyes, but instead create a soft feel to any room.

Where Function Meets Form. Sconces aren't just beautiful; they are practical as well. They create more space in your living quarters. Though traditional lamps create the same visual appeal, they can also be burdensome, awkward, and clumsy because they can take up room. Wall sconces, on the other hand, can actually create space in a house for other furnishings or walkways. Also they are very useful when lighting small areas of the house, such as dark hallways or corners that traditional lighting sources can't target. Plus, if you attach a dimming system to them, you will be able to save on energy bills as well.

Style and Design. One of the distinct advantages of sconces is their ability to come in many different appearances. Like any lighting source, there an infinite number of styles (contemporary, transitional, rustic, etc.) and materials (copper, metal, ceramic, wrought iron, Italian glass, etc.) available so that you can match the fixtures with your own personal style. However, one distinct advantage of sconces is their prominent beauty and uniqueness, and candle sconces are testament to that promise.

Under Cabinet Lighting for Kitchens

Overhead lighting has been the standard in most areas of the home for quite some time. However, in the kitchen, under cabinet lighting is often preferable. When working with food, an under cabinet light provides illumination that a bulb in the ceiling cannot match. Plus, it gives the room a modern and unique look that many homeowners find attractive.

Under Cabinet Lighting for Convenience
How many times have you washed a dish in the sink only to find later, under better light, that a few spots were missed? With under cabinet lighting, kitchen work areas are directly illuminated. This creates a much better place to prep and cook meals, and of course, do dishes afterward.

An under cabinet light is in a place that is out of the way, but in just the right spot. There are many types of bulbs to choose from and many different lighting fixtures as well. They can work on a dimmer switch to adjust the intensity of the light. Some models can also move independently, so you can focus on a particular area of the counter.

The Best Bulbs for Under Cabinet Lighting
Fluorescent bulbs are particularly long lasting and energy-efficient. The problem in the past with fluorescent bulbs has always been the unappealing light they produce. Today’s T5 fluorescents are energy star rated and have excellent color rendering.

Xenon bulbs give off a desirable light, don't burn as hot as halogen bulbs, and can last up to 5 times as long. Your best bet for choosing the right kind of bulb is to have a look at them in the field. Check out how they look and, just as important, how they make other things look.

Installing Under Cabinet Lighting
Installation of under cabinet lighting is generally a very simple and straightforward operation. Many fixtures can be purchased that will be easy to put up, even for those with little to no home improvement experience. A lot of the time, they are simply screwed on and plugged in.

If you are building a new house, or doing a complete kitchen remodel, you might want to consider something more elegant. When these lights are kept in mind during construction or renovation, they can be installed to look nearly invisible when off, but provide excellent light when turned on. The fixtures that screw in often have to be operated from a switch that is directly on the light, or plugged into a socket that is connected to a wall switch. Built in fixtures will operate using a regular wall switch or dimmer switch.

Transitioning with The Hendrik Collection

The Hendrik Collection is a gorgeous family of contemporary fixtures that honor the man who was regarded by many as the Father of Modern architecture. The Hendrik Collection is considered as an intermediary between modern and traditional styles. Classic lines are enhanced with a soft touch of current style cues to work in a number of aesthetic environments. The warm hue of our Olde Bronze finish is partnered with light umber etched glass for a fantastic balance of natural color.

For Dining rooms the Hendrik Collection offers a grand two-tier fifteen cylinder chandelier. For medium sized dining rooms, a two-tier nine cylinder chandelier adds grace and charm as does the all new oval shaped single tier six cylinder chandelier. Smaller single-tier five or three cylinder chandeliers are the perfect for smaller dining room tables or as the center piece for larger kitchens.

For hallway lighting The Hendrik offers a close to surface mount ceiling light.

Hendik Pendants are offered in a versatile mini-pendant and a billiards style double headed downlight. Both of these are fabulous over kitchen islands and larger breakfast nooks. A three light inverted bowl pendant brings broadens the possibilities.

Hendrik Sconces and vanity fixtures include a one, two, three and four cylinder glass and boasts natural color details adding a casual look to your home. Wall Sconces and vanity lights can be mounted in the uplight or downlight positions.

