Classic Interior Lighting

The first thing to understand as you think about your interior lighting is the types of lighting that are available. Experts generally group lighting into three categories: general, task and accent. General lighting provides an area with overall illumination. Task lighting gives you the light you need to accomplish a specific task, such as reading or cooking. Accent lighting creates visual interest, generally by highlighting an object.

Next, and in conjunction with understanding the types of interior lighting, you have to ask yourself this question – what are you going to do in this room? Is this a family room where people will gather to talk, read or relax? Is it a working area where lots of tasks will be carried out (think kitchen/dining area)? Knowing the answer this question will inform your lighting decisions.

Once you know how the room will be used, you can begin the fun of choosing fixtures. This is where creativity can play a big part. Chandeliers are traditionally a dining room fixture but many designers choose to add them to bedrooms, foyers or even living rooms. They will give you overall illumination. Wall sconces are decorative fixtures. Illuminating upwards and they add a splash of light which can be a dramatic accent in a room. Illuminating downwards and they spotlight a cherished object. Pendant lights, as you’d expect from the name, hang from the ceiling. Anywhere you need task lighting, a pendant light might be the answer. They prove particularly popular choices for the kitchen and with a seemingly endless variety of shades and globes, you can let your personal style shine. Track lighting can provide both general or task illumination for an entire room. This makes it a popular choice for the family room. Ceiling lighting or recessed lighting is ideal for use in hallways and stairways. Fluorescent light fixtures can be perfect for the kitchen. The variety of housing for fluorescent lights means that your kitchen won’t look like an office! Fluorescent light can be general, in other words placed overhead or task, as in under the cabinet lighting to illuminate countertops.

As you can see, the types of fixtures seem endless! Let’s end with a few general rules. When you begin to design the interior lighting, start high as in the ceiling. Ceiling fixtures can be chandeliers, track lights, hanging pendant lights or lights recessed flush into the ceiling. Make sure that you’re sure before you install them because it’s not so easy or cheap to move ceiling light fixtures. Next we move to the floor level. Lamps such as table lamps, floor lamps, and torchieres can add general light, task and accent light to a room. Talk about versatile! Lastly, consider the walls. Do you want a sconce? Is there something in the room that you want to highlight or a spot that needs a splash of light? Again, consider carefully how this fixture blends with the overall light design. Once you’ve looked at all three – ceiling, floor and wall – you will have a great gameplan for your interior lighting. Thanks for reading.

There is a reason why chandeliers are a traditional lighting choice for the dining room. It goes back to Medieval times. At that point in history, lighting technology had only gotten as far as candlelight. So the candle chandelier was a huge technological breakthrough. It is hard sometimes to think of something as basic as a chandelier being high-tech, but it was.

Heating was also primitive, so houses, even for rich people tended to be simple affairs with a main room on the ground floor and a sleeping loft upstairs. So everything happened in the main room — eating, mending, talking. You need the best lighting available in your main room, right?

Gradually as all the home technologies improved and houses got bigger, chandeliers migrated with the dining area. Food, light, warmth — they seemed like a good combination to keep together. In today’s world, dining rooms have gotten another makeover. In many homes we do everything but dining in the dining room. The kids do homework; games get played; crafts get created… The dining room is, however, always ready for a dinner party or romantic evening for two.

That’s why chandeliers continue to be an outstanding choice for the dining room. They give off nice strong light which is perfect for tasks like homework, email or scrapbooking. They can set the elegant ambiance when complimented by a beautifully set table, crystal sparkling in the reflected light.

Chandeliers should not be the only light source in the dining room, however. All good lighting design needs balance. If the chandelier is set to offer bright light, it will not be the right lighting for a dinner party. The opposite is true, of course. One can’t do homework by the dim light of the “romantically” lit dining room!

Homeowners have a universe of lighting choices these days. Any taste, any style and you can find the chandelier for you.
Whether you choose a deer antler chandelier or a black chandelier (to name two of the more dramatic styles) just remember that it is only part of your overall lighting plan for the room.

Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:

1. The chandelier defines the space. Chandeliers first, then accent lights.
2. The chandelier should have a diameter 12″ less than width of table. The bottom should be 30″ above table.
3. If your ceiling is nine feet or higher, buy a two-tier style chandelier it will fill the space perfectly.
4. Go with a dimmer switch. You have more control over the mood this way.
5. As we say over and over again here at Classic Interior Lighting, good light design is layered. The chandelier is the focal point, but bring in other light sources. Perhaps sconces or an accented floor lamp.

	Designers Edge L-2552PW
	Royce Lighting RL014SM 12 inch height – 8 inch length
	World Imports Lighting… WI6131806 Solid Brass construction
	Westinghouse 64830 6483000 Mission lighting never looked better.

We recently decide to upgrade our porch light. It was probably an original installation and in a house this old, it was time for an upgrade. It’s funny that when we bought the place we thought about the inside lighting but not the outdoor lighting fixtures. There was only a single light and the front door could use some extra illumination. The existing fixture is wide, and I like that. It is easy to clean and very easy to replace the bulb when it burns out. But it’s been burning out more frequently and so it was time to just get some new wiring out there.

I know with good lighting design that we should have a sconce on either side of the front door. That will give maximum illumination and the feeling of welcoming to guests. The placement of the lights should be high enough to shine on people’s faces without being so high that it is mostly shadows. Somewhere around 5 and
a half feet for the outdoor sconce height should be adequate.

You can go higher of course. Part of that decision hinges on the height of your windows, the placement of shrubs and hedges and of course, your own aesthetic sense. The other big part of the decision lies with the outdoor wall sconce itself. How big is it? How long? If you have a small footprint fixture, you will need to adjust the height placement.

We finally found some that we liked.We spent some time at the local Home Depot. I looked at all the different styles and the prices. The selection of outdoor sconces kind of surprised me. That is silly, I know considering this website, but I guess I just hadn’t looked that closely. I have found out the hard way that I shouldn’t buy the first light fixture that strikes my fancy. I took some pictures and went back home to look at the front door with fresh eyes. That is another important part to do: Before you buy, consider how those outdoor wall lights are going to look from the street. You may love that carriage style sconce, but is it too big for your house? It will look odd at best and comical at worst.

You also need to consider how much power you need from the light itself. If you have a dark street or a dark house, you’ll need not a more powerful light, but multiple lights. A single powerful light can make things worse instead of better. Here’s an example of just that very thing. The light is so bright that it actually makes the dark darker. It can cause some momentary blindness for guests and make functions like navigating steps dangerous. This is a worse case scenario, but it is important to educate yourself on the pitfalls of choosing the wrong outdoor lanterns for your home.

Once you have the practical concerns nailed down, you can think of the fun stuff – what kind of sconce is going to tell the world about your personal style? There are the standard classic styles — Craftsman and Mission and Lodge-style and Carriage House. And then there are the modern and contemporary designs. While you can put a Craftsman outdoor sconce on an adobe house, it would flow better to have a design that pulls in some Southwestern flavor. With our 60s style day ranch, we decide to go safe and simple. The two medium sized lanterns on either side of the door use 60 watt bulbs. It is bright without being overpowering and energy efficient.

Anyone who is ready to replace outdated lights with new and improved fixtures should consider a specialty company like Feiss. Feiss Lighting offers some of the best in home lighting products — whether you’re looking for interior or exterior lighting. They produce beautiful fixtures for every room in your house. They have been producing designs in chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, pendants and bathroom lighting for over 50 years. Known for impeccable craftsmanship and for being pioneers in the field of home lighting, Feiss offers high quality products. If you want quality and you are not afraid to pay for it, take a look at the selection.

