Posts Tagged ‘indoor lighting’

Home Selling Tips Using Lighting

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

One of the crucial factors of a home when trying to sell is curb appeal.  There are lots of homes on the market today, and the only way to get someone to purchase yours is to attract attention; take a step back and evaluate your home, and one area that usually needs more attention is that of home lighting.

The first step you should take is to have your realtor take a look at your home and present ideas on how to improve the curb appeal.  Ask what home lighting trends are popular in the area and what the possible buyers will be looking for in your home.

Here are a few simple tips to improve your home lighting, and therefore increase the appeal to the buyer:

  1. A great first step is to add outdoor lighting.  Walkways, driveways, and sitting areas should get the attention first.  Small, solar-powered lamps highlighting the driveway or walkway illuminate the path for safety as well as for decoration.
  2. Use up-lighting to accentuate the architecture or landscaping elements that set your home apart.  This lighting will pull the buyer’s eyes toward parts of your home which really set it apart from those around it.
  3. Take proper care of the lawn and landscaping, including the lighting, so that the buyer’s interest is not lost before they even enter the home.  A possible buyer entering the home on a good note is much more likely to buy than one already dissatisfied.
  4. Pay attention to interior lighting trends such as dimmers, which add to the functionality of the existing light fixtures.  Small details like this show that you care about the home, and possible buyers will note this.
  5. Replace old, worn, out of style light fixtures with more contemporary, energy-efficient options such as track lighting.  Upgraded lighting in the home will accent your interior architecture and make the home feel more comfortable.  It will also show the possible buyer that they will have to spend less money to renovate the interior.

In summary, keep the home lighting design simple; do not overwhelm the possible buyer, but instead grab their interest and use these small tools to set yourself apart from the competition.

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Posted in Ceiling fixtures, Landscape Lighting, Lighting Tips, home lighting, indoor lighting, outdoor lighting | No Comments »

A Few Simple Lighting Tips

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Not everyone has the money to enlist someone to help us in planning our home lighting renovations, so we at LightingSale.com have prepared some useful tips for you to utilize when designing your own home lighting project.

  1. Always remember the purpose of the room.  Lighting fixtures in the home should always match up with the purpose of the room. This seems like a simple point, but it is often overlooked when re-evaluating interior lighting design.  Home lighting should be both functional and beautiful.  Keep the purpose of the room in mind, and work with that when looking at lights.  For example, dimming lights in a television/entertainment room are both functional and they add to the experience of the room.
  2. Accent lighting is what makes your home feel like your own.  Accent lights are well-placed fixtures, usually wall sconces, table lamps, under-cabinet lights, or pendants, which illuminate the special characteristics of your home.  Wall sconces, for example, come in a multitude of styles, so you are sure to find one that fits with the home lighting theme you have in mind.
  3. Investigate features that can be added on to existing light fixtures.  Shades, crystal, or different bulbs can dramatically change the way a light looks and the kind of light it produces, usually for a fraction of the cost of a new light fixture.  Changing from normal white light bulbs to flickering candle styled bulbs can make a room more inviting by softening the light.  This strategy also allows the home owner to “customize” the fixtures already in place.
  4. Do it yourself if possible.  Oftentimes, lights can be easily installed with the provided directions, which saves you both time and money by avoiding the hassle of bringing in a contractor.  Avoiding installation costs can save money and empower you to make your home lighting renovations on your own schedule.  However, if you are not experienced with installing light fixtures, you should contact a professional.

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Posted in Ceiling fixtures, Lighting Tips, home lighting, indoor lighting, outdoor lighting, sconces | No Comments »

LED Lighting

Monday, December 28th, 2009

I thought I would take this post in a little bit different direction and give an indoor lighting technique some attention that it deserves, but has been lacking - LED Lighting.

This partially comes from my personal background as a musician and from the technical aspect of the stage.  Often overlooked, lighting can make or break a band’s concert, and just as in home lighting, certain trends come about and take the stage lighting scene by storm.  The most recent addition to the stage lighting expert’s utility belt is that of LED lighting.  This is due to the numerous advantages over the conventional lighting schemes (and most, if not all of these advantages transfer to your home lighting scheme as well!).