The entire collection can be viewed at Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member.

Traditional Lighting in Your Home

Anyone looking to make their living space more hospitable and inviting, Traditional Lighting is the perfect style. Fixtures of this appearance tend to tell a story all their own and thus add to the mood already present in any space.

Traditional Lighting is thought to be more of a decorative style than practical. While Contemporary Lighting tries to blend into the home, Traditional Lighting stands out as something to behold in its own right.

Traditional Lighting tends to have elaborate globes, shades and candlesticks. If you’re looking for a warm, timeless feel, Traditional Lighting is for you.

Recessed Lighting in Your Home

Recessed lights are usually used by architects and interior designers in rooms where the residents aim for a relaxed and soothing lighting effect. Recessed lighting is considered preferable to the use of multiple standing and side table lamps based on the mood they can induce in the occupant of the room. You will discover why interior designers are using recessed lighting when you enter a room that has recessed lights in them – to see is to believe, as they say.

The experts may recommend that you have recessed lights installed in your hallways and/or kitchen, to get the best use out of this form of lighting. Recessed lights are installed in the form of canister lights that will fit the holes in the ceiling they were fitted for. You will probably need an experienced electrician to guide the installation team in the installation of your recessed lighting, so that the finished work results with the recessed lights set flush with the ceiling structure without compromising safety.

In the US, recessed lights may be known by other names, namely "can lights" or perhaps as "high hats", while in Canada recessed lights are dubbed "pot lights" instead.

Replacing old light fixtures with new can lights requires thorough computation of the total energy that will be used by the can lights everyday compared to the energy consumption of the old light fixtures. One problem with many structures is over-illumination that results in soaring electricity bills (with the problem made worse when can lights are installed in areas that not many people see anyway, and so cannot be appreciated.) Thus it is important the cost to install can lights and to maintain them, to be able to justify their usage.

If you are faced with a complicated can lighting installation procedure, you may need the assistance of a professional lighting engineer who will guide the installation team in how to install can lighting. The lighting engineer should not only know how to install can lighting, he should be able to assess where the can lighting is really needed, and how many can lights should be placed in different parts of the structure. If occupants later develop health problems like headaches, or high blood pressure perhaps, that may be caused by over-illumination of the interiors of the building, you should wonder whether the lighting engineer knew how to install can lighting properly in the first place, rather than ask why interior designers are using recessed lighting nowadays.

If you are in doubt as to the specifications to be used for your recessed lighting or can lights, you may consult The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (also called IESNA) which sets the photometric standards for lighting equipment for manufacturers. This photometric data will show you how much light is distributed exactly by a certain form of lighting. This data should guide your lighting engineer as to the right type of recessed lighting and their specifications when mapping out the can lighting installation procedure for you and the contractor.

Under the Influence of Nature

A moderately priced fresh country style collection. We dare you to view this collection and not feel the influence of nature, a very popular trend in staging today’s home. Graceful curves, soft gilded silver finish and Crema hand painted pressed glass all connote a lyrical and natural design influence. The wispy arms, resembling branches and leaf motif on the glass are at once very European and yet decidedly American. They have both charm and versatility making them practical in the most whimsical and feminine sense.

For hall/foyer lighting the Hummingbird Collection offers a handsome deep bowl single light fixture. The more traditional four light caged style hall foyer lights are offered in two sizes perfect for higher ceilings. The Hummingbird Collection also offers two surface mount ceiling lights.

For Dining rooms the Hummingbird Collection offers a grand two-tier nine light chandelier. For dining rooms, a single-tier, five cylinder chandelier adds graceful charm. Our smaller single-tier, three light chandeliers are the perfect for smaller dining room tables or as the center piece for larger kitchens.

Hummingbird pendants are offered in a traditional mini-pendant style, a three light billiards style, and an inverted three light bowl style.

For the finishing touches in the bath or halls, a single light wall sconce and a two light vanity fixture extend the stylish Hummingbird Collection.

The entire collection can be viewed at our online showroom; An American Lighting Association member. Click this link and enter the word Hummingbird into our search box.

