One of the most Import things when it comes to your kitchen is your lighting. It helps you perform all the tasks such as cooking. There are several ways to light to light your kitchen for general lighting and task lighting.
The first thing you need to identify is what kind of lighting it is that you need in each particular area of your kitchen. Do you need task lighting or just general lighting. the first area we will identify is you bar or island. In this area you will need both general lighting as well as task lighting. This can be obtained in several ways the first is with a Island light. These are great because the spread the light over a long area and focus the downward for great task lighting. One thing that is also great about a Island light is that they can be very decorative like a chandelier to help spruce up your kitchen. Mini pendant lighting is a great way to also supply task lighting over your island. They great thing about mini pendant lighting is that it is fairly inexpensive and you can place these as close together or far apart as you would like.
The next area of your kitchen that we need to Identify is your dining area or nook. These areas would require more of a general light. This can be obtained with a small chandelier or a pendant light. These are great because they disperse the light instead of focus it on one area. A typical sized chandelier would be a 5-8 light chandelier. One rule of thumb that you want to follow with either one of these lighting options is that the light fixture should not be more than 2/3 the size of the table. It can make it look out of proportion.
Recessed can lighting has also become a great lighting tool in kitchens. These can be used for both types of lighting. For example if you place one directly over a kitchen sink it would be considered task lighting. If you spread them out over your kitchen layout it would be for more general lighting. Recessed can lighting is a very versatile product because there are so many variations of trims available that make the lights perform differently.
Another area that has become very popular to light is under your cabinets. This can be used to create task lighting or accent lighting depending on the placement of your lights. Many manufactures have made great products for this application that includes choices in xenon bulbs, and the latest technology in lighting led bulbs.
Last of all we should touch a little on accent lighting.This has become very popular in higher end kitchens for people who want to showcase a display cabinet or ad some ambiance to their kitchen. There are several ways to obtain this. One of these is with rope lighting that is tucked in the crown moulding of the cabinets or behind the wood word of frame. This can add beautiful high lights to your kitchen.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Value Of Great Outdoor Lights
Why do people "miss the boat" when it comes to picking outdoor lights for their home? Maybe its not the same in other parts of the country, but in the state where I live homeowners don't seem to understand the importance of their choice's in outdoor lighting. The lights that are on the front of your home are the main design feature that welcomes visitors to your home, and this is especially true at night. Very seldom do I see a home where the outdoor lights are the correct size, style, or color for that home. As I have stated in other articles it looks as tho the homeowners ran out of money, and/or desire to shop when these final design elements were picked. Another problem that may exist is the homeowner is just accepting the builders standard lighting package and calling it good. Your exterior lighting deserves more attention.
If your visitors enter your property by means of a driveway leading up to your garage and then proceed to the front porch along a sidewalk, where the entrance door is located, you need to consider this important fact. The side lights on the garage (most often one on each side of the overhead door/doors) will be the first impression someone has of your home, and very importantly provide the light needed for visitors to park and exit their cars. The porch lights will be the second impression of your home. You want that first and second impressions to be "Wow". And you also want to provide a safe place for guest to park and a safe path to the front door. It is my observation, and professional opinion, that 80 percent of homes out there are using garage and porch lights that are two small. Most lighting companies offer this type of light in a small, medium, and large size. Most homes are using the small size where at least the medium size should have been used, and in many cases the large should be the choice. It is important to note that the medium and large size lights also have more bulbs, which provides more light. If you have a very large home some companies even offer an extra large and jumbo size.
When choosing exterior lights, especially on the front of your home, size matters. The goal should be 1-Provide enough light, 2-choose lights that compliment the scale of your home. Is it possible to go too large? Yes, and I have seen this once, I think. This would be my suggestion on how to get it right: get some card board (boxes work great), cut, paste, glue, tape, or whatever it takes to fabricated a shape similar to the lights you have in mind (Internet stores are great resource to use because they provide excellent pictures and dimensions for lights, and great values I might add), then tape the cardboard structures in the correct locations on the outside of the home. Next, walk across the street and evaluate, possibly even take some pictures, you might even get some friends or relatives input. If the mailman is driving by get his opinion, he/she looks at homes all day long. I would suggest starting with the large size, then repeat the process stepping down to the medium size and if necessary then the small size . There are some added benefits to going through this process - if you are struggling with what finish color to go with you can even paint the cardboard the correct colors, and it is also a great time to decide what the placement should be. Is this going to be a lot of work you ask? probably, but it will pay off when the first visitor to your home says WOW the front of your home is gorgeous. Another thing , don't be frugal with the garage lights and porch lights. Other than the foyer chandelier they may be the most important design element of your home. If you are going to be frugal with the exterior lights do it with the ones on the back of the house. Don't be afraid to choose a light that adds some style, just be careful that they don't clash with other design elements of the home. For example: don't choose an ultra modern style light when the house is English Tutor. Exterior lighting now comes in many finishes most of which are very beautiful and provides the lighting shopper with many options. The other day I drove by a home that had white lights on a white brick home. It honesty looked like a dirty spot on the brick, I had to look twice before realizing they were lights. Most designers will use a design board with the brick, stone, siding, window trim pieces, etc. attached while making the decision on finish color of lighting, and this works great. If the home owner is the designer then steal some of there tricks, it is good practice to follow. Painting the cardboard, as in the process above talked about is another great method. The important thing is to put some thought into it.
