Lighting for your Kitchen

The kitchen can be the center of family activity, so it’s quite probably your home’s busiest room.  Lighting for this room can depend on the size and complexity of the space.  The kitchen can be used for dining or a gathering place for family and friends, though it is primarily a work area.  Small kitchens might require only a central ceiling lighting fixture and some task lighting.  More elaborate kitchens will need a blend a general, task, and accent lighting.

Lighting the Center of the Ceiling: A Few Tips

General lighting can be achieved with a decorative chandelier or recessed lighting.  Recessed lighting is one of the most convenient options—once it’s installed, that is.  Chandeliers can be used in addition to other lighting in the space.  You’ll know what’s right for your kitchen.

Lighting Over the Range or Sink

You can use track lighting in this area of the kitchen.  You also have the option to use recessed lighting in these areas, too.  Again, you’ll know what looks and feels best in your own kitchen.

When you are looking to get the lighting right in your kitchen, look no further than Lighting Concepts.  We have everything you need to make your kitchen the place that everyone wants to be.

Lighting Tips for the New Year

You probably know that there are three different lighting effects in your home.  There’s ambient lighting which provides the overall lighting—this is provided mostly by the use of table lamps, wall lights, and down lights.  Then there’s task lighting, which is lighting for a specific purpose.  You can find task lighting over kitchen worktops, reading areas, for lighting stairs, etc.  Then you have accent lighting—this kind of lighting adds interest and glamour to a living space. 

Up lights and Down lights

These are the main tools you need to get your lighting plan right the first time.  Down lights are recessed partially or fully into the ceiling.  Up lights can be set into the floor, free standing lamps, or set into the wall.

What to avoid this year

Don’t think about an area as just a space.  Think about the kind of things you do there, and light it accordingly.  If you have an open plan, it’s a good idea to create walls of light and not to just uniformly have a row of lights because they fit symmetrically into the room.  You’re trying to create a living space—not an office.

With the right planning, and some lighting fixtures from Lighting Concepts, you can create a wonderful living space!

Holiday Decorating Ideas

If you’re having company for the holiday season, you should think of a few ways to decorate the table to create a fun atmosphere for everyone involved.  Holiday decorating goes beyond the Christmas tree—and nobody knows that more than we do here at Lighting Concepts!  We have a few tips to help you make the most beautiful holiday centerpieces.

Holiday Decorations
Holiday decorations make beautiful centerpieces for the Christmas season. You could also place a single Christmas ornament on top of a pedestal. You can have several pedestals of varying heights to add some visual interest. Look for battery operated Christmas lights to add some fun ambiance.
To add some more fun to the décor, get colored light bulbs to put in some of your everyday table lamps or ceiling lights!


Winter Foliage
Flowers are usually the standby for centerpieces—but what do you do in the wintertime? You can replicate the look of bare trees by using tall, curly willow branches as a centerpiece. The height will add a great dramatic effect. Use evergreen boughs at the base to add color and some fragrance.

Do you have any other fun holiday decorating ideas?

Design Q&A from Lighting Concepts

Dear Lighting Concepts,

I have a small apartment in the city, and I’m not sure how to decorate it.  What are the rules?  Should I get smaller furniture for a small room?  How do I make my little apartment look bigger?  I love all of the lighting solutions that you have in your store, but I need to get the apartment set up first.  Help me!

Thanks,

Sherilyn

Dear Sherilyn,

We feel your pain!  We have a lot of people com into Lighting Concepts with design questions.  And first of all, you need to forget about any rules you might have heard!  There are some decorating tricks that will help create the illusion of space, you need to first determine what you like.  The key to decorating a small space is to avoid overcrowding it.  (So don’t get one of our big chandeliers!  Go with some classic pendant lighting, for example.)

Choose some pieces that have versatility in function.  For instance, find cocktail tables with storage, have ottomans to double as extra seating, and select accent chairs that swivel so that they can have more than one orientation in the room.  Paint the walls in light, neutral tones.  Add tall mirrors and bookshelves to draw the eye up over the entire space.

Steer clear of clutter!  That will only make your place feel smaller.

We hope this helps!

