For many families, those spring months in quarantine made us feel like our homes just aren’t large enough. Fortunately, there are ways to make spaces seem bigger without spending a lot of money. The secret lies in the strategic placement of accent lighting and accessories.
Many homeowners assume that the recessed lights and lighting fixtures that the builder installed or that “came with the house” are all you need, but good interior designers know better — and they’re willing to share their knowledge.
One of the best techniques that Peter Romaniello, CLC, of the award-winning design firm Conceptual Lighting in Huntersville, N.C., employs when trying to make a small room appear larger is to “hit all four walls with light.” By having light appear along each wall surface – either by a sconce, recessed light, floor lamp or torchiere – eyes immediately go to where the light is shining: the perimeter of the room, thus visually expanding the width of the space.
If the room has an 8-foot ceiling, like many older homes and condos do, there are several methods for creating the appearance of a greater height. Mirrors make spaces look larger by reflecting – thereby amplifying – the artificial and natural light already in the room. Selecting rectangular mirrors and hanging them vertically further reinforces the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Believe it or not, you can accomplish that same goal with your selection in wall art. To make ceilings seem higher, choose wall art that has a vertical frame or contains a vertical pattern. You can also place an arrangement of smaller mirrors, picture frames, or unframed sculptural wall décor in an overall vertical shape. Wallpaper with a vertical pattern will provide a similar effect. When it comes to window treatments, many designers suggest hanging drapery closer to the ceiling instead of the top of the window frame to create a longer line. All of these techniques will draw the eyes from top to bottom, visually elongating the space.
To give more visual depth to a space, one of the most effective methods professional lighting designers employ is creating “layers” of light to supplement the existing ambient lighting. They accomplish this by mixing in table, desk, and floor lamps or torchieres throughout the room. Where possible, they will include tape light to highlight bookshelves or the interiors of glass-fronted cabinets and display cases; tape light is easy to install and often can be cut to fit a project’s exact dimensions. Each of these additional light sources brings attention to a different level and area of the room.
It’s hard to imagine a room in which no amount of reading takes place. Instead of relying solely on a uniform light source overhead, which can create shadows, having a table or floor lamp next to a chair or sofa will lessen eye fatigue and strain while reading.
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With vacations and even business travel put on hold for much of 2020, the average American is getting a bit bored with the monotony of their weekends looking very much like their weekdays — spent almost entirely within the same walls.
Why not give yourself an upgrade and indulge in some affordable items that will give your rooms a facelift without having to raise your credit limit. You know that refreshing feeling you get when you arrive at a resort, open the door to your room at an upscale hotel, or relax outdoors during a vacation stay? You can recreate that rejuvenating mood easily and quickly right at home.
Make an Outdoor Oasis
Whether you have a front porch, back deck, or patio, there are simple ways to spruce up the area where you kick back and relax al fresco. With the sun setting earlier in the fall and winter months, you want to be sure to have ample lighting outside for enjoying the fresh air atmosphere by having enough illumination to see others and enjoy the scenery comfortably without glare.
There are beautiful chandeliers, ceiling fans, and pendants available now that look as if they belong inside, but that are specially made to hold up to outdoor use. Before purchasing, you’ll want to look at the product specifications to find the words “damp-rated” (which indicates the fixture can be safely used outdoors in covered locations, such as a porch) or “wet-rated” (which means it is safe to be used outdoors without being completely covered).
Hotels and resorts always have grand entrances, and you can do the same for your own property by installing landscape lighting. In addition to attractively illuminating a path, landscape lighting can be used to highlight trees, create water features, or graze/uplight a building’s exterior for visual drama.
Elevate the Dining Experience
With restaurants nationwide serving at reduced capacity, it’s been nearly half a year since many Americans have had the luxury of dining out (drive-thru windows don’t count). Many people are missing the little things that make restaurant dining special.
If you and your partner haven’t enjoyed a private meal together in months, you can re-create the romantic ambiance of a restaurant by lighting candles (even a portable lantern could set the mood) and turning off/dimming down the dining fixture overhead.
With families having more meals at the table than they have in years, it’s a great time to upgrade your dining fixture to complement any renovations or redecorating you may have done in the recent past. A new chandelier will instantly update the room with a fresh look without your having to purchase any additional furniture.
Other ways to bring an upscale hotel feel to your dining table is to place a basic flower arrangement (bouquets are plentiful and affordable at most grocery stores) in a simple vase on the table. If ordering take-out from a local restaurant, presenting the food in a fancier way using decorative platters, trays, or plates will add a touch of specialness to the meal.
Add Beauty to the Bath
Among guests’ favorite amenities in hotel bathrooms are illuminated mirrors. Not only do these backlit mirrors serve as a soft nightlight, but having light surround your face is ideal when performing grooming tasks because it does not cast shadows. As an alternative, you could install a swing-arm, wall-mounted illuminated mirror similar to those found in hotels or purchase a free-standing mirror to achieve the same result.
