Home Lighting - the Lighting Blog

Using LED Lights To Brighten Your Garden

LED lights, which stands for light-emitting diode, use less energy than most other lights, come in an array of colors, and are less likely to burn out. They’re available in a variety of styles and are set in materials such as copper, brass, or aluminum as well as the ability to buy LED lights online or at your local home improvement store. The ways a homeowner can use this lighting is almost endless. They can basically be put into almost any size, shape, and style of container and not only look great, but are environmentally friendly, produce less heat, and use less electricity. The following are a few ideas to help make any lawn and garden look fantastic with LED lights.

Garden & Patio

Because LED lights come in a variety of colors, they can be used to create a color scheme in the garden. Strings of lights can be hung over the garden or tucked into the perimeter to accentuate different types of flowers and plants. Awning lights, European style cafe lights, and rope lighting can be used in backyard patios and screened in porches. Neon colored cubes with LED lights are both practical and decorative. They can be stacked in a variety of patterns or used for seating. The color and the brightness can be controlled and changed. Red, white, and blue cubes can be set around the patio for a Fourth of July party. The lights can be changed to pretty autumn colors for a Labor Day party. LED floralytes are small candle-like lights that can be used to decorate patio tables and picnic tables for outdoor dining.

Driveway

Garden Lighting: Contemporary Exterior Lighting for the Garden

Driveways and walkways are not only lit to enhance the beauty of the landscape but for safety. LED light bases can be set along the edges of the driveway and plants placed on each of them. Smaller lights can be set varying distances apart along the driveway. There are also lantern style LED lights that can be put into the ground a few inches beyond the perimeter of the driveway.

Ponds and Water Features

Using LED lights on the outer edges of ponds is a good way to keep the area well lit at night. For fountains and miniature waterfalls this lighting can create a mesmerizing glow, especially if using colored lights. LED balls that float in the pool add an elegant touch for evening swim parties.

Seasonal Uses

For people who love decorating for the holidays, LED lights can create a gorgeous ambiance for almost any holiday or occasion. Christmas lights around the outside of the house or in the trees will look beautiful. Red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July, and a variety of pink and red hues can be used for Valentine’s Day. LED ornaments shaped like snowballs and stars can be hung from tree branches and around window frames. Keep in mind that the lights don’t get warm enough to melt off snow. Depending on geography and the season, homeowners will need to keep the lights snow and ice free.

Lightbulb Wholesaler Inc is a leading supplier of quality LED light bulbs that are available in a variety of brands, shapes and sizes.

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Home Lighting under the Spotlight

When a person or a thing is being subject to close scrutiny it is common to say they are being placed “under the spotlight”. The spotlight, it would seem, is the device that will reveal any shortcomings, misdemeanours or general wickedness emanating from the subject of its attention below.

As spotlight, or a searchlight as it is called in some circumstances, is a piece of apparatus essentially comprising a bright light which can be swivelled around on its axis to focus sharply upon its subject. Its uses are plenty, but it is particularly widely used in the military, and also in the theatre.

In military campaigns the most obvious deployment of a spotlight would be to locate an enemy in the distance under conditions of darkness, especially perhaps during an air raid. However they have also been used as a weapon with which to dazzle the enemy in preparation for an attack, as well as to create “artificial moonlight” in order to facilitate a nocturnal assault.

Their use in war has not been beneficial on every occasion. Towards the end of the Second World War the advancing Soviet army directed searchlights at German forces across the Neisse River in an attempt to temporarily blind them, only for the fog to diffuse the light and to make silhouettes of the attackers, making them easier to spot. The Soviets suffered heavy losses as a direct consequence of this.

Spotlights at the theatre and in the home

In the theatre spotlights are widely used to create a pool of light on the stage. Their use was once particularly common for movie premieres, as a kind of visual fanfare proudly announcing the start of some special event.

Back in the earlier part of the twentieth century, and especially in the inter-war years, big political rallies were very popular and sometimes they attracted many thousands of people. When these were held at indoor venues spotlights were often used to good effect, both to highlight the speaker but also on occasions to draw attention to disruptors, making it easier for them to be identified and ejected.

Spotlights do also of course find popular usage in domestic lighting. Of particular value is the fact that their light source can frequently be redirected. Often they are to be found as a “strip”, with multiple units pointing simultaneously in different directions for maximum exposure.

When used for the purpose of home lighting the spotlight can be stark in the sense of lacking the ornate or decorative character of other light forms, but its effectiveness is actually targeted directly onto the subject.

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Freshen your Home with the Right Spring Lighting

Now that winter is slowly passing, the days are getting longer and we have more daylight hours to look forward to. Spring often has the effect of highlighting things in our home that may need freshening or replacing for the year ahead, after the long ‘battening down’ effect of the dark and cold winter.

Many of us also get the urge to redecorate and freshen our home decor palettes and furniture. Often it can seem as though a lot needs doing – but there are ways to create a fresh look and atmosphere in your home without spending a fortune; something of interest to most in these cash-strapped times!