Like many specialty stores, Feiss Lighting is also about providing high quality customer service. They have free shipping and free returns. They offer a three-day delivery and they back it up with an amazing offer. If the fixture is not there in three days, they will give you $100! They also offer a one year additional warranty and lower prices. In addition to their excellent shipping policy, your products will be safely and professionally packaged to ensure they are intact when they arrive.

This lighting company has a huge selection, with light fixtures that will be at home in every room in your house. They have a great selection of handsome porch lights and lamp posts, as well as just the outdoor sconce you were looking for! They will give you the most options for designs, quality and service available. Their specially trained design team creates products just for the Feiss company.

Decorating your home is a fun thing to do. And when you pick out your lighting fixtures, you will want something that is not just beautiful, but will last as well. Using Feiss lighting in your home is about luxury for an affordable cost. It’s about world reknown craftsmanship. Make your home beautiful and something to be proud of.

The Feiss Lighting company has the highest quality lighting fixtures around. There are hundreds of designs to choose from. You can even look for closeout fixtures as well. Feiss lamps and sconces will add elegance and grace to your rooms, and last a lifetime. When looking to decorate your home, make sure you buy from a company that has many designs, great service, quality and a good reputation.

When you are thinking about a bathroom remodel, you have to first of all, think long and hard about even doing the remodel. It is one of the most stressful things you can do. Do you have the time and money to devote to the project? How big of an inconvenience will this be for you and your family?

If you have satisfactorily answered those questions, let’s move on to the fun part of the remodel — the bathroom lighting fixtures! Modern bathrooms demand several types of fixtures.

Gone (thank goodness!) are the days of a single bulb over the sink. We have layers of lighting to play with, including my new favorite — floorboard lighting strips. They are more for ambiance than anything, but they double nicely as a night light.

Layers. We talk about them a lot here at CIL, but for god reason. Think about the functions of the average modern bathroom. You have the obvious function, and then showering, relaxing in the tub, grooming and cleaning. Those five things all have different lighting needs. Relaxing in the tub should be a soft light experience, whereas you need strong task lighting for grooming tasks.

The key with bathroom lighting is to pick out fixtures that compliment each other. The task light should go with the ceiling lights and the vanity lights.

By go with, I mean the style and finish of the bathroom light fixtures themselves should be complimentary. They do not have to match. But you should not mix chrome with nickle or brass. Certainly contemporary bathroom lighting allows for a more playful interpretation of these rules, but even so, a mismatch of finishes for the fixtures would be unfortunate.

Here is my checklist of bathroom lighting:
• Bathroom ceiling light (exhaust fan should be wired on a separate switch!)
• Shower light
• Vanity light or task lighting for the sink
• Wall sconce or small table light

Maybe not every bathroom needs all of these bathroom lights, it really depends on your budget and the size of your bathroom. With a larger bathroom, one that can accommodate a garden tub, you will want to make sure that you work within these general guidelines. One of the pleasures of modern life is relaxing in the tub after a hard day’s work. You want the lighting to help soothe you, not create shadows or harsh lighting.

Black chandeliers are not only outstanding, but they add both elegance and sophistication to any room.  You do not need to limit yourself to hanging them over the dining table either. They are suitable for any room, although you may need to tailor the size of the chandelier to the size of your room.

A black chandelier can come in many different designs. Some black chandeliers are so named because the frame that the lighting hangs on is black. Others have black crystals hanging down. Both types are interchangeably called ‘black chandeliers’ and while this may initially be a little confusing when first researching about them, once you realize the differentiation between the two you can soon narrow your search down to exactly what you are looking for.

The black crystal chandelier is stunning no matter what the setting. Normally, most chandeliers are made with clear crystals however those made with black crystals can be equally as dazzling, though you will not be likely to see the same rainbow effect that you do when light shines through clear crystals. Black does tend to absorb both heat and light to some extent, so you may need to experiment a little with the actual lighting to ensure that you are able to attain the level of brightness you are looking for. It is usually a good idea to set a dimmer switch on black chandelier lighting as that makes it much easier to manage your mood lighting.