Of course super-plush terrycloth or Turkish cotton waffle weave robes are a luxury hotel staple that are widely available to consumers. Purchasing lush robes and a set of ultra-fluffy towels will further establish the five-star hotel vibe you want.
For those consider renovating or expanding their master bath, there are many damp-rated decorative chandeliers and lighting fixtures on the market that can withstand moisture/steam and elevate the aesthetics of the bath. Be sure to select a model that is marked “damp-rated.”
Bring Oomph to the Bedroom
If there one thing luxury hotels are known for, comfortable bedding ranks high on the list. If you can splurge on a better mattress, this would be the perfect time to indulge. With anxiety levels high from COVID-19 concerns and political strife, many people are seeking a better night’s sleep.
What else helps you sleep better? Crisp linens, a well-formed pillow, and versatile lighting. In upscale hotels and resorts, guest rooms offer several layers of lighting. There is the overhead lighting fixture for general illumination, bedside lamps for reading while lounging, and often a task lamp on a desk for business needs. Very often there is an additional layer of accent lighting with a concealed light source that might highlight a ceiling area or underneath cabinets. Having a variety of lighting choices allows hotel guests to select a light level that appeals to their mood or task — and the same can be done for your own bedroom. Flexibility is an achievable luxury when it comes to lighting!
If you’re looking to stay ahead of the design curve, there is a growing trend among interior designers for nightstands with clean, simple lines that complement today’s Minimalist, yet stylish, décor. Instead of the typical table lamp beside the bed, designers are turning to decorative pendants that hang from the ceiling to just above the nightstand. This allows the surface to still accommodate a smartphone or tablet while maintain the table’s streamlined appearance. There are also desk lamps with USB ports in the base that are convenient for charging devices while you rest.
Crystorama Cypress 1 Light White Sphere Mini Chandelier
Another technique interior designers are using to update bedrooms is installing a chandelier in place of a ceiling fan with a light kit or the basic overhead fixture that might have already been in the room when you moved in. Chandeliers, drum pendants, and decorative fixtures that are regularly seen in living room are now – depending on the bedroom’s dimensions – making an aesthetic statement in the bedroom.
Updating Your Home Is Easy at ShowroomLighting.com
Ready to shop for a new look? ShowroomLighting.com has the latest lighting fixtures, accessories, rugs, mirrors, and casual furniture to transform your living space quickly and easily. With free shipping for orders over $99 and our 110% price protection guarantee, purchasing from ShowroomLighting.com might be the most stress-free decision you’ll make all year.
With scientists predicting a second wave of COVID-19 to occur over the late Fall and Winter seasons, many companies are extending their work-at-home options. Unfortunately, what got many office workers through a temporary solution – working from the dining table or spare countertop space on the kitchen island for a few months during quarantine – is just not a comfortable work environment for the long-term.
What’s most important is to create a setting where you’ll be the most productive. According to lighting designer Peter Romaniello of Conceptual Lighting in Huntersville, N.C., your home office area should be comfortable and yet energizing.
Buying a proper desk lamp is critical for a home office, even if you have natural sunlight and a general light source in the room. A task or desk lamp will bring additional brightness to your work surface, reducing eye strain and fatigue. There are many desk lamps on the market now, including ShowroomLighting.com – in styles that range from traditional to contemporary – with convenient features such as adjustable heads, several light levels or touch dimmability, as well as USB ports in the base for charging portable devices.
If you are choosing a desk lamp that has a medium-base socket (it will indicate this on the specification sheet), you can change out the light bulb to an LED version (one marked to fit medium-base sockets) to save energy. LED does not run as hot as an incandescent bulb, so not only will LED last years longer, it will feel cooler on the work surface. With LED, you will also be able to choose a brighter color temperature easily.
“When you think about the basics of lighting a typical office, in general you’re talking about cooler color temperatures,” Romaniello explains. The higher the color temperature (measured in Kelvins, and abbreviated as K), the “cooler” lighting’s appearance.
“In general, we would say that the typical commercial office is illuminated [with light sources in a color temperature of] approximately 3500K to 5000K, while the home environment is [a warmer] 2700K to 3000K,” he states. “The correlation is that not only do we perceive cooler spaces as being brighter, but we also perceive them as being more energetic. Imagine if you were working in an office that was lit to 2500K, like a restaurant. You’re probably not going to be as productive because you’re going to want to fall asleep. We have to think of color temperature when we bring an office setting into a home.”
ShowroomLighting.com has a vast selection of desk, table, and task lamps in a wide range of prices to help you find the best product for your specific home office needs.