Look at colours and shades

Spring demands a fresher and lighter colour palette. After the deep and comforting rich shades of Winter, most of us look for pastels, neutrals, whites and natural woods – brighter shades that reflect the increase of natural light outside and the re-emergence of spring flowers. Easy ways to freshen the home include painting walls a zingy new shade, re-wallpapering, putting up some lighter coloured curtains in a sheer or thinner fabric that’s more in keeping with the warmer days to come and packing away the warm, heavy and comforting winter items such as heavy throws, velvet cushions, thick curtains, bedspreads and the like.

Consider lighting

Lighting is also a surprisingly easy way to make a room feel very different. By simply moving around a lighting arrangement, the room’s atmosphere and arrangement can change dramatically. Look to get the balance of lighting right – an ambient soft light, such as that created by a pendant in the centre of a room, combined with accent lighting such as funky wall lights and then task based lighting such as reading lamps to highlight key activities.

There are a great range of lights available on the market nowadays and many of them start at very reasonable prices. You can even just change lampshades on many models rather than replacing the entire fixture – a really simple way to create a new colour scheme.

Look at fashions and trends too – you’ll be surprised at the new items on the market. Pendants in funky colours and finishes are very popular at the moment and look great if you have a young family home or a funky urban home. Traditional types of lights are always popular with country-themed or classic English houses and there’s a vast range of quirky, experimental, classic, ‘lights as art’ and children’s lights available too. Always go for brighter bulbs over darker ones – unless of course you do like the muted and slightly dimmed feel in your rooms. A better approach can be to use a dimmer switch to create the atmosphere you may want when watching television or eating dinner and then provide brighter task focused lighting when reading or carrying out activities in the home.

Low energy lighting is also a great way of making the most of your lights and ensuring that you can run them cheaply too!

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Lighting Designed to Enhance Bathrooms

People use different types of lighting for different areas inside their homes. The bathroom is one of the areas people usually purchase lights for. The type of bathroom lighting used will often depend on what type of furnishings are used in it. The main piece of furniture in this room is the vanity cabinet. This item uses two essential elements in designed the bathroom area. One element is the sink and the other is the wall mirror. A single wall light can be placed directly over the mirror or two can be placed on either side of it. If the mirror is an oval or circular style, placing wall sconces with fluted shades, on either side of the mirror will enhance the round shape.

If a bath is decorated with an old fashioned theme using a claw foot tub and a cabinet with a vessel sink, the lighting can be chosen to fit the design. There are a number of wall lights made with antique brass bases and frosted lamp shades. The shades can be designed in the narrow hurricane style reminiscent of old time oil lamps. They can also come in tulip styles with decorative etchings along the outer surface of the glass. The old fashioned lighting fixtures can also be found in styles using wood bases.

People with contemporary styled bathrooms also have options available for the lighting they want to use. Lights placed on metal bars are often used in modern settings. The bulbs placed on this silver bar can be left as uncovered clear bulbs or have round globe shades. Rectangular lamps shades are also popular and can be found on bases made of metal for use as wall mounted lighting. The metal can be silver or black with the shade made in a semi-transparent white.

Image courtesy of Flickr.

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Outdoor Wall Lights to Secure and Illuminate your Home

Outdoor wall lights come in great numbers of variety and style and there are options to suit all purposes, tastes and budgets. Defined by their wall mounting, these lights will have high IP rated fittings that make them suitable for the higher demands of outdoor use. It’s very important never to use indoor lights for outdoor use, whether fairy lights, novelty garlands or any other type of light fitting, as they won’t be as well insulated and protected against the elements.

Plain bulkheads in either red or white are ideal for providing illumination to paths, garages and doors. There are versions that have LED bulbs that are very bright and offer a clear sparkling light. They also use far less energy to operate than traditional bulb lights and their bulbs do not become hot in the same way, making them safer too.

Outdoor wall lights can also be used as sensor security lights and be set to trigger when someone is present on the property. These can act as a deterrent but can also be useful for family members coming home and attempting to find the lock for their key!

Look for the various ranges of lights now available for style inspiration. Traditional outdoor lights tend to be of the lampshade variety and may have styling features such as wrought iron curls and coloured glass. These look very pretty and stylish for more traditional homes.

Modern lights may have unfussy designs and more minimalist styling features, such as stainless steel and smoked glass. Up and down lights will provide illumination both above and below the fitting and are likely to be very cleanly styled, often with hardened glass, urban shades and sleek metal finishes.

There are even more quirky designs that are suitable for outside illumination for parties and gatherings, such as garden ‘chandeliers’ that are very visually appealing and cast a soft glow, although these are unlikely to be as good for security purposes. Similarly, some designs will be based on styles that are particularly reminiscent of Mediterranean holidays or Moroccan lamps and these can be great for creating a strong design theme in your garden.

With all outdoor lights, it’s best to organise professional installation to check that the lights are safely affixed to the house and wired in correctly and to the right voltage. Correct installation will also help ensure that they remain in good working order for as long as possible. Also get advice on siting your lights for the most practical benefit and to ensure that they won’t cause a problem within the home. For example, a very sensitive security light may cause problems if its light floods into a bedroom at night and keeps the family awake!

Make sure that you keep any warranties in safe keeping in case of issues and regularly check your lights to ensure that they are in good working order. Keep an eye out for the regularly changing styles of outdoor lights and new technological developments in energy efficient lighting.

Gorgeous photo courtesy of Flickr.