I have been pretty opinionated in this article so it shouldn't be any surprise when I point out now of my favorite exterior brands and collections. It is produced by Troy Lighting Company, and they have many beautiful collections to choose from. I honestly believe they have some of the most well thought out and designed exterior lights on the market. Probably not the least expensive, but you are for sure getting good quality and value. I love the "BrookField" collection. The rich oil rubbed bronze finish complemented with small amounts of red and amber stained glass. I can definitely see the post lamp PAR6905OB setting in the front yard of my home.
For the most part I wrote this article hoping to maybe guide, or inspire those people building a new home, but, in the process if I have made the person already setteled into their home walk across the street and evaluate the exterior lighting of there home, then great. I hope what you see makes you say WOW.
If your visitors enter your property by means of a driveway leading up to your garage and then proceed to the front porch along a sidewalk, where the entrance door is located, you need to consider this important fact. The side lights on the garage (most often one on each side of the overhead door/doors) will be the first impression someone has of your home, and very importantly provide the light needed for visitors to park and exit their cars. The porch lights will be the second impression of your home. You want that first and second impressions to be "Wow". And you also want to provide a safe place for guest to park and a safe path to the front door. It is my observation, and professional opinion, that 80 percent of homes out there are using garage and porch lights that are two small. Most lighting companies offer this type of light in a small, medium, and large size. Most homes are using the small size where at least the medium size should have been used, and in many cases the large should be the choice. It is important to note that the medium and large size lights also have more bulbs, which provides more light. If you have a very large home some companies even offer an extra large and jumbo size.
When choosing exterior lights, especially on the front of your home, size matters. The goal should be 1-Provide enough light, 2-choose lights that compliment the scale of your home. Is it possible to go too large? Yes, and I have seen this once, I think. This would be my suggestion on how to get it right: get some card board (boxes work great), cut, paste, glue, tape, or whatever it takes to fabricated a shape similar to the lights you have in mind (Internet stores are great resource to use because they provide excellent pictures and dimensions for lights, and great values I might add), then tape the cardboard structures in the correct locations on the outside of the home. Next, walk across the street and evaluate, possibly even take some pictures, you might even get some friends or relatives input. If the mailman is driving by get his opinion, he/she looks at homes all day long. I would suggest starting with the large size, then repeat the process stepping down to the medium size and if necessary then the small size . There are some added benefits to going through this process - if you are struggling with what finish color to go with you can even paint the cardboard the correct colors, and it is also a great time to decide what the placement should be. Is this going to be a lot of work you ask? probably, but it will pay off when the first visitor to your home says WOW the front of your home is gorgeous. Another thing , don't be frugal with the garage lights and porch lights. Other than the foyer chandelier they may be the most important design element of your home. If you are going to be frugal with the exterior lights do it with the ones on the back of the house. Don't be afraid to choose a light that adds some style, just be careful that they don't clash with other design elements of the home. For example: don't choose an ultra modern style light when the house is English Tutor. Exterior lighting now comes in many finishes most of which are very beautiful and provides the lighting shopper with many options. The other day I drove by a home that had white lights on a white brick home. It honesty looked like a dirty spot on the brick, I had to look twice before realizing they were lights. Most designers will use a design board with the brick, stone, siding, window trim pieces, etc. attached while making the decision on finish color of lighting, and this works great. If the home owner is the designer then steal some of there tricks, it is good practice to follow. Painting the cardboard, as in the process above talked about is another great method. The important thing is to put some thought into it.
I have been pretty opinionated in this article so it shouldn't be any surprise when I point out now of my favorite exterior brands and collections. It is produced by Troy Lighting Company, and they have many beautiful collections to choose from. I honestly believe they have some of the most well thought out and designed exterior lights on the market. Probably not the least expensive, but you are for sure getting good quality and value. I love the "BrookField" collection. The rich oil rubbed bronze finish complemented with small amounts of red and amber stained glass. I can definitely see the post lamp PAR6905OB setting in the front yard of my home.
For the most part I wrote this article hoping to maybe guide, or inspire those people building a new home, but, in the process if I have made the person already setteled into their home walk across the street and evaluate the exterior lighting of there home, then great. I hope what you see makes you say WOW.
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