Home Lighting Fixtures

The right lighting fixtures can work wonders for your home. Useful not only for illuminating certain tasks, the right lighting can also serve to accentuate your home's décor. If carefully chosen and properly installed, light fixtures can add beauty and drama both indoors and outdoors. Likewise, the right type of lighting can boost safety and comfort in and around your residence.

It is an obvious fact that light fixtures are a necessity in modern homes. We all need lighting to function well and accomplish all sorts of tasks. Despite this fact, many individuals are not aware of the best types of light fixtures or the right ways to use lighting arrangements. Proper lighting arrangements can not only boost functionality but can also complement and enhance your home decorating style.

Understanding the fundamentals of lighting is key in selecting home lighting fixtures. A good home lighting plan should include task, general, and accent lights to provide lighting that is not only effective but also attractive and stylish. Light fixtures can be top decorating accessories, changing the tone of any room in your home, while being less expensive than many other home decorating products.

Light fixtures are not just for use indoors. When thoughtfully arranged, home lighting fixtures can enhance the exterior of your property by illuminating paths and brightening doorways, simultaneously preventing accidents and deterring intruders. Exterior light fixtures can both brighten and beautify your garden, pond, deck, fountain, trees, shrubs, and driveways, adding value to your property. Meant to last a lifetime, high-quality lighting adds beauty and value to your home. Visit Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member lighting showroom for exceptional lighting, advice and service.

Kitchen Island Lighting with Pendants

There is little as annoying as a dimly-lit kitchen island. In order to be practical in the kitchen, you need to be able to see well. Though the necessity for lighting in this area is obvious, choosing the right lighting can be very distressing for many.

Decorative pendant lights work perfect for lighting an island, while also adding style to your kitchen's decor. You might use a combination of two or three pendant lights over a kitchen island for an even more appealing look. A dimmer switch, used in conjunction with pendants, allows for bright task lighting to effectively brighten the area for food preparation or homework, while allowing the lights to be lowered for entertaining guests or simply to create a charming atmosphere. Fluorescent light fixtures can also be used to light a kitchen island, as can recessed lights positioned overhead.

There are many styles of pendant lights from which to choose. You can find pendant lighting to fit any type of kitchen decor. Mini pendants work well with kitchen islands also and can be positioned to form a fashionable row of lights.

From sleek and modern to rich and ornate, the style choices are endless. Remember to select the highest-quality lighting you can afford and your fixtures will last for quite some time. Since good lighting both decorates and adds value to your property, you don't want to skimp by selecting fixtures at your local bargain store. For the highest-quality lighting in all the latest styles, visit the Lighting4sale, an American Lighting Association member online showroom.

Planning Your Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting has transformed the porch and patio into a great setting for entertaining friends and family.

It’s fun to walk the perimeter of your house and mentally paint a picture of your lighting ideas and then later watch the nightscape take shape.

Make sure the lighting fixtures you choose are durable and will stand up to your weather conditions. Nobody wants to see a cheaply finished outdoor lighting fixtures fade or drip rust.

Plan so that your outdoor lighting fixtures match creating a streamlined look. We have a plethora of great styles that will put you in good light and will have the neighbors inquiring.

Consider deck lighting evenly spaced. Path lighting will walk people around your property with a friendly glow. I suggest using low voltage xenon light bulbs whenever possible for nice warm illumination and maintenance friendly operation. Always choose low voltage when considering landscape lighting.

For best results choose only one focal point to light up with great intensity. That means using a lighting fixture that will illuminate at least 3 times the foot-candles of your ambient path, deck and lantern lighting. Your focal point may be your favorite foliage, statue, pond or other personal treasure.

Wall sconces also known as wall lanterns are critical to lighting vertical surfaces and creating a soft evenly lighted exterior. I would recommend using nothing greater than 25 watt light bulbs in wall lanterns.

Stylish and durable portable outdoor lamps are gaining in popularity. We offer portable outdoor rated lamps that boast shades made of the same tough materials used for outdoor umbrellas. Convenient and versatile.

Kitchen Lighting

Kitchen remodels are one of the most popular home improvement projects in the nation for good reason. Fewer areas of the home can benefit from upgrading old, outdated equipment and systems (plumbing, electrical, etc.) like a kitchen can. Aside from replacing old appliances with new ones that function better and making the room more pleasing to look at, replacing and reworking fixtures, workspaces, cabinetry, and other kitchen components can really turn a room into something unique and well-suited to the needs of your particular household. It doesn't hurt, either, that homes with newly remodeled kitchens are both easier to sell and often recover a significant amount of construction costs in added market value!