Shop Small on Small Business Saturday

Have you heard of Small Business Saturday?  We’re participating in this great event on Saturday November 27, and we want you to be part of it, too.  We’re offering a 20% discount to people that come into our store.  We’re also offering 10% off to our online shoppers.  We firmly believe in shopping and buying from local and family owned American businesses, and there’s no better way to do it than with Lighting Concepts!

What’s the story behind Small Business Saturday?  Well, we want to encourage people to buy from the local businesses all around them.  Malls get a boost on Black Friday, and online retailers get a boost on Cyber Monday.  Small Business Saturday is the day you should go out and support local businesses and thank them for creating jobs that can help boost your local economy.  (Fortunately, if you can’t get out to our location, you can still take advantage of our great service online!)

Here are some great reasons to shop locally on Small Business Saturday:

-For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 actually returns to the community in some way.  (Through things like payroll and taxes.)

-Small businesses employ half of all private sector employees.

-Small businesses represent a huge 99.7% of all employer firms.

-Small businesses have generated 69-80% of new jobs over the last ten years.

Happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday from all of us here at Lighting Concepts!

Brand Spotlight: Murray Feiss

You’ll find all of the best lighting brands here at Lighting Concepts.  Before you get shopping, it might be a good idea to learn a little bit about some of the brands we carry here.  Today, we’re going to be spotlighting the beautiful Murray Feiss line.  This is a great brand that can be both classic and contemporary.  Whatever you’re looking for, Murray Feiss is sure to fit the bill.

Over fifty years ago, Murray Feiss (the man, not the company) began making porcelain figurine lamps.  They were special because his mother actually sewed the lampshades by hand.  That’s a great way to start a business!  We admire the real and honest craftsmanship behind these products.  From those humble beginnings, you can see the great interior and exterior lamps and lighting that we have here at Lighting Concepts today.  Each product remains true to those beginnings—every step is important.  There’s nothing standard about these gorgeous pieces.

No matter what your style is, you’ll be able to find the Murray Feiss product to match.  Everything is of the highest quality, and their beauty and style is really second to none. We’re sure you’ll love Murray Feiss just as much as we do here at Lighting Concepts.

Lighting Q&A: Style Concerns

Dear Lighting Concepts,

I’m about to start redecorating my home this year, and I know that one of the most important things I can consider is the lighting.  I’ve been told that it can dramatically influence the feel of the room, so I want to make sure I do it right.  I’m not sure where to begin.  Should I look for lighting that is influenced by my home’s architecture?  And what are some popular trends?  My wife keeps telling me that she wants to go with brass, copper, and crystal chandeliers—but isn’t that out of style?  I’m so used to seeing plastic and resin in modern homes.

Help!

Signed,

Louie, Long Island, NY

Dear Louie,

Don’t fret, we have some answers for you.  First of all, your wife is right.  Trends in lighting are reverting back to a more old-world look—so the brass, copper, and crystal chandeliers are totally in style.  We have a few theme ideas to help you get started.

-Casually elegant:  This is a great way to make your home pop.  You can achieve it by creating a warm, relaxed, and comfortable environment.  Do it with casual lighting that’s a bit more upscale in design.

-Simple and traditional:  Get rid of stuff that you don’t need.  Use decorative lighting with brass—but get something that looks stripped down and antique.

-Soft and contemporary:  This is a great way to make the architecture of your home work with the lighting.  Homes are getting taller, and so is lighting.  So get fixtures that are clean, modern, and simple.

We hope this helps!

Lighting the Future by 2020

When we think about lighting, we generally think about what it takes to light our homes and businesses.  But what about the bigger picture?  In a recent article from Lighting.com, we found out that the world’s urban population is poised to reach four billion in the next ten years.  People that live in urban areas rely on electric lights more than people in larger, less congested areas.  So what’s the concern?  Will we be able to light the world up for all of these people in the next ten years?  This is more than just a matter of generating light, too.  With all of that electricity, we run the risk of using too much energy.  With our already fragile planet, this is a concern.  We need to use the right lights and lighting fixtures.

That’s why cities are making the switch to LED lighting.  According to the article, by using LED lighting, “municipalities will be able to achieve their targets for lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions, saving as much as 40% of the energy used in older lighting technologies. Significantly longer lifetimes for LED luminaires and lamps can also considerably lower the cost of operation, benefitting the municipality and the taxpayer alike.”

