Choose lighting for safety. You should be able to see your way clearly from the garden entrance to your front door. If there are any steps that are difficult to navigate safely in the dark, good lighting will greatly reduce the risk of accidents. However, do not install intense, isolated lights, such as spotlights, at potential accident spots. As you move from an area of bright light into sudden darkness, your eyes cannot make the adjustment quickly. Such areas need a broad spread of light.

Stelios Outdoor Wall Lantern

 Step 2

Choose lighting for increased security. Strong illumination around the home is a proven deterrent to intruders.

Solar Powered Halogen Motion Detector

Step 3

Choose lighting to extend outdoor space use. When daylight hours grow shorter, there is no need to curtail the pleasures of patio living. Provide adequate light so that cooking and food preparation can continue comfortably, and you will find that outdoor entertaining can start earlier in the year and continue well into the fall.

Gryphon Outdoor Wall Lantern - Nautical

Be selective with lights in entertaining areas. This may be as simple as a spotlight above the barbecue and lanterns around the table, or a more sophisticated arrangement of permanent lighting throughout the garden.

MacKay Wall Sconce

Step 5

Choose lighting for effect. This lighting for added mood is not the same as functional lighting.

Fiesta Color Changing Solar Path Light

Step 6

To accent a garden feature.

Fritz Wall Mount

Step 7

Avoid over lighting. Less attractive features can be left darkened to recede into the shadows. Too many decorative features in a garden can fight for attention and if you have too many different types of lights it, can give a disjointed appearance.

1)

Essex Vanity

2)

Bradford Pendant Light

3)

Levante Pendant

The most effective strategy for improving household energy efficiency is to first target your home’s envelope—walls, attic, windows, and doors. Then improve the energy efficiency of systems, such as heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances. Finally, consider clean energy generation (solar, geothermal, and so on).

1) Make sure your walls and attic are well insulated.

Effective insulation slows the rate that heat flows out of the house in winter or into the house in summer, so less energy is required to heat or cool the house. If your house has no wall insulation, and it has more-or-less continuous wall cavities (such as conventional stud walls), blown-in insulation can greatly improve your comfort and save enough energy to be very cost-effective.

2) Upgrade or replace windows.

If your windows are old and leaky, it may be time to replace them with energy-efficient models or boost their efficiency with weather-stripping and storm windows.

3) Plant shade trees and shrubs around your house.

If your house is older, with relatively poor insulation and windows, good landscaping (particularly deciduous trees) can save energy, especially if planted on the house’s west side. In summer, the foliage blocks infrared radiation that would warm the house, while in winter the bare branches let this radiation come through.

4) Replace an older furnace with a high-efficiency system.

If your furnace was built before 1992 and has a standing pilot, it probably wastes 35 percent of the fuel it uses, and it is probably near the end of its service life. Find out when your furnace was installed.

5) Improve the efficiency of your hot water system.

First, turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). Second, insulate your hot water lines so they don’t cool off as quickly between uses. Third, use low-flow fixtures for showers and baths.

6) Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

CFLs can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescent light bulbs. Most people don’t think about the fact that the electricity to run a light bulb costs much more than the bulb itself. One of the new CFLs costs about two or three dollars, but it lasts 10,000 hours and uses only about 27 watts to generate as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. During its life, it uses about $22 in electricity, so the total cost is about $25. A 100-watt incandescent bulb costs 50 cents, but lasts 1,000 hours so you need 10 of them ($5 to buy) to last 10,000 hours. In those 10,000 hours you will use 1,000 kilowatts of electricity, which will cost more than $80 at a national average price. So the lighting cost of the CFL is less than one-third of the cost for the incandescent. The best targets for replacement are 60- to 100-watt bulbs used several hours a day, because usage affects how long it takes to recover the investment.

Bernini Triple Downlight

Constellation 37 Light Pendant

7) If you buy a new refrigerator, don’t leave the old one plugged in.

Avoid the temptation to use the old fridge as a backup for party supplies and liquid refreshment. The extra storage space will cost you: figure an extra $50–150 per year in electricity to keep that older fridge running. In contrast, the new fridge, particularly if Energy Star rated, may cost only $30–60 per year to run because refrigerator efficiency has improved so much in the past three decades. Under these circumstances, think about how much refrigeration you really need. The best rule is to have only one refrigerator, and to size it to meet your real needs. That allows the luxury of ice-makers and similar conveniences with a clear conscience.