Kitchen Lighting Basics
Homeowners who renovate their kitchens often breeze past one of the most important concerns: the kitchen lighting. It's a common oversight because many homeowners mistakenly believe that they have to forego adequate kitchen lighting in order to use this room in a modern way. With good design, common sense, and some of the latest lighting technology, your kitchen can remain the center of life in your house while providing plenty of light for your work.

There are three major types of kitchen lighting:

Ambient lighting is the general light in the room. Good ambient light allows you to work safely in most areas of the kitchen and provides the overall lighting feel for the space.

Task lighting provides higher and more focused levels of light to a particular work area, keeping in mind the essence of getting the light to where you need it. This is mostly found in closets, pantries, cabinets, or drawers. Task lighting takes advantage of small light sources and makes specific jobs much easier.

Accent lighting is even more focused and highlights objects or areas you want to show off, such as artwork, glassware, or special pottery. Though this kind of kitchen lighting isn't meant to make your workspace a more functional place, it can add an aesthetic touch to the room that will enhance the space and bring your newly remodeled kitchen to life.

Know Your Kitchen Lighting Options
There are many new products and ideas that can help you enhance the charm and form of every aspect of your kitchen; lighting might seem like a "no brainer" but it can be trickier than you think. The problem is that even well-informed homeowners might not know about all their options. In most cases, getting a little help from a professional will give you a far better idea not only of what's available, but of how newer products (and older products, as well) are likely to perform and hold up.





Jon Nunan is a freelance writer who draws on his experience in construction, ranging from landscaping to log home building, for his articles on home improvement.

Ceiling Fan Spotlight: Star-Tech by Monte Carlo

Functional… Sculpture, Architecture, Style.

52 in. Star-Tech fan with brushed steel finish and mahogany veneer blades. Unique oversize fan blades for increased air movement. Includes wall remote control with reverse and down light features.

Ceiling fans really do cut energy costs

Are your customers getting hot under the collar about rising energy costs? If so, suggest they a ceiling fan.

Although ceiling fans do use electricity to operate, experts say the amount of money homeowners can save on air conditioning with a fan greatly outweighs the cost of running the fan itself.

“Ceiling fans provide year-round comfort and efficiency,” says Barb Wright, a ceiling fan product manager at Westinghouse Lighting.

Wright says the cost of operating a ceiling fan varies based on how often they’re turned on and how much the electric company charges, but on average, she says a standard ceiling fan costs less to operate than an incandescent light bulb.

Experts say ceiling fans reduce energy in two ways.

First, fans circulate the air in the room, preventing hot air from accumulating at the ceiling.

“A ceiling fan helps equalize the temperature throughout the room, so your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the room cool,” says Scot Wetmore, marketing director at a large ceiling fan retailer.

When people are in the room, Wetmore says ceiling fans have the added benefit of making people feel cooler.

“Ceiling fans cool by evaporation, like a wind chill factor,” he says, adding that fans will make it feel like it’s about 6 degrees cooler in your home than it actually is, allowing you to set your thermostat 6 degrees higher. According to the Progress Energy, an energy company that services North and South Carolina and Florida, homeowners can save 7 to 10 percent of their cooling costs for each degree above 78.

And ceiling fans don’t just save money in the summer, either. Ceiling fans run counterclockwise in the summer, but ceiling fan manufacturers often include reverse switches on the ceiling fans, and by having the fan run clockwise in the winter, homeowners can reduce your heating bills, too.

“Changing the direction of the fan makes the air column go up toward the ceiling, and what it does is it drives air currents up on the ceiling to the wall and down the wall, and that helps redistribute heat from the ceiling. So it helps lower your heating bills by re-circulating the heat,” Wetmore explains.

