Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

There are certain criteria you should know when finding the right lighting for your home:

When hanging an outdoor wall sconce, it should measure about 1/3 the height of your door and when hanging two outdoor wall sconces, they should measure about 1/4 the height of your door.

For your foyer lighting, in order to determine what type of lighting would be best, you should make sure that the bottom of the fixture is at least 7 feet from the floor. For two-story foyers, you should make sure the ceiling fixture is seen from the outside. If your foyer is on the larger, you should add some wall sconces around the room to accent your space; wall sconces should be placed just about 60 inches from the floor and 6 to 8 feet apart.

For bathroom lighting, a vanity light is usually a minimum of 24 inches wide and the center of the fixture should be hung 75 to 80 feet above the floor. A wall sconce on either side of the mirror in your bathroom allows the light to be spread evenly throughout your space and across your face, which is important in a bathroom. The wall sconces should be hung at eye level and be about 36 to 40 inches apart.

For a set of pendants over an island, the bottoms of those fixtures should be about 30 inches from the countertop.

For chandeliers, you should measure the length and width of the room you want to hang it in, add those numbers together – the sum of those measurements, in inches, should equal the perfect sized chandelier. The bottom of your chandelier should typically be 30 to 32 inches above the tabletop.

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Landscape lighting features an array of different types of lighting, here are some techniques for you to consider when creating your outdoor lighting layout:

Uplighting: Illuminating an object, area or surface from below. Using a spotlight aimed at a tree in the background while the front of your home stays fairly dark creates a focal point on the landscape.

Downlighting: Lighting an object from above, mounted high in a tree shining a light on the ground, creating what is known as “moonlighting.”

Grazing: Highlights textured surfaces around your home, setting a spotlight within about one foot of the surface.

Path Lighting: Lights spread around the walkway in order to create a safe path to your front or backdoor, they accent flowers or shrubbery as well.

Wall Washing: Sets up lighting to accent a wall in order to brighten the space. This image shows a great example of wall washing and a nice use of path lights – these landscape lights are from the Hinkley Nexus Collection.

Deck/Step Lighting: Provides safety and accent lighting for your outdoor area; perfect for that deck or patio stairwell at night.

Silhouetting: Shines a unique backlight on a specific object – create a subtle silhouette of a tree by placing a spotlight between your home and the tree.

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Lighting in your home should harmonize with your way of life and it is important that you establish a lighting strategy that tailors to your needs – think about the day-to-day things that take place in the rooms of your house and the mood you want to bring into the space. Often the rooms in our house need more than one kind of lighting, which brings us to the fundamentals of lighting you should become familiar with – the three basic types of lighting: general, task and accent lighting.

General Lighting

General lighting, also known as ambient lighting, brightens a space with overall illumination. It provides a pleasant degree of brightness without glare and enables a sound environment for you to get around in. Having a primary fixture of general light in each room is essential to a quality lighting system. This type of lighting can be achieved by using Ceiling Lights or Wall Lights, Chandeliers, recessed or track lights and Outdoor Lighting on the outside of your home.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is for exactly that, particular tasks needed done around the house – reading, writing, cooking, paying bills, playing games, etc. With task lighting you would need Pendant Lighting, Under Cabinet Lighting, portable Floor Lamps and Desk Lamps and recessed and track lighting.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting adds some appeal to a room by luring the eye to various personal effects in your house – paintings, photographs, plants or sculptures as well as textured walls, outdoor landscaping or window treatments. Accent lighting is normally provided by track and recessed lighting or Wall Lighting and needs no less than three times as much light on the object as the ambient lighting surrounding it.

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

A decorative Chandelier is an excellent way to add significance to a space – they provide a pleasant down light for the room. Also, know that you should always have your chandeliers on Dimmers in order to create a more relaxing and tranquil ambiance. The new trend this year is installing chandeliers over islands instead of the standard single pendants. If you’re on the hunt for that one-of-a-kind chandelier that will enhance your space, start perusing Littmanbros.com now, you’re bound to find something that matches your taste.

Lighting truly brings a room together and nothing affects the mood and function of a space like lighting. The kitchen is a room that deserves a lot of attention when lighting your home and it is usually the most utilized and fundamental room in the house; its where people habitually come and share their time together. You should make sure to have your two main lights positioned over a main table, Island and or counter tops. Your kitchen should also have LED recessed cans and Under Cabinet Lighting in order to give the space different levels of light.

Wall Sconces provide soothing, indirect light and can also create a dramatic effect on your walls – great places for sconces are dining rooms, study, master bedrooms, hallways and powder rooms.

Bathrooms should be lit with an overhead Mini Chandelier as well as a light over the mirror or side sconces. With varying levels of light your bathroom will be shadow free.

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Whether you’ve just moved into your house or lived in it for years, you’ve probably thought about remodeling the basement. A finished basement not only gives you and your family more space, it also significantly increases the value of your home. So if you plan on selling in the future, or just want more living space, finishing your basement can be a fun and rewarding endeavor. Since basements are typically dark and gloomy, adding light is the first thing you’ll want to consider. If your basement doesn’t have any windows to let in natural light, you’ll need to decide which type of artificial lighting fixtures will work best. Continue Reading Basement Lighting: The First Step to a Finished Basement

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Great lighting can turn an ordinary home, into an extraordinary home. When planning your lighting, look at the activities that take place in each room, the ambiance you want to create and the decorative items you want to emphasize.

By combining different types of lighting fixtures that reflect your taste and lifestyle, you can add drama to a room, make a small room look more open and a large room appear more intimate.

There are three types of lighting that work together to illuminate your home:

• General lighting
• Task lighting
• Accent lighting

General lighting replaces daylight. It provides an area with overall brightness for a variety of activities including entertaining, watching television, working on hobbies and bookkeeping. It can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling flush mounts, wall sconces, recessed lighting, track lighting and with outdoor wall lanterns positioned properly outside your home. Continue Reading Basic Types of Lighting