First, and financially foremost, is the fact that LED lights use drastically less energy than conventional lighting fixtures.  (see graph)

Incandescent vs CFL vs LED Savings

This sheet shows the drastic cost savings that come along with the change to LED lighting systems.  The numbers in this sheet assume you change all the lights in your home, but even a few changes can produce a difference in your energy bill over time.
Another great benefit of LED Lights is their long life-span.  Most LED bulbs last from 50,000 to 120,000 hours, and unlike common bulbs, LED lights do not “burn out”, but instead they dim once their life-span is done; this means a LED bulb could last for thousands of hours past its expected lifetime.

Lastly, LED lighting fixtures produce almost no heat.  This is convenient on many different levels - you are able to place lighting fixtures where you could not place conventional lights, you are able to cover them with thin sheets of cloth to add different lighting elements, and it will reduce your home temperature as well.

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Posted in Butler Lighting, LED lighting, Lighting Tips, home lighting, indoor lighting | No Comments »

Casablanca Fan: Motors

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Unlike most ceiling fan companies, Casablanca designs and manufacturers its own motors. Each is meticulously crafted from premium components and incorporates industry-leading design innovations that create more power while maintaining cooler operating temperatures.

casablanca fansThe XLP-2000, XLP-2100 and XLP Plus were engineered to provide more power. Increased power generates greater air movement, which adds to environmental comfort. In conjunction with Casablanca’s patented Silent-Flex flywheel, which absorbs vibration and dampens sound, XLP and XLP Plus motors run smoothly and are virtually noise-free.

Fans with XL and XLP Plus motors are ultra efficient, returning their cost in energy savings while adding value to your home. Because XLP and XLP Plus motors draw less than one amp of energy-the equivalent of a 100-watt lightbulb-the cost to operate the ceiling fan is only about 6 cents a day. This is 50 times less energy than that used by an air conditioner. Consumers can save up to 40% on cooling cost and 10% on heating cost by operating a Casablanca fan year-round.

All of these features combine to provide unparalleled power, silent performance and reliability over decades of daily use. Visit LightingSale.com for more Casablanca Fans.

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Progress Lighting Solutions

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Progress Lighting has a reputation as one of the top decorative lighting lines among builders and remodelers. Manufacturing over 5,000 lighting fixtures, Progress Lighting is the largest single source for both residential lighting and commercial lighting. Progress Lighting offers elegant lighting solutions that deliver in performance, value and easy installation.

The recipient of many design and achievement awards over the years, including the 2006 Lighting for Tomorrow award, Progress Lighting lives up to its name. Our new line of Everlume LED products, the industry’s first package of residential lighting fixtures with an LED light source, shows Progress Lighting continues to be a leader in the lighting industry.

Combining state-of-the-art technology with modern decorative styling, the Everlume LED collection achieves an uncontested balance in residential illumination. While delivering aesthetic appeal from your kitchen to your backyard, the Everlume LED collection contributes to a healthier environment.

Make the most of the spaces you use every day with a Progress lighting collection such as Everlume, Thomasville or Delta. Choose from an assortment of wall sconces, lighting pendants, chandeliers and more to light the way toward a happier home with Progress Lighting.

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The Minka Aire Concept II

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

The Minka Aire Concept II reminds us how Minka came to be at the forefront of the decorative lighting industry. They take pride in the quality and workmanship of every product they manufacture. The Concept II is a contemporary ceiling fan and is engineered for rooms with low ceilings, perfect for anyone, especially for those in a snug apartment or smaller house.

The Concept II ceiling fan is small and compact, allowing for easy installation and ease of use. The soft shape of the body of the Concept II ceiling fan is complemented by the gently curving edges of its three blades. It is welcoming and new at the same time, the perfect choice for any college student who loves simple, yet incredibly functional, options for home decoration.

However, the size does not negatively affect its performance. Minka’s Concept II ceiling fan is an indoor lighting product designed with modernity and contemporaneity in mind–the perfect combination of form, function and design. The Concept II comes in a variety of finishes. From brushed nickel to oil rubbed bronze, you can decide what finish you like best, whichever will fit into the decor of your home. The blades of this ceiling fan can come finished in silver, taupe, or any other of the wide selections you can choose from.