If a ceiling fan also includes a light fixture, Wright says customers can maximize their energy savings by replacing the incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Wright says homeowners should also consider buying Energy Star-rated ceiling fans. “They are about 50 percent more efficient than conventional fan/light units with an estimated energy savings of $15 to $20 per year,” Wright says.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Web site, Energy Star-rated ceiling fans move air up to 20 percent more efficiently than conventional models due to advanced blade and motor design, and Energy Star-rated ceiling fans that have light fixtures are about 50 percent more efficient than kits with regular lights, and they produce about 75 percent less heat.

Several ceiling fan manufacturers make ceiling fans that meet the government’s Energy Star requirements, including Hunter, Sea Gull and Monte Carlo.




by Lauren Heist – Residential Lighting Magazine

Stylish Porcelina Ceiling and Pendant Lighting

Porcelina™ Collection was created to offer large-scale lighting fixtures that coordinate with our extensive Limoges Collection™ of translucent porcelain. The sculptured surfaces of these faux porcelain fixtures capture the classic, yet contemporary, designs of the delicate Impressions patterns of the Limoges Collection™.

Available as large pendant lights and semi-flush lighting fixtures.

Staging Your Home With Roslyn

The Roslyn Collection features a flemished bronze finish adding a casual element that is very polular in todays home decor staging. The creme parchment glass provides a warm glow to any setting whether the lights are on or off.

For hall / foyer lighting the Roslyn offers a handsome single cylinder one light fixture. The more traditional three cylinder caged style hall foyer light is perfect for higher ceilings. The Roslyn also offers a surface mount ceiling light AND a convertible close to ceiling fixture that includes hardware that allows for a pendant style application.

For Dining rooms the Roslyn offers a grand three-tier twelve cylinder chandelier. For medium sized dining rooms, a two-tier nine cylinder chandelier adds grace and charm. Our smaller single-tier five cylinder chandeliers are the perfect for smaller dining room tables or as the center piece for larger kitchens.

Pendants are offered in a traditional downlight style as well as a larger three light uplight.

Wall sconces and vanity fixtures include a one, two, three and four cylinder glass and boasts cubist details adding a rustic-casual look to your home. Wall Sconces and vanity lights can be mounted in the uplight or downlight positions.

The entire collection can be viewed at our online showroom; An American Lighting Association member.

Wall Sconce Lighting

Most people don't notice the value and beauty that wall sconces add to a room because subtlety is their main purpose. They create general or accented light while still remaining discreet and unobtrusive. Not only are they a significant source of ambient light, they also add a decorative flair to any room. Their function is often hidden by their elegant presence. These mounted wall fixtures throw a dramatic lighting effect along the entire surface of a wall, adding decoration and texture to a room while still being able to illuminate it. And unlike traditional lighting, this type creates a unique look to a home due to the fact that they come in a large variety of styles and designs. Plus, they don't overpower the eyes, but instead create a soft feel to any room.

Wall Sconces aren't just beautiful; they are practical as well. They create more space in your living quarters. Though traditional lamps create the same visual appeal, they can also be burdensome, awkward, and clumsy because they can take up room. Wall sconces, on the other hand, can actually create space in a house for other furnishings or walkways. Also they are very useful when lighting small areas of the house, such as dark hallways or corners that traditional lighting sources can't target.

Money Saving Fluorescent Lighting in Your Home

When you look for ways to lower your energy bill, home lighting is a good place to start. Fluorescent lights use far less energy to produce the same amount of light (lumens) than incandescent sources, produce less heat and last many times longer.

Compared to the old fluorescent lamps, the new smaller diameter ones have vastly improved:

• Instant-On
• Greater Efficiency
• Superior Color Rendering
• Reliability and Versatility

Replacing the fixtures with dedicated fluorescents (fixtures designed only for fluorescent) is a permanent solution but this is not always possible. The other choice is using a screw-in Compact Fluorescent to retrofit the old fixture. These “screw-base" Compact Fluorescents have the ballast attached to the base of the lamp.

Kitchens, shops, laundries, recreation rooms, outdoor living areas, home offices are spaces where fluorescents make sense. These areas can use linear fixtures electronically ballasted. Exterior lights or table lamps often burn for long periods and for these Compact Fluorescents make sensible retrofits. Also, fixtures that are difficult to get at are good candidates for conversion because of fluorescents long life.