A black chandelier light does not need to be expensive either. There are many different sizes of chandeliers, as well as a multitude of designs. While some cost literally hundreds of dollars other smaller lights can be picked up at a much cheaper price. Of course, if it is for your dining or living room you will want to show it off so you should choose one that is the right sized in comparison to the size of your room.

With so many choices when it comes to finding the right black chandelier you should not have too much trouble finding what you need. You can shop online or at local lighting stores, both are likely to have something that is within your price range and that suits your taste.

Nothing could make you more close to the countryside than antler lighting. It was back in the old days when everyone counted on a lighting system that was economical in space yet provided enough luminance in the home. The chandelier was born and many designs came out. The large ones that were of metal hung from castle ceilings. This is still evident in famous castles that are preserved to serve as landmarks. Other simpler styles were those made of wood used by the common folk inside the home.

Today antler lighting fixtures are not limited to expensive, heavy chandeliers. A more environmentally friendly version came out courtesy of countryside folks who found shed off deer antlers in the wilderness and crafted these to make useful lighting fixtures. Such fixtures became a trend and now it is a large industry that caters to various venues around the globe. Even faux antler lighting has its place – its a lot cheaper than the real thing for one, and a moulded antler light fixtures are also a great deal lighter!

Antler light fixtures are expensive despite it being a material made of compact animal hair. Yes, it is compacted animal hair, and not bone. So being fur, it does grow back on the deer to be shed off again after some time. Those who build these sort of fixtures will just be there to send out people to gather the raw material and turn it to magnificent works of art that is functional at the same time.

For those of you trying to look for a hobby, you might want to try this out. All you need is some imagination, the antlers, some knowledge about electrical wiring, the proper tools and equipment, and you’re off to a good start of starting your hobby or possibly a flourishing business.

Antler lighting fixtures can get expensive. The prices can range from a hundred dollars to thousands depending on the design of the lighting centerpiece. After you see it hanging in your home, however, you might just think it’s worth every penny.

Having a gooseneck floor lamp at home has a lot of advantages.  These lamps have features that make them distinct when compared to the customary, old-school table lamps. A gooseneck floor lamp can twist, flex and elongate, which is why it was named as such.  Gooseneck lamps are equipped with a neck that stretches at a certain length.  This particular aspect is what makes the lamps unique.  It adjusts depending upon the user’s needs, unlike a steady one up on your ceiling or the lamp atop your bedside table.  You can have it nearer, if you want to focus on a reading material or a hobby such as knitting, or flex the neck to have its light bounce upon a wall to accentuate a portrait.

In the bedroom setting, if you happen to share a room with someone, come bedtime, you can still enjoy reading without having to worry about your roommate, who cannot sleep with the lights on.  Just put the floor lamp to good use by positioning it directly upon your book, as your companion dozes off. Gooseneck floor lamps provide specific but ample lighting.  They were intended not just to provide illumination, but a sense of pleasure as well, because of their attractiveness.  They have veered away from the norms of traditional furniture design.

Modern-chic is the current choice of today when it comes to furniture. With stores overloaded with home improvement materials and television filled with programs about home improvement such as Extreme Makeovers: Home Edition – people get stuffed with a lot of home improvement ideas. This type of lamp is slowly making its way towards the list of home staples, even though it flies in the face of the norm. Lighting designs have progressed way beyond ceiling lighting.  Imagine having a light source coming from the floor. That is the magic of the gooseneck floor lamp – a contemporary design to provide an ancient function.

Kitchen lighting is very important because you really need to be able to see well to prepare food properly. It’s also a place where you gather and talk about the day. The lighting needs to be adequate, but you’ll also want it to be beautiful to match the decor of the room. One great option for kitchens is a chandelier. There are some things to consider before you purchase one, to make sure that you make the right choice for your home and your preferences.