Here at Lighting Concepts, we’re hoping for a brighter future!

Hot Lighting Trends

We like to keep ourselves up to date on the hottest lighting trends, and we think that you should be in on the info, too. That’s why we here at Lighting Concepts have complied a list of some of the current trends in the lighting industry.

-Don’t over-use recessed lighting. We love its functionality, but use it sparingly. Some homeowners and decorators find it obstructive when it’s overused.

-It’s good to be environmentally friendly. Just like every other aspect of interior decorating, environmentally conscious lighting is on the rise. Use dimmer switches to keep energy use down. We expect this trend to get even more high tech with time!

-Large light fixtures are still very fashionable in interior design. This is because large multi-purpose rooms need big lighting fixtures for scale.

-Multi-dimensional room lighting is yet another big trend. More homeowners are becoming aware of their lighting needs when it comes to ambient, task, accent, and decorative lighting.

-Metal bases for table lamps work really well with the metallic trends going on elsewhere in interior design.

Whatever you’re looking for to light your home, you’ll be able to find it here at Lighting Concepts. We know all of the trends, and we’re here to help you make the right design decisions for your space!

Weird Steampunk-Inspired Lamps

We like looking for fun, weird, and interesting light fixtures.  It’s interesting to see what people out there come up with.  We were really impressed when we came across this collection of Steampunk-inspired lamps.  They look like they’d be fun in a game room, a boy’s bedroom, or some other room that could have a science fiction theme to it.

Don’t know what steampunk is?  Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that involves an era or world where steam power is widely used.  Steampunk generally incorporates modern technological advances in a way that Victorians might have envisioned them.  It’s like a fun combination of the past and the future.  And these weird lamps certainly illustrate that!

Like the look?  You can take it home with you with some of the fixtures here at Lighting Concepts.  It’s a little less extreme, so it’s perfect for any room in your house. 

A lot of the ELK Lighting here at Lighting Concepts takes that concept and makes it a little more classic for your décor.  If you felt inspired by the steampunk lamps, take a look at the lighting at Lighting Concepts and see if something might work in your home.  It’s easy to take some outlandish concept and make it work in your home—you just have to know how to do it right!

Halloween Decorating Suggestion

We're all about making the inside (and outside!) of your home look great with some awesome light fixtures, but sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind.  We're talking about Halloween, of course.  That's the season when you can throw classic style out the window in lieu of spooky decorations and ghoulish décor.  We’ve got some tips to help you make your home as festive as you want it to be!

When those trick-or-treaters come to your home, you want to make sure you’re ready.  You can create a spooky scene outside (or inside!) your home with some scary props and low lighting.  It’s easy enough to buy some fake tombstones and place them in your yard.  You can replace the bulbs in your lighting fixtures with red or black ones.  Really make the scene come together with fake cobwebs and spiders.

If you don’t want to make it too spooky, there are many happier alternatives.  You can carve some jack-o-lanterns with big smiles and place them on your front porch.  Make guest feel welcome with a smiling scarecrow.  The perfect finishing touch, of course, would be a lovely autumnal wreath made of silk maple leaves.

Lighting Concepts wants to wish you a Happy Halloween—no matter how you choose to celebrate it!

Lighting Q&A: Recessed Lighting

Dear Lighting Concepts,

We've heard a lot lately about recessed lighting. Do you have any tips or tricks you can share with us? We want to know what we're getting into before we get started!

Thanks so much,

Lou and Janet, PA

Dear Lou and Janet,

Thanks so much for your question! We sure do have a lot we can tell you about recessed lighting. First of all, know that it's relatively simple to install recessed lighting in a living room— just as long as you can crawl into the attic above the room. See, housing for recessed lights can be installed between rafters and connected to wiring that runs directly to the breaker box. The key comes with figuring out how large to make the lights and how many you will need.

You can usually achieve good ambiance by installing lights placed about every 48 inches around the perimeter of the ceiling. Make sure the lights are at least 18 inches away from the walls. It's a good idea to match the housing of the recessed lights to some other metal coloring in the room. Use gold or bronze rimmed lights if the lamps and furniture in your home call for it. Same goes for silver. Invest in lights that will look fabulous— this is good for you, and also good if you decide to sell your home somewhere down the line.