How much does it cost to operate that 100 watt light bulb in your exterior entry lantern? Let’s say it’s operated from dusk until dawn which equals about 4400 hours annually. Based on eleven cents per kilowatt hour, you’re paying your local power company $48.40 annually for operation.

A 20 watt fluorescent will produce comparable light levels and cost only $9.68 to operate annually.

Accent Lighting

First stop in creating mood and accent around the home is to incorporate wall dimmers to light fixtures, including ceiling mounts and chandeliers. This approach is very commonplace and gives you options to fully accentuate the room or produce softer more gentle lighting.

Emphasize artwork and wall hangings with accent lights. Adding a wall mounted museum light or picture light is an excellent way to accent fine artwork; two sconces positioned on each side of the painting will also add emphasize. This can be done with any wall hanging: mirrors frames are nice to accent.

Living room: down lights can emphasize an area. For social areas such as the living room you can both soften lighting and gently accentuate an area. For example, adding a couple of down lights in the ceiling over a living room sofa, toned down with dimming options, can cast gentle pools of light. This can accentuate the focus to this area while providing spillover light to the walls and washing the whole room with pleasant light.

Accentuate and decorate a kid's room with rope lighting. For kids rooms rope lighting can create wonderful accent to a nicely decorated bedroom. You can buy them in shapes and themes such as: submarines, cars, hearts, stars and more. Not only will this add a nice accent and touch; colorful lights can be used at night for children afraid of sleeping in complete darkness.

Practical Ceiling Lighting

Ceiling lighting fixtures are primarily meant to hold bulbs in position, directing light in the desired direction. They come in a variety of designs, shapes, sizes, types and ranges. A ceiling lighting fixture should be chosen in accordance with specific requirements like the amount of light it diffuses or disperses, direct or diffused lighting requirements, maintenance requirements, installation cost, overall style of the space, etc.

One should always look for lighting fixtures that maximize the light efficiency of the bulbs. An unwise buy based purely on the exterior beauty might absorb too much of the bulb’s light or emit light to the cavities in the ceiling. Efficiency specification of ceiling lighting fixtures should be considered while making a purchase. Apart from that, one should remember that specific lighting fixtures are meant for specific bulbs and the lighting fixtures should be checked for these criteria during a purchase.

The overall look and style of the space should be taken into account, so that a ceiling lighting fixture complements and accentuates the look. A huge chandelier looks out of place in a small space, just as a small chandelier is easily overlooked in a large space.

Indirect lighting fixtures should be chosen to avoid glare and visual fatigue formed by direct lights, especially in rooms with reflective surfaces and in offices with computers. A ceiling lighting fixture in the kitchen can house an energy-efficient florescent bulb.

Some of the ceiling lighting fixtures include fixtures for chandeliers, recessed lighting fixtures, indirect lighting fixtures, florescent ceiling light fixtures, energy efficient ceiling lighting fixtures, flush mounted, semi-flush mounted and track or monorail lighting. Their style can range from traditional, conventional, trendy and stylish, rustic, Victorian, Tiffany, tropical and many more.

They can present a wide array of finishes. While installing ceiling lighting fixtures it is important to measure the height of the fixtures from the floor. Depending on the height, a suitable lighting fixture should be chosen. Ceiling lightings and fixtures can be used in hallways, patios, foyers, stairways, task areas, and bedrooms.

Cooling and Lighting at the Flick of a Switch

Some people are afraid of changing a light bulb on a ceiling fan light fixture. But let me assure you, it's as easy as replacing any other light bulb. Of course, you should take all precautions regarding electrical hazard. The best thing is to switch off the power at the main breaker panel.

Again, be sure that power is off before you change any lamps in it. Some light fixtures are easier to access than others; keep a screw driver handy, as you may need to loosen the glass globe(s) before reaching the lighting fixture.

Ceiling fans have evolved from the simple spinning ceiling fan. Today, you can find models with integrated heating, temperature sensing adjustable speeds, and light fixtures. Even if you're comfortable dealing with electric wiring, installing some of the more complex models can be quite daunting - still, it's something that you can still do yourself, provided you take the time to read through all the step by step instructions.

Soon you'll be enjoying a refreshing breeze and a pleasing ambient light.