Schedule an energy audit for more expert advice on your home as a whole.

Energy auditors and raters use specialized tools and skills to evaluate your home and recommend the most cost-effective measures to improve its comfort and efficiency, as well as the best sequence for doing them to take advantage of interactions. The rater can also provide independent verification of contractors’ work quality.

There are several really important ingredients for the ideal home office:

1) Size of space

2) Type of light natural/purchased see samples

Magra Deluxe Desk Lamp

Ashford 5-Light Chandelier

Etna Pendant

3) Desk style

4) Private area

5) Storage

6) Electronic connections

7) Type of work you do … this will help with the design style.

Most people setting up their first home office take very little time to consider the fact that how they plan and setup their office might affect their business. Setting up a home office is not something to be taken lightly or just taken for granted. It’s your business premises and needs to be designed and laid out professionally – regardless of whether or not people will actually visit it. You’re going to be working in this environment for several hours each day so make it the best it can be.

Above all your office workspace absolutely needs to be comfortable, accessible and practical.

The Foyer

Arachnia Pendant

The Arachnia Pendant will  be easy to blend in this room making it continue to feel open and airy.

Pomander 20 Light Pendant

The Pomander 20 Light Pendant is an art piece  that will continue to add pizazz to the already art-filled  room.

The Kitchen

The current lighting in this kitchen is too small and does not showcase the kitchen very well. Try these two alternative lights to jazz the room up a bit

Pastiche Pendant

The Pastiche Pendant offers a modern twist to the kitchen. The straight pendant light blends nicely with mirrored cupboards.

Symmetry Chandelier

The Symmetry Chandelier will add eloquence to the kitchen.

The Living Room

Broome 6-Light Chandelier

Make a stately statement with the Broome 6-light Chandelier.

Eternal Pendant Chandelier

Uplift the room with the Eternal Pendant Chandelier.

The Bathroom

Lorissa 16 Light Chandelier

Enjoy complete luxury with the Lorissa 16 Light Chandelier.

Mannix Hanging Fixture

A modern jewel to embellish the bathroom.

The American Lighting Association offers the following tips for lighting a delightful dining room.

FIRST STEP: A chandelier in the middle of the room defines the space. Choose that fixture first, then work out with accent lights.

Tavern IX Chandelier

HANGING AROUND: Choose a chandelier with a diameter 12″ less than the width of the table. The bottom of the chandelier should be 30″ above table.

TALL ORDERS: For ceilings nine feet or higher, consider a two-tier style chandelier to fill the space from the fixture’s top to the ceiling.

Ascension Two-Tier Chandelier

DIMMER SHIMMER: Always use a dimmer on dining room lights.

GET SMART: So-called “smart” dimmers, driven by microprocessors offer convenience. “When you have several layers of light, smart dimmers can be set to various ambiences. Press one button for dining, another for lighting up homework, another for party-time.

Fiona Pendant

THE LAYERED LOOK: Use multiple layers of light in the dining room. Chandeliers provide the central focus. Accent lights on either side of the chandelier and at the room’s perimeter brighten things up. Accessory lights on and/or over other furniture pieces fill in the background.

TABLE THIS: Table lamps add a soft, humanizing touch to a dining room. Display them on a buffet or breakfront.

Regents Park Accent Lamp

Monochromatic Flair

Rion Large XX Chandelier

Regal Classic

Kasbah Pendant

Simply Practical

Momentum IV Flush Mount

Nature Vibe

Colure III Hanging Lamp

• Recessed lighting is out – love the look of the lighting itself but the pockmarked ceiling itself is obtrusive, homeowners and designers alike are finding it so overused in rooms they sometimes call it ceiling acne.

• Hidden track lighting is in.  Hidden cables hide the hardware and use low voltage to light up a whole new world of accent lighting.

Cannister Four-Light Track Ceiling Mount

• Art Deco fixtures – Deco lighting is timeless, going from Victorian to Contemporary interiors.  Particularly nice for a bit of warmth in a  black and white decorated room.

