Outdoor Lighting

Don walks you through how to light the exterior of your home, and why you should do it.

Make a Dramatic Home Improvement with a Small Budget

Do some of your light fixtures look like they are fugitives from another era, and are certain rooms in your home better looking with the lights off? If so, it’s time to do something about it.

Small changes with regards to lighting can make a dramatic improvement in the look and feel of your home, and they don’t cost much to do. Here are some ideas from the experts at LightingShowplace.com -- a company that over the past 13 years has helped more than one million customers with their projects -- on how to dress up your home in an instant, starting at the front door.

Front Door

When you drive up to your home at night, what do you see? If the answer is “not much,” then you should replace your front entry light with a lamp that gives off more light. A well lit front entrance says ‘Welcome,’ while at the same time enabling you to greet guests and identify visitors. Not only will updating your lighting improve the look of your home from the street, it will enhance your sense of security because the front door will be better lit.

If you have a single lantern next to the door, consider replacing it with matching wall lanterns to give the home a warm look, while assuring the safety of those who enter. For homes with a porch or overhang, you have even more options: a recessed, chain-hung or ceiling fixture.

The Dining Room

Want to dress up your dining room without spending a small fortune on new furniture? Simply painting those plain white walls and switching out the chandelier hanging over the table will make a dramatic difference.

Not sure what color to go with? Here’s a guideline from the National Kitchen and Bath Association on what some of the most popular colors can do:

Soft yellows can be cheering and make individuals feel sunny. Bright yellow can be used as an accent that attracts attention and helps to brighten a room.

Green is the ultimate pacifier. Often associated with nature, it is both relaxing and reassuring. Pale yellow-greens conjure images of growth while deep greens are associated with status and wealth.

Blue arouses feelings of freshness, coolness and relaxation. In lighter hues, blue is airy and open, while dark blues represent wealth, strength and respect, evoking the feelings of reassurance in individuals.

Red attracts attention, causes excitement, and even raises blood pressure. Intense red is stimulating; however, it can also be distracting in large amounts. Red is associated with wealth and sophistication, while high value reds (pinks) can make people feel good about the way they look.

Once you choose a paint color, move on to the task of replacing your plain, boring fixture with one that gives the room more of a “wow” factor. For a look of opulence, you may want to go with a crystal chandelier. For a more contemporary look, consider a fixture that features softened and rounded lines. If you’re going for a modern look, you’ll want something with polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry, while the rustic look reflects the visual patterns found in nature.

Adding a floor lamp in the corner of the room that fits the same theme will help you really dress up the room. It will make those extra chairs resting near the wall a more inviting place to hang out while people are waiting for the meal to be ready.

The Bathroom

And if your bathroom still looks like it’s circa 1970 with dark paint and globe lights around the mirror, choose a lighter paint color and swap out the fixtures for a bold new look.

An ideally lit bathroom will have a fixture above the mirror with usually two, three, four or more bulbs. This fixture will provide overhead and top of the features lighting. The next type of fixture you will need to achieve a well lit bathroom are scones. One sconce on either side of the mirror will help avoid shadows and fill in the rest of your face and neck properly. Most bathrooms will require additional flush mount ceiling lighting in the toilet area or center of the room to fill the entire room properly with light.

When it’s time to start shopping for fixtures, you don’t need to spend a lot of time running from lighting store to lighting store. To get an idea of the latest looks available, just log on to www.lightingshowplace.com, and you’ll have access to an online catalog with hundreds of fixtures to choose from. You can shop by brand, collection of style and once you find a look you like, the site makes it easy for you to pair up matching pieces.

According to Daniel Auer of LightingShowplace.com, customers come to his online store for three key reasons. “They come to us because they know they can find quality merchandise at a good price, that they can expect the products to be delivered quickly, and that they’ll have all their questions answered either in the informational articles on our Web site, or on the phone when they talk to one of our customer service representatives.”

Auer adds that unlike box stores which typically hire people who aren’t familiar with all the brands and products they sell, his customer service personnel can answer any question the customer has, and they will offer a quick response via e-mail or phone.

Whether you’re ready to shop for your lighting needs today, or just looking for ideas that will jump start your project, log on to http://www.lightingshowplace.com/.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Install Kitchen Countertop Lighting

Brighten up dark countertop spaces with an under-cabinet light fixture. Watch how to install a light fixture and hide the cords.

