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Your choice of bedroom lamps and lighting fixtures will be the deciding factor when it comes to whether your favorite relaxation spot will be a failure or a spectacular success. We spend so many hours in our bedrooms that it would be a shame not to pick and choose with extreme caution. After all, comfort is the main priority – it sets the mood and defines the way that colors and shapes present themselves.

Make Task-Specific Choices

Although there should always be at least one source of general ambient lighting, it is always preferable to have a specific source of brightness for each “section” of the room. Your closet, makeup stand, reading chair, and dressing area should be appropriately bright for the task at hand. Make sure that desk lamps will at least equal the brightness of your computer screen, but without getting in your face.

Using different types of bedroom lamps for specific tasks is especially important in a couple’s bedroom – one partner may eventually want to do read a book or do a little work on the computer while the other takes a nap, and both will need to be accommodated appropriately.

Avoid the Common Mistakes

Bad lighting can ruin anything that it touches – including the bedroom that you so carefully designed.  Buying fixtures and bedroom lamps on aesthetics alone can cause quite a bit of disappointment when all is said and done. For example, an overhead shade may be attractive, but will it allow for the brightness that you may need during a heavy spring cleaning session? Do your bulbs allow your interior design ideas to shine through with the proper color and definition?

The most common bedroom lighting mistakes include: forgetting to add a dimmer switch to the main overhead lighting, neglecting to add accessible lamps near the bed, using shades that are too opaque, creating ugly sharp shadows with ultra-concentrated beams, and installing ambient lighting directly over the bed. It would be a sure bet to assume that every homeowner has made one (or more!) of these mistakes while fooling around with new home decorating ideas.

The optimal lighting setup will allow you to see the true colors of your clothing and should have the potential to illuminate every corner of the room. Once you know the what, where, and why, you are then perfectly prepared to pick out your favorite bedroom lamps and lighting accessories.

There is nothing that can bring warmth and beauty to an old house like a chandelier. They add charm, beauty and elegance to a room, creating a bright and dynamic lighting. They are usually passed on from one family member to another.  However, there are several ways to find the chandelier you need.

Going to an antiques shop is the first thing most people do to find a vintage chandelier. Some antique shops restore antique lamps, without disturbing the original beauty or value. You definitely want to look in the shops by car. You may be surprised what you find; you may just find exactly what you want. Another good way is to check the lists of property sales. Most real estate sales list the key elements in their documents. You can get more history than it would otherwise state. Auctions can be a good way to find one. Most properties are auctioned off, either at the farm or in a part of the house. You could probably find something.

To make sure that you have found a real old one when shopping for the perfect red chandelier, you need to know how to tell a genuine antique from a reproduction. This will take a little research. There are many books about antiques that can guide you in your search for solar patio lights. First, you need to know the popular materials that make a point of seniority. Polished steel has been a popular material until recently, to cancel the possibility of being an antique. Most were made of materials that were convenient, and beautiful, when applied correctly.

Materials such as brass, bronze, wood and glass are typical materials that identify the chandelier as an antique. You will also want to look at the type of fuel used in the lighting system. The light sources such as candles, kerosene and diesel were very popular and are a positive identification of the chandelier you are looking for. However, many of them have been adapted for the consumption of electricity and it is best to check and make sure it has been changed recently. Manufacturers also gave each a different set of