Cheyenne Ceiling Fixture

• Environmentally friendly fixtures are in – just like in every aspect of interior decorating, eco conscious lighting is brightening the day for eco conscious homeowners.  Dimmer switches help keep energy usage down, as do automated lighting control.  Look for lighting to go more high tech as this trend continues.

Edge Low-Voltage Pendant

• Larger lighting lingers in design, as great rooms and larger multi-purpose rooms need the big fixtures for scale.

Rain Large Pendant Chandelier

• Metal bases for table lamps shine and set the design stage for 2010.

Icon Table Lamp

• Barring a metal base – look for more organics, such as bamboo, wood veneers and even vines to be used in lighting.

Jalen Table Lamp

• Lighting is going global with Japanese influences sneaking into fabric styles, look for the trend to continue to lighting as well.

Origami III Small Chandelier

Multi-dimensional room lighting is here to stay – more homeowners are becoming aware of their lighting needs – ambient, task, accent and decorative

Luxury Master Suite

Five of Our Favorite Chandeliers

Multitude 7 Light Chandelier

Try something a little different with the Multitude 7 Light Chandelier. This chandelier’s enlightened benefit: metal used features recycled content and is itself recyclable. This product is lighted with a halogen light which encases the tungsten filament with a quartz envelope that lets the filament last longer and run hotter, meaning you get more light per unit of energy – allowing for efficient energy use and minimizing waste.

Caldwell 9-Light Chandelier

Add a spark to your bedroom with the Caldwell 9-light Chandelier. This chandelier’s enlightened benefit: uses recyclable iron in its composition.

Stephano Pendant Chandelier

Be stately with the Stephano Pendant Chandelier. This chandelier’s enlightened benefit: compact fluorescent bulbs can be used in this lamp. Fluorescent bulbs are wonderful for long periods of use, because they are four to six times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and last approximately ten times longer. This makes them an eco-friendly alternative that maximizes your utility costs. Additionally, this product is made of steel which is made in part from post-consumer recycled steel.

Binx III Chandelier

The Binx III Chandelier will go with almost any room design. This chandelier’s enlightened benefit: glass is a recyclable material.

Vitalice V Chandelier

The Vitalice V Chandelier offers a very simple design but it will add a lot of character to any room. This chandelier’s enlightened benefit: glass is a recyclable material.

Pendant Lighting in Kitchen

Why You Need a Kitchen Overhaul?

Getting a tax refund soon? Maybe its time to tackle that kitchen renovation you have been waiting to do. In most homes the kitchen is where your family gathers when they come home; eating, cooking, entertaining, doing homework, the home office and any else you can imagine. Being that it is such a high-traffic area making it to be attractive, functional and easy to clean should be everyone’s priority. To make your kitchen overhaul earth friendly, go green with your kitchen.

Kitchen Trends

Through the decades there are often trendy ways to design and decorate your kitchen; in the 70’s it was the pea green and orange walls, in the 80’s those famous glass blocks, the 90’s you had to have cool flooring and at the start of the new millennium we focused on granite countertops. Now we focus on being worldly and eco-friendly. Here are some trends in 2010:

1. Glass Tiles – These tiles are durable and easy to maintain and come in a range of colors and have properties only glass can accomplish with clear, opaque, transparent pieces.

2. Color – Go bold in the heart of your home in Aztec clay colors like copper, henna, ginger, gold, apricot and red or turn to your nature loving side and paint the walls in silver blue, gray green or tobacco brown.

3. Flooring – Stay traditional with tile, go country with recycled wood or modernize with stained concrete.

Green Lighting Choices for the Kitchen

Dwight 6 Light Pendant

This pendant light is sure to set the room all aglow. The Dwight Six Light Pendant with handcrafted European glass and its bright red  compliments any dark stained kitchen cabinets.

Saba Pendant

Add the finishing touch to your concrete countertops and recycled wood floors with the beautiful Saba Pendant light.

Nebula 6 Cube Island Light

Be chic and go green with the Nebula Six Cube Island Light which is sure to be a conversation piece in your kitchen. Want more green lighting ideas check out www.eco-lights.com.