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Geometrix by Schonbek

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Crystal chandeliers are the most elegant option for indoor lighting. People who shop for crystal chandeliers have usually spent time researching. The buying process is requires more careful planning than when choosing other indoor lighting products; you do not rush in without knowing what you are looking for. The Geometrix collection by Schonbek just made that process a lot more complex, in a good way. With chandeliers that range from the Matrix line, cube-shaped and rectangular, to the Geode, spherical and eclectic, this collection redefines what a crystal chandelier can be.
Geometrix
The classical beauty of a crystal chandelier fused with the kind of brilliance and un-conventionalism that could be attributed to a genius mathematician has yielded Geometrix crystal chandeliers. Since their early 1870 start in Bohemia,
Schonbek has come a long way, and they have continued to prove that they are the best when it comes to crystal chandeliers. Creativity is what defines the Geometrix line, and with it, Schonbek has revolutionized high-tech lighting.

Bringing together the purity of halogen light and the fire of crystal, Schonbek
has changed the way light interacts with these chandeliers. The designs of the crystal chandeliers are expressed in spirals and slices, cylinders and rectangles, cubes and waves, triangles, slabs and spheres. The inner drama of the shapes in the Geometrix line are mesmerizing.

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Indoor Lighting Website Update

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

A new update for LightingSALE.com is on its way. I have been working on this for a while. My goal is to recreate all the lighting images on the website to look more modern. I am also trying to develop an overall theme for the entire collection of our sites with emphasis on indoor lighting. So on a bigger scale, the theme could tie into all of our sites from Butler lighting to our exclusive Hinkley lighting site, HinkleyLight.com. I have spent a few weeks working off and on to remake each set of images.

The new design is pretty simple and works well with the lighting theme. Like the Hinkley site, I started my design with the center of the page – the banner. The banner is actually the biggest piece of the redesign because it involves animation. The banner actually displays different promotions and links to featured lighting products and manufacturers. Although the images are complete, I am still working on the banner effects such as fade and pause.

After creating some header graphics I moved on to other images such as the graphic for free shipping that is offered at ButlerLighting.com. I also had to make small changes to our LightingInsideOut lighting blog logo. Although I spent a lot of time on different pieces of our site the most important part was the body of our site. LightingSale.com’s main home page link is indoor lighting. Selecting the right image to represent the indoor lighting category was very time consuming. I finally settled on a Hinkley light. I picked the Hinkley 3508 which is a Tuscan black chandelier and am happy with how it looks on the home page. 

The LightingSale redesign is still in progress and is not ready to be released. We are trying to focus on indoor lighting although we still offer outdoor lighting, fans, furniture and more.

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Artificial Natural Lighting, the Brain-imploding Technology of the Future

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

As most things don’t begin, this began with a table. The “Sunlight Table”, a technological innovation in indoor lighting, is the brainchild of Anab Jain and Stuart Wood. Originally developed to observe “how sustainable work environments are established to emphasize the significance of a work/life balance”, the Sunlight Table seeks to literally bring a ray of sunshine into your home.

The Sunlight Table

Whether it’s a 9-to-5 office job, a college classroom, a kitchen or living room or bedroom, most major daily events happen underneath something that at least resembles a roof. In these cases, indoor lighting is an always important although sometimes subtle feature, but it doesn’t do what the sun does: provide vitamin D.

Sunlight is an evolutionary force; it’s not surprising when it’s removed from people’s lives that depression, weight-gain, heart problems and even just unexplained pain can occur. “Indoor lighting” doesn’t immediately come to mind if you were asked to throw out a few suggestions on how to alleviate this problem. But even so–and without a Firefox add-on to do such a thing–the Sunlight Table may be able to help.

Tiny fiber-optic cables were fed underneath and into the table, positioned in neat rows to form a grid. They were then threaded into another window-mounted grid so that any shadows and light sources shined through and traveled down the cables, eventually forming a kind of dot matrix printout of sunlight onto the table that mimicked the outside.

With no electricity needed for this technology to work, I’m excited to see what the future holds.

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