Two recent news alerts are bringing increased attention to our outdoor living spaces. First, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has repeatedly recommended that upcoming family holiday gatherings be limited in number and held outdoors if possible. Then, a winter weather forecast released by The Weather Company (an IBM Business) in October suggests that the La Niña weather pattern will cause November, January, and February to bring above-average temperatures throughout the country with the exception of Montana and North Dakota. (The month of December is predicted to have temperatures that will be colder than average.)
This two-fold combination will mostly likely extend the season for enjoying the outdoors, which has led many homeowners to embark on sprucing up their outdoor living spaces. One of the first concerns, regardless of weather, is safety — especially if you will be entertaining guests.
First and foremost is making sure there is adequate illumination on paths and steps at all entrances (front, back, and side). Fortunately, there are plenty of decorative path and step lights available to complement every home’s exterior.
Placement is important. Make sure path lights are not at a height where the light source will cause glare to anyone walking along the path; glare causes visual discomfort and interferes with a person’s ability to see their surroundings clearly, which can lead to a fall.
The most common mistake homeowners make with landscape lighting is positioning lights too close together and spaced evenly in two parallel lines. Doing so often resembles an airport runway instead of a residential setting. According to the American Lighting Association (ALA), path lights should be staggered approximately six to eight feet apart to offer just enough light to see while walking.
If there are steps leading to a deck or porch, they should be illuminated for safety. There is a wide variety of deck, railing, and step lights that can accomplish this attractively. Step lights are typically installed directly into stair risers or along a side wall (if available), or tape lighting can be placed underneath each stair step or on the underside of a handrail.
And while we’re talking about safety and convenience, is your address clearly visible at night? Not only is having an easy-to-spot address helpful for guests, but also for delivery drivers and taxi/ride share services as well as emergency aid. One stylish alternative many homeowners are choosing is illuminated numbers.
When it comes to the actual entrance of the home, take a look at the exterior from the street. Are you happy with the look of the primary fixture? Does the lantern or pendant fixture seem to be too small for the door’s size? A common problem with many entryways is having fixtures that are under-sized.
According to the ALA’s lighting pros, if installing wall lights next to the front door, select fixtures that are proportioned one-quarter or one-third the height of the doorway. Measure 66 inches from the floor to the center of the fixture, and 6 to 12 inches from the door casing. If space permits, having two wall lanterns – one on each side of the door – is a more attractive look because it provides visual symmetry.
The ALA pros advise that fixtures placed over the door should be sized at one-quarter or one-third the width of the door frame and centered six inches above the door. Hanging lights, such as pendants and lanterns, should measure one-fifth the height of the door and centered six inches above the door.
You don’t need to have expensive landscaping in order to showcase your yard. Thanks to the magic of lighting, you can emphasize architectural elements you already have in place without having to blow the budget on a trip to the local garden shop.
One of the easiest techniques is to “uplight” a few trees. ALA experts explain the process as aiming light up into the leaves and branches of the tree while making sure the trunk is also bathed in light. The lighting fixtures used for this purpose are typically called “landscape lights” and are available in several color choices to either blend in or stand out, depending on preference.
Wall washing and wall grazing are two other techniques that can be used to highlight the exterior of the home. In wall washing, a spotlight is positioned a distance away from the house to provide an even, but flat, wide beam of light that covers a large surface area. In wall grazing, the fixture is placed closer to the wall and is best used with walls that have texture (i.e. stucco, shingles) to create more defined shadows.
In garden beds, the ALA’s lighting experts suggest placing fixtures no closer than 20 feet apart to create pools of light that draw the eye from one area to the next. To highlight shadows and create visual interest, position lights close to the base of garden walls.
Upgrade Your Outdoor Living Space
Whether your family entertains on a deck, a patio, or a covered porch, since the pandemic hit in 2020, you’ve probably been spending a lot more time there. Now that the CDC has been recommending that holiday entertaining be spent outdoors if possible, homeowners everywhere are interested in upgrading their outdoor living spaces.
Over the past several years, there have been great advances in outdoor lighting and furniture. The new designs in both categories very much resemble the beautiful furnishings found inside their homes. For lighting, fixtures, table lamps, and lanterns, it is important to check the label for products rated for wet or damp locations. With a “wet location” listing, the product is certified to withstand water exposure directly. A “damp location” rating means the product can be safely used in moist environments such as covered porches, where water will not be pouring onto the fixture.
With the addition of strategically placed mirrors, wall art, and lamps, you will be able to improve the look of a small room and make it feel more spacious affordably and as quickly as over the course of a long weekend.
ShowroomLighting.com has a vast selection of lamps, wall art, tape light, and mirrors in a wide range of prices to help you find the best product for your specific needs.
Upgrading the lighting outside of your home – from making the best impression at the front entrance to enhancing your entertaining capabilities in the backyard – will help maximize your enjoyment of the time you are spending at home.
ShowroomLighting.com has a vast selection of lamps, wall art, tape light, and mirrors in a wide range of prices to help you find the best product for your specific needs.
