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Posts Tagged ‘accent lighting’

Outdoor Living Spaces

08 Apr

Example of Outdoor Living Room

Example of Outdoor Living Room

Although the outer area that is attached to your home is usually surrounded by landscape, you can actually use that area to create an outdoor room of sorts. This can be attached to exterior portion of your home. It can almost act as an enclosed patio, where you can enjoy the outside weather without having to be completely exposed to it. You can also use this area for entertaining guests and so forth.
Designing this space is much more different than creating an outdoor patio because it includes all the same fixings as an indoor room, but without some of the essentials like walls or a ceiling. The way that this area is going to be set up depends on your individual preferences, but a few suggestions can really help you carve a path toward a style that you might like to utilize.
The first thing to do when designing is begin with a plan. This way you can visualize what you want and make adjustments without having to restart the project or waste time and money things that are just not going to work.
When constructing an outdoor living area you should have a theme already established. This will help you choose the type of materials you want to use for all aspects of the project. If you are going for a more traditional outdoors theme, then wood and rocks will be a good choice. Think about using a natural color stained pergola, instead of a canopy. This will mimic the feeling of being enclosed.
Another good addition to the exterior part of your home is an outdoor fireplace. It should be made of a durable material so that it can withstand changing weather conditions. It could be some sort of cement, brick or decorative rocks. Along with a fireplace you can add proper accoutrements like patio furniture or chairs that generate a welcoming feeling.
Lighting is one of the last parts to the design process. You should design the area according to how much light is appropriate. Since this is an outdoor area, lighting will most likely only be used during the nighttime. This is where the outdoor lighting fixtures like wall lights, hanging lights, post lights, deck lights and other such equipment will come in quite handy. The type and amount of fixtures depends on the size of the space, but generally you can get by with a large overhead light and a few smaller accenting lights. This way you can keep it minimal and while producing a mood appropriate atmosphere. If you have a large backyard in addition to the outdoor living area, outdoor post lights or path lights will be an excellent source of light for safety and security reasons. If you have a large deck attached to the living space, then deck lights that are embedded to the floor will be quite useful.
There are really no limits in terms of design. If you imagine it, it can be accomplished. So, think big when you are imagining a space. All the details can be worked out and you can end up with a dream home one day.

 
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Posted in Outdoor Hanging Lights, Outdoor Lighting, Outdoor Wall Sconces

 

Funky Wall Art – Using Picture Lights As Accent Lighting

25 Jan

Bare white walls can be quite unsettling if you have great furniture in your home. This is why the addition of wall art can be an exciting adventure. The finish product can actually accent your furniture and make your home look more whole. There are several options to consider when you are planning to design your walls.
The basic things that can be done to your walls is painting it or adding wall paper to it. Painting your walls just one color might be quite boring, but if you incorporate different colors and even designs, it will surely make the area more vibrant. Even professionally painted murals can be used to make your home visually appealing. If you are looking for a less time consuming, but still funky way to dress your walls, look no further than wall paper.

Wall paper comes in many different designs colors and materials that have been already prepared. They just have to be applied onto the wall and are sometimes easy to remove or change if you so desire. You can even go as far as changing your wall every season if you felt it was necessary.

Other things you can use are pictures or photographs. These can be either within a frame, which also come in different styles to accent your picture. Picture lights are also a great way to illuminate your art and display it in a more artistic way. It also displays your taste in art, which can be a more enjoyable experience for you and your guests. There is really no limit to pictures because of the vast majority of artworks available. You can even use your own drawings or photographs as decoration.

Another innovative idea is the use of vinyl. These are somewhat the same as wall paper, but it is allows for more flexibility in design and overall use. They have a sticky material that will stick to most surfaces and is not that difficult to remove. It also allows you to use any kind of design you wish to have. For example, you can choose a whole page of writing from your favorite book, make it into a vinyl and dress your whole wall from corner to corner. This will not only fill up the wall space, but it immediately captures the attention. It is a more subtle way to design your wall, instead of using bright sometimes obnoxious colors.

Pictures can also be adapted into vinyl and easily applied in any room. These are great for children’s rooms, which go through several design changes in short amounts of time. Children grow quickly and their taste might change rapidly as well. To keep up with the trends that they favor, use vinyl to create a fun space for them.
These can also include holiday decorative needs without the added expenses that can break your bank. Just adapt a few festive pictures into vinyl and decorate your house accordingly. Not only are you unlimited in what designs you can use, but it is also innovative and unique.

You can find a great selection of picture lights from: Access Lighting, Blauet, Lite Source, Bruck, Robert Abbey, Tech Lighting, and House of Troy.

 
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Posted in Access Lighting, Blauet Lighting, Bruck Lighting, Lite Source Lighting, Picture Lights, Robert Abbey Lighting, Tech Lighting, Wall Lights

 

Techniques for Using Accent Lighting to Decorate Your Home or Office

06 Oct

Techniques for Using Accent Lighting to Decorate Your Home or Office

When thinking of purchasing lights to enhance your space, it may be that you are unfamiliar with specifics and wondering where to begin. To start, understand that there are some basic categories of lighting to consider for the most efficient path to your goal.

OPTIONS FOR LIGHTING:

Accent lighting
Task lighting
General lighting
Ambient lighting
Whether you need to highlight paintings, framed prints, plants or any other desired focal points, then accent lighting is the term you need to know- head straight to this section when you are shopping or entering queries for searches.

There are several types of accent lighting, which you have probably admired, but may not realize what to look or ask for when shopping for your particular lighting needs.

OPTIONS FOR ACCENT LGHTING:

The most obvious accent lighting technique is spotlighting. This places a beam of direct light onto the object of desired focal interest, therefore directing the eye to notice the piece.
For a calming and relaxing effect, moonlighting is an excellent way to cast light in a room. Especially when installed on a dimmer switch, the moonlight technique takes credit for a general backdrop of vision, which can be quite varied in effect.

Similar to the spotlight effect, grazing also highlights particular areas; however, these areas are usually larger in scale than the particular items needing spotlighting. Grazing can address lighting large spaces such as fireplace hearths or wall murals.

Shadowing and silhouetting are two similar options for enhancing visibility of any item at all- plants, seasonal decorations and general spaces such as dark corners are all good scenarios for these lighting techniques.
Using these artful systems and techniques for highlighting aspects of your home of office will ensure years of satisfaction with the result. Your mind and body will seem to benefit from the energy and rejuvenation felt as your lighting changes take effect in your life.

 
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Posted in Light Fixtures