Monte Carlo Ceiling Fans - Simply the Best!

Owning a Monte Carlo ceiling fan is somewhat different from owning a cheap brand-less fan. This is a company with a long reputation in building high quality ceiling fans. For over 80 years, they have offered a large array of fan styles, to match every décor, always keeping the excellence of their products. This is one of those products you can buy without a second thought.

Whatever setting you might be looking for, Monte Carlo will surely have a matching ceiling fan model. For indoor and outdoor use, with or without integrated lighting, there are dozens of different models at your disposal. You can also rest assured that Monte Carlos will gladly provide you with any parts you may need to replace your fan in the future – that’s one more reason to trust this excellent company.

Whether you choose the simplest model, or the most ornately worked one, your Monte Carlo ceiling fan will be part of your life from the very first moment you turn it on. Working without problems, doing its job quietly, you might not even remember it's there – but if for any reason you didn’t have it, you’d surely miss it.

Elegant Trends

Looking for an elegant design to compliment your home?

Our new Sebastian Collection captures Classic Old World styling, elongated composition and a Colton Bronze finish with gold highlights and incredible details found within the Sebastian collection. A lost wax casting technique created the intricate ironwork pattern. The pattern follows through onto the Distressed Antique-Etched glass showcasing a sensational hand-stenciled, filigree design.

Our Sebastian Collection is offered in just the right types to enrich your home:


Chandiers range 7, 9 and 15 light.
Flush Mount fixtures are available in small, medium and large.
Semi-Flush fixture 3 light.
Wall Sconce 1 Light.


View the entire collection at a glance.

Dark Skies Lighting Fixtures

It looks different than when you were a kid or you think the stars have lost their intensity, the problem is most likely urban sky glow or ”light pollution.”

Poor or ineffective outdoor lighting fixtures are the source of urban sky glow and the problem is no longer relegated to area in and around major cities. It is the cumulative result of over-lighting at malls, gas stations, parks and residential neighborhoods around the country.

Neighborhood friendly outdoor lighting fixtures prevent urban sky glow which come from glare, light trespass and wasted light that spills to the side and upward. This glare interferes with our ability to see the stars and galaxies; to enjoy the night as it once was.

Outdoor Lighting Types and Function

When choosing outdoor lighting for your home, consider the overall appearance of your home. For example, how are the lighting fixtures going to look from the curb, the driveway and the front door? Too few lights can get lost and fixtures that are too small may not produce enough light on a larger home. Too many lights or overly large fixtures can look mismatched and glaring on a smaller home. Outdoor lighting should create a comfortable, safe and secure lighting experience.

Types of Outdoor Lighting:

Post Mounted fixtures
These are used to illuminate an entrance/pathway or near a driveway to make locating the driveway safer and easier. Posts come in a variety of colors and are purchased separately from the light fixture.

Wall Mounted fixtures
These can be used at any exterior door around the home including garage, basement, back and side doors, adding safety and security around entrances. Larger homes and homes with larger front entrances lend themselves to larger fixtures and/or to a fixture on each side of the door. Smaller homes and single doors are better suited with smaller lanterns or a single lantern. Lanterns are best hung just above eye level or at least 66” from the ground.

Ceiling Mounted fixtures
An excellent option for entrances with a porch to help more adequately light the area.

Hanging Fixtures
Grand entrances and tall porches lend themselves to hanging fixtures. As a general guideline most Pendants should be hung 84” from the floor. Lamps and Chandeliers specifically made for outdoor use are becoming a popular decorative accent to outdoor porches, pools, cabanas and other covered outdoor spaces. A fixture suited for outdoor use will have a rating of Damp Location for covered areas and a rating of Wet Location for completely exposed areas.

Accent lighting
Comes in many designs including down light, flood light, mini-accent and well lighting. Accent lighting highlights landscaping, trees, architecture and more.

Deck lighting
Step and rail Step lighting makes using stairs safer and easier by reducing shadows. Rail lighting adds ambiance and safety for night gatherings. Post mounted fixtures can be used to highlight a deck and also increases comfort and ambiance during evening use.

Garden Path Lighting
Adds a decorative element and makes for a safe pathway for you and your family.