Get More Out of Your Entertainment Room with the Proper Lighting

They say the kitchen is the most used room in the house, but if you were to sit down and tally up all the waking hours you spend in your home, you’d likely find the majority of them are spent in the entertainment room.

After all, that’s where the TV, movie player, stereo, bar and most of the kids’ toys are kept. It’s also the room where you bring guests when you entertain; but how efficient is the lighting you have in that room? Probably not very.

“Most people just have overhead lighting or maybe a couple of recessed cans in the ceiling in their entertainment rooms, but with so much going on in there, you really need a better plan,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and associate professor at the University of Kentucky.

He recommends that people start the process by making a list of the activities they plan to do in their entertainment room. These would likely include watching TV, sitting on the couch and reading a book, playing pool, hosting a party or playing with the kids. “With so many activities going on, you need to layer the light so you’ll have it where you need it,” says Rey-Barreau.

And here’s how to do it:

1. Start with general room lighting in the ceiling, which can be achieved either through a large fixture in the center of the room or recessed cans, and put them on a dimmer.

“Having the ability to dim the lights is critical for a lot of reasons,” says Henry Scott, general manager of Meletio Lighting and Electric in Dallas. “When you’re watching TV, you don’t want the light from above to contrast with what’s happening on the screen. Plus it gives you the ability to create ambiance in the room.”


2. Light the sitting areas with floor and table lamps.

When you’re sitting on the couch talking to someone or reading a book, you want the lighting to be bright and focused. You need to supplement the light from above that will be soft and scattered.


3. Add task and accent lighting to the bar and game table area.

For the bar area, you can do this by hanging two or three mini pendants from the ceiling, adding toe-kick lighting under the cabinets and below the bar stools, and illuminating the inside of cabinets to show off glassware and collectibles inside. “All three applications require similar low voltage, so you can put them all on a single transformer, which is nice,” says Rey-Barreau.

Over game tables, a popular option is to hang a special pool table lamp with three light sources that will work together to eliminate shadows. Toe-kick lighting under the table itself is also a popular addition.


4. Planning to do a lot of entertaining in the space? Phil Scheetz of Lutron Electronics in Coopersburg, Pa., recommends you put your lighting on a remote control system. “This will allow you to set the lighting in the room just right for any activity from the comfort of your easy chair,” says Scheetz. “With the click of a button you can turn on the wall scones or lights over the pool table, shine lights on photographs on the bookcase, or dim them for a movie; and at the same time, by going with a system like this, you’re reducing energy use and extending the life of your light bulbs.”


For more ideas on how to decorate the entertainment room, or any other room in the house with light, log on to the American Lighting Association’s Web site: http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/ or call (800) BRIGHT-IDEAS, that’s (800) 274-4484.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Swap a Light - Save Energy and Money

The Environmental Protection Agency says if every American changed just one light bulb to an Energy Star qualified bulb, we'd save enough energy to light 7 million homes. So what's the difference between a traditional incandescent bulb and an energy saving compact florescent?

Compact florescent light bulbs use 75 percent less energy than most standard bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. While the price of an Energy Star CFL may initially be greater, the EPA says the energy savings from the bulb more than makes up the difference. Using just one compact florescent can save you $30 on your energy bill over the course of a year. It's not just homeowners cashing in on the savings - corporations have begun getting in the act, as well.

The Bank of America Tower in Miami recently began switching to more efficient bulbs. When the town of Amherst, NY, updated some 100 buildings with - among other improvements - energy efficient lighting, the result was about three-quarters of a million dollars in savings each year.

This year, as part of Energy Star's annual "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, Sylvania is encouraging 100,000 people to make a pledge to replace at least one incandescent bulb with an Energy Star rated one. Consumers can log onto www.sylvania.com to take the pledge.

Handy Homeowners Can Add Natural Light Quickly

If you’re a homeowner with an area in your home that needs more natural light -- say a hallway, laundry room, closet, or a windowless bathroom -- an easy-to-install tubular skylight could be the answer. And if you’re one of the millions of handy do-it-yourselfers in America, you can handle the installation in a weekend morning. But even if you’re a little wary of cutting a hole in your perfectly good roof yourself, a reasonably priced installation by a professional can be easily arranged. Either way, you gain more passive natural light and a lower power bill.