Chandeliers can be simple or they can be elaborate. Your personal likes and dislikes should have a great deal to do with the chandelier that you choose, but you also have to think about how you use your kitchen and where the fixture is located. A hanging fixture like a chandelier that’s too close to the stove or cooktop is going to get much dirtier and greasier than one that’s situated across the room. You have to consider location because it will determine how often you need to clean it to keep it looking good.

Kitchen chandeliers that have the potential to get dirty and greasy also have the potential to be stained if you have fabric shades, for instance. A chandelier with fabric shades marred by grease spots isn’t going to look good, while a chandelier that’s metal or glass and easy to wipe off will stay looking new for years. These are important things to consider before you make a purchase.

You also might want to consider how well the chandelier fits into the room’s theme. If you love that four-tiered, crystal chandelier but you have a very simple country kitchen, you’ll want to find another room in your home where a more elaborate light fixture will look good. You can still find a chandelier that will work, but look for something rustic or with a country feel that looks like it was meant to be in your kitchen.

This time of year people really notice outdoor lighting. We spend a lot more time outdoors and if you have poor quality lighting, it shows! If your guests are peering hard at their hamburgers to make sure about what they are eating, you know that you need some extra illumination.

Alice wrote a while back about outdoor sconces and it seemed like a good time to revisit the topic. Outdoor lighting doesn’t have to be painful — not if you remember to turn off the electricity first! Ha. But really, there are so many varieties of outdoor lighting fixtures that you will have no trouble finding the right one for your style of house. It is certainly easiest if you have a fixture that you just want to replace. You can spruce up the patio or porch with a new light, easy. You can spend about $50 and get a nice serviceable outdoor wall sconce at a home improvement store. You can spend more — if your pocketbook allows — and get an unusual design or even a custom made piece. I always say that if you can afford it, you should go for it! It’s nice to have a unique design gracing your home.

Whatever style you choose, there are a few key things to make sure you get the right outdoor sconce for your needs. As with any lighting design, think layers. Is this going to be the only source of light for the area? That is fine if we’re talking about the front porch or something like that. If you are wanting to illuminate the patio and have it be a functional outdoor room for the summer, you will need more than just one outdoor wall lights, my friend. If wiring and the cost of additional wiring is part of the equation for you, you may want to consider outdoor lanterns. What is nice about lanterns is the power source. Of course you can get wired ones, but in general you will use batteries or candles to power up the lanterns. If you entertain infrequently, this might be a viable option for you. After all, you won’t spend the equivalent of wiring costs in batteries if you use the lanterns three or four times a year.

If you are serious about using the patio or deck as an outdoor room, then think about getting a bid on wiring for the backyard. If you do it right, and plan it our carefully, it won’t cost very much and you can have a lovely spot to entertain friends or relax with the spouse.

When you think about remodeling your living room or bedroom, what comes to mind? Paint, wallpaper, living room or bedroom furniture, new carpet, curtains etc. What do you think about the lighting? A new lampshade perhaps? Beyond that have you ever considered the impact of really good lighting as a way of transforming your room to look like something out of a magazine. The power of good lighting, as any woman over forty will tell you, is everything!

Ceiling lights are the ambiance lights of a room. Traditionally, we think of them as the only source of lighting and they are a good place to start when a lighting scheme is being planned. Your ceiling lighting can be a dramatic statement, a feature piece or a subtle, elegant backdrop that enhances your room from behind the scenes.

In rooms with low ceilings a good solution is to use a flush mount antique ceiling light for your scheme to create an illusion of light and space. If you have a high ceiling room, you can choose from many different styles of pendant light. A fabulous light shade or Tiffany ceiling light fixture may be what you are looking for. Perhaps you want a chandelier; having become incredibly popular over the last ten years, they now come in all shapes, sizes and concepts so one is bound to fit your interior design scheme.