Thanks for your question!

Lighting Concepts

Now That's A Weird Chandelier!

At Lighting Concepts, we pride ourselves in bringing you the highest quality light fixtures on the market. And we also like to keep things classic. But we couldn't help but laugh when we came across this site all about Ten Weird Chandeliers. We're going to give you a quick rundown of our favorites.

The Gummi Bear Chandelier is made entirely of gummi bears. That's right. Gummi bears. It has a few beads and metal that gets threaded through the bears. It's interesting because there's always the danger of the chandelier getting too hot... the gummi bears have to be coated with a special treatment so that they don't melt.

We also really love the Gramophone Chandelier. The inspiration for the Grammy Award, the gramophone horn is the speaker device that was used on old record players. They're actually really neat. They have a nice old-world flavor to them. But you really have to be a nut for nostalgic collectibles, that's for sure!

And our personal piece de resistance is the Umbrella Chandelier. This wacky light fixture uses umbrellas with a silver plated light bulb. It actually provides a really neat lighting effect since the light has to diffuse through the colored umbrella.

Just remember... Lighting Concepts is here for you when you're looking for a chandelier that's a little more on the “classic” side.

Light Bulb Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

How much do you know about the bulbs that you put into your quality lighting fixtures from Lighting Concepts?  Now is the time to test your knowledge!

1. Who invented the first commercially successful light bulb?
2. What type of air is inside an incandescent light bulb?
3. The filament inside a modern incandescent light bulb is made from what type of metal?
4. LEDs are small light sources used in electronic devices. What does LED stand for?
5. True or False: The yellow light bulbs on some porches work to repel bugs.
6. What percentage of energy in a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb is converted to visible light?

Answers:

1. Joseph Swan invented the first commercially successful light bulb. He actually patented the idea in Britain a full year before Edison received his US patent.
2. To prevent the filament from burning out too quickly, the bulb is filled with an inert gas.
3. The filament is made from Tungsten.
   
4. LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode.”
5. False! Insects can't see the color yellow, so bugs are neither attracted to nor repelled by yellow light bulbs.
6. 2.6% of energy is converted into visible light. Most of the energy actually gets converted to heat.

Lighting Trends

The trends in lighting tend to reflect the trends of the furniture world as a whole. Many of the new trends in lighting are affected by the amount of younger consumers, smaller homes, and the quest for living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The main trend in lighting these days can be summed up in one word: “clean.” We here at Lighting Concepts have gathered up a few main points to get you thinking about the trends when you start lighting up your home.

-Arc lamps are becoming the most popular kind of floor lamp. This is largely due to the popularity of sectional sofas.

-Proportions are changing, too. Taller shades and squat vases are becoming the prevalent look in table lamps. The popularity of platform beds has resulted in table lamps with smaller bases and tall shades. (See... form follows function!)

-Like we said, “clean” is the main term here. The aforementioned emphasis on shades also means that you're going to pay more attention to them. Shades are becoming more complex— almost architectural. The overall theme here should be uncluttered despite embellishments.

-It's important to go green! It's easier to make energy conscious lighting choices than ever before. Try looking for fixtures that are equipped to use fluorescent bulbs rather than incandescent ones.

Whatever you need to light up your home, you'll be able to find it here at Lighting Concepts. And we're always up on the trends!

Improving Home Improvement: Nate Berkus

Big things happened in the TV world this week. Decorating guru Nate Berkus is getting his own daytime talk show. Are we excited? You bet we are. Nate is full of so many fun and creative ideas, and we can't wait to try some of them out for ourselves. We're sure you'll feel the same way. Why does Lighting Concepts love Nate? Because he doesn't act snobby about decorating, that's why. He said, “Everyone needs to t urn their spaces and their lives into something that works for them.”

We like that.

Odds are that The Nate Berkus Show is airing on your local TV. It got picked up by 177 local stations... and that covers 96% of the country. We're excited to hear what he's got to say about different ways to add light fixtures to your home.

We admire that Nate is a self-taught design expert. He worked at an auction house before he founded his own Chicago design firm when he was 24. (What were you doing when you were 24?)

Our favorite Nate Berkus tip so far? Nate says that he's a “take-away guy.” What does that mean? Well, he doesn't want to tell you exactly what to do with your home. He wants to give you information that you can then take away and use however you want to make something that is distinctly YOU.

