Outdoor Lighting for your Home Design

Outdoor lighting makes your home safer and more secure by providing necessary illumination for walkways, steps and entrances. The use of outdoor lighting, in conjunction with timers and photo cells, can add even more peace-of-mind by providing a lived-in look while you're away from home and insuring the area around the house is well lit when you arrive home after dark.

The most common type of outdoor fixture is a brass wall lantern, although materials such as cast aluminum have gained popularity due to their rust-resistant qualities. Generally, a light mounted to one side of every exterior door is the minimum lighting for the exterior of a house, however it is recommended that a lantern or other wall fixture on both sides of the door and a pendant or a post light near driveways and walkways be used for additional safety and security. Be sure to select the appropriate size fixture – one that isn’t too small or too big for your home.

See a Lighting One sales consultant for more information and design ideas.

Wall Mounted Lighting for your Home Decor

Wall fixtures are used to provide illumination for a specific area such as a hallway or a bathroom vanity. Although traditional wall fixtures with arms remain the most popular form of wall lighting, more contemporary wall sconces are gaining popularity, especially for hallway or accent lighting.

Wall lighting can offer needed illumination levels to prevent accidents on stairs, especially when an overhead ceiling fixture is not feasible. Wall lighting can also be used for reading in bed. Use two matching wall mounted or pendant fixtures installed 30" above the top of the mattress for best results.

See a Lighting One sales consultant for more information and design ideas. Posted with permission from Lighting One at http://www.lighting-one.com/

Lamps for your Home Design

Accent lamps can be used in bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, entrances or any spot in your home that may require extra lighting. Because accent lamps are typically under 20" in height, they provide just the right amount of accent lighting for most any home.

Table lamps typically range anywhere from 25" to 32" in height and are used for general purpose lighting in living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and family rooms. Floor lamps are also an excellent source of illumination, and are especially useful in dark corners of a room or any other areas that regular lighting may not reach.

Desk lamps are typically 12" to 20" high and are used to light a specific work area such as a desk or small work table. When table space is limited, wall lamps are a good alternative, and are quite common in bedrooms.

Lamps are essential home decorating accessories. The style and finish of a lamp is as important as the wallpaper, carpet or paint used in a room. Although polished brass remains a favorite with homeowners, polished brass, wrought iron, neutral tans, off-whites, and antique whites are gaining popularity.

Remember if you purchase a lamp with a three-way switch, you'll need to purchase a three-way bulb. A three-way switch, on its own, will not provide three levels of illumination without a three-way bulb installed.

See a Lighting One sales consultant for more information and design ideas. Posted with permission from Lighting One www.lighting-one.com