Pendant ceiling lighting also lends itself to creating small oases of light in a room if used with imagination and flair. Groups of low hung pendant lights in the corner room create impact and ambiance especially if used with a dimmer switch. One great idea for the bedroom is two low hung ceiling lights fitted either side of the bed instead of bedside lights. As long as you like your bed where it is, this is a great way to create atmosphere in a room and frees up your bedside table space. If you like entertaining do the same with low pendant ceiling lighting in the dining room to create cosy pools of light over the dining table. Don’t make them too low to avoid obscuring your guests!

So get creative and bold with your lighting scheme and don’t be afraid to break the mold when it comes to using ceiling lighting in your home.

Are you looking for a great ceiling fixture that can improve the overall look of your home? If so, then why not consider the integration of a brushed nickel chandelier? This stunning and magnificent lighting fixture has already graced numerous households over the years. Its style and form have evolved ever since  it emerged on the market. A chandelier is an elegant lighting option that can certainly make a big difference to the visual appeal a room. Moreover, it offers an excellent way to add character to any type of space. No matter where you place this lighting fixture, it will never fail to introduce a unique sense of style and sophistication.

Chandeliers that are polished with attractive brushed nickel finish are without a doubt a stylish addition to one’s home. If you have a room with a lot of personality but it just needs that little something special, brushed nickle could be just the right touch.

But before you actually make your pick, it would be a good idea to do an extensive market research to find out what are the available options for you. When you shop for this kind of chandelier, you’ll soon find out that they come in many different styles, designs, and features.As you can imagine, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the available choices. To ensure that you’ll come up with an informed buying decision, you have to take note of the following criteria:

• Budget – First and foremost, you need to set a reasonable budget. Bear in mind that buying a chandelier is a serious investment. Hence, you certainly would want to spend your money wisely. In order to find the best deals available, it would be a smart move to canvass different stores so you can conveniently compare their prices. Doing so will allow you to find the shop that has the most reasonable offer.
• Area of installation – It is critical that you consider the area where you intend to install the chandelier. Will you be placing it in your living room, guest room, patio, or hallway? The overall dimension of the room will affect the size of the chandelier that you need to purchase. For instance, if you have to light up a spacious room, then you have to acquire a big brushed nickel chandelier.
• Style – This is yet another important factor that you have to look into when buying this kind of chandelier. Like with other lighting fixtures, such as the red chandeliers, chandeliers polished with brushed nickel are available in varying styles. That said, you have to choose one that will complement the look and feel of the room where it will be installed.

Be sure to bear the aforementioned criteria in mind so that you’ll find the brushed nickel chandelier that will complete your decor.

Bathrooms can go from drab to “fab” with a few innovative decorating accents that will aid the process. Many people think of new cabinets or shelving to fix up their bathroom space. An illuminated mirror can brighten up bathroom space and serve as an attractive centerpiece for any bathroom.

Some people are using these popular mirrors to reduce bathroom electricity and to open up space for smaller bathrooms. Others use them as a focal point of their bathroom home improvement project because it draws attention and makes the bathroom look fancy and inviting.  No matter what the reason, illuminated mirrors for bathrooms can accentuate any bathroom, big or small.

Lighted bathroom mirrors come in many crafted styles and shapes, including popular rectangular and oval configurations. Some lights are discreetly woven into the mirror design, while others have more prominent lighting on the top or sides of the mirror. Decorating a bathroom can look effortless when you choose a lighted mirror online and, when it arrives, mount it to enhance the bathroom look.

The stylish details of the illuminated mirror provide maximum lighting quality with alluring designs. The mirrors come in a variety of styles and with a number of practical features to choose from. For instance there are mirrors that open up into cabinets or have glass shelving attached. Modern, traditional and designer styles are featured on a host of internet sites that focus on bathroom décor.

Homeowners also need to make sure the proper grounding and voltage requirement are strictly followed to avoid any electrical hazards. This all-important detail will help ensure the illuminated bathroom mirror will be a safe, decorative piece that adds pizazz to any bathroom. Give a room an illuminated makeover with great bathroom lighting using an LED illuminated bathroom mirror. They are affordable and easy to install, so you’ve got no excuse!