Velux Sun Tunnel skylights bring passive natural light into the home and particularly into areas where traditional skylights aren’t needed or won’t fit. They capture light very efficiently through a clear, weatherproof dome on the roof. The light travels into the home through highly reflective tubing, ending at a diffuser in the ceiling that looks like a traditional in-ceiling light fixture. The units offer a choice of highly reflective rigid tubing between the roof and ceiling or flexible tubing to easily bypass HVAC equipment or other obstructions in the attic. They are less expensive than many traditional skylights and easier to install.

According to Tim Johnson, product manager with VELUX America, the skylights are available in a variety of models in 10”, 14” and 22” diameters for different spaces and lighting needs. “The installation process is very straight-forward,” Johnson says, “with many components pre-assembled right out of the box so a handy homeowner can handle the installation in two to three hours.”

The skylights are available at big box stores, building supply dealers, and specialty retail outlets. Optional light kits are available that install inside the tunnels for nighttime use.

And now is a particularly good time to consider upgrading existing skylights or adding new units to qualify for a tax credit of up to $200 under the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. Details are available at www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm.

For information on skylight selection and the benefits of natural light call (800) 283-2831 or visit www.veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit www.energystar.gov, and for independent agency information visit www.nfrc.org or www.efficientwindows.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Michelle Kaufmann and Flux, Inc. Launch Green Lighting Line

A leader in sustainable design, Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD) has made the leap from sustainable homes to sustainable home products.

In an effort to bring sleek, affordable, eco-friendly lighting to the industry, MKD has teamed up with Seattle-based industrial design studio, Flux Inc., to build a line of modern, energy efficient lighting fixtures. With one tenth of all electricity in the United States consumed by lighting, the sector represents a huge opportunity for conservation through new technologies like compact fluorescence and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).

First in the new series from MKD and Flux, VESSEL is a vase-like fixture designed as an entry way light or wall sconce. The tall, slender, steel and glass form features a secure mounting base that dramatically lights a large, durable, blown-glass vase from below. VESSEL not only casts light upward, illuminating the vase and its contents, but also downward, offering a great design solution for lighting house numbers or entry steps.

VESSEL is beautiful on its own, or filled with personal objects like colored glass marbles, polished stones, or dried flowers. Water brings life into the lit chamber of the vase. Add flowers, bamboo, or even goldfish (the fixture's efficiency will keep the water from getting hot!).

VESSEL is available with compact fluorescent lamping or an optional LED assembly and complies fully with ADA (American Disabilities Act.)

These lighting technologies:

• Last up to 15x longer than traditional, Edison-style bulbs.
• Use less than 1/5th of the energy of the old-fashioned bulbs.
• Produce light with a fraction of the heat of incandescent bulbs.
• Stand up to extreme weather conditions (-5F to 122F).

About Michelle Kaufmann Designs
In 2002, architect Michelle Kaufmann founded Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD) in an effort to bring thoughtful, sustainable buildings accessible to all.

MKD is a full service architectural and design firm that specializes in sustainable, innovative, high quality living. MKD is a proud partner of ENERGY STAR and is fully committed to creating highly efficient and healthy buildings. They have LEED accredited architects on staff and are a member of the US Green Building Council. MKD's mission: to make thoughtful, sustainable living accessible to all.

About Flux Inc.
Flux Incorporated is a Seattle-based industrial design studio founded by Bradley Sweek in 1994. The company specializes in building lighting products from modern forms with clarity and a thoughtful engagement of materials and craft. Flux designs and manufactures its products in-house from its 45,000 square foot, UL certified, fabrication plant south of downtown Seattle. Previous clients and design partners have included Dodd Mitchell, Marriott Hotels, Eddie Vedder, The Roosevelt Hotel and Sub Pop Records.

Sweek describes the relationship with MKD as a natural meeting of the minds, "Michelle Kaufmann's commitment to the long view has put her well ahead of the curve with the innovations and planning that make sustainable building practices the new norm. These are the values that energize us at Flux too. It's what makes it fun to go to work. We relished the opportunity to collaborate and learn from her leadership."

Source: PRWeb

Wiring Up a Light Fixture

Wiring up a light fixture saves time, prevents head injuries and provides extra light while working. AsktheBuilder.com host Tim Carter shows you how to wire up a light fixture to protect your light and yourself. In just a few simple steps you'll have no problems working around your light fixtures during a job.

Install Outdoor Lighting

DIY tips for installing an outdoor lighting fixture on your deck or patio.