You can do just that with any of the great products here at Lighting Concepts, too. Let your creativity fly!

Think About Outdoor Ceiling Fans

If you've got a covered back porch on your home, you know how wonderful it is to sit and enjoy the outdoors. But you also know how awful it can be to be on that same back porch on a muggy, hot, and humid afternoon. You don't have to give up your back porch entirely. This can easily be solved with an outdoor ceiling fan from Lighting Concepts.

Before you start shopping, take a little time to think about the style, model, and price of the outdoor ceiling fan that will best suit your needs. Make sure you're purchasing a fan that's specifically for outdoor use. If you put an indoor fan outside, you'll find that you'll be replacing it in a short amount of time. Outdoor ceiling fans are made to be stronger, and they can handle variations in temperature. So take a little time to shop through our selection of outdoor ceiling fans.

You also need to think about how wet your porch might get. There are different grades for outdoor ceiling fans. Some are rated and marked suitable for “damp” locations, while others are suitable for “wet” locations. Obviously, a damp location won't get quite as moist as a wet one. If your porch only experiences minor condensation, then you can go with a damp-suitable fan. Just make sure you know what you're getting into.

Take the time to shop around before you select your outdoor ceiling fan from Lighting Concepts.

Hanging Chandeliers Like A Pro

You don't have to have a grand dining room to enjoy a chandelier. Lighting Concepts has chandeliers for every purpose under the sun (or, we suppose, every purpose under your roof!). We're here to offer you some tips for when it comes to hanging your chandelier. After all, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right!

Don't rush the installation of your chandelier. We know you're excited, but you need to make sure everything is in order. You don't want to have to do something over again! As a general rule, your chandelier should be about 30 to 35 inches above the table (if you're hanging it above the table). Also think about the size of the room. Don't let the chandelier take over the place. It's there to tastefully accent your decor— not devour it.

It's always a good idea to have a professional come in to install your chandelier. That way you can ensure that it's secured properly. The last thing you want is to have your beautiful light fixture come crashing down to the floor! Make sure you check the electrical box before you install the chandelier. That's the only way to really know that the fixture will be properly supported.

At Lighting Concepts, we have your chandelier solution!

Eco-Friendly is Wallet Friendly

It seems like everyone is talking about going green these days. But what does that mean for you and your light fixtures? Well, Lighting Concepts is going to try to clear that up a little bit. All you need to do is make a few simple switches and you'll be able to conserve energy and save some money. It's really quite simple!

• Some of the most energy efficient light fixtures are recessed lighting fixtures. Look especially for ones that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated). It's a quick and easy way to save some energy.
• Try using dimmers to adjust your lights when they're not in use. That way, you can control just how much energy you're consuming.
• Take advantage of sunlight as much as you can! Use light-colored curtains so that the sunlight gets in during the day. There's no reason to have all of your lamps on at noon.
• Try purchasing Energy Star qualified lighting fixtures. Energy Star qualified lighting fixtures are approved by the Department of Energy for their ability to light your home more efficiently and evenly than standard light bulbs.

As you continue redecorating and revamping your home, keep Mother Earth in mind. If you're kind to her, she'll be kind to your wallet.

Light Up Your Bathroom

Who says that bathrooms have to be boring? When you're decorating your home, it's easy to forget about the bathroom. But Lighting Concepts has some awesome bathroom fixtures that can help you turn that space into something really special. From our quality Bath Accessories to bathroom light fixtures like the Aspen Oil Rubbed Bronze Bathbar, we have everything you need to make your bathroom look brand new. Here are some tips for lighting up your bathroom.

• The mirror is one of the most important things in the bathroom. So you want to make sure that there is enough bright lighting around the mirror and vanity. Put lights above the mirror or on either side of it. That will certainly be bright enough! After all, you want to make sure you can see what you're doing when you floss.
• Try lighting up the shower. Use a recessed light with a glass lens to keep things bright in there.
  
• What about light bulbs? Well, you should probably go with something like a white halogen bulb. That will ensure that your skin tone looks right in the mirror. You could also try a fluorescent bulb— bright and energy efficient!

No matter what you need to do with your bathroom, Lighting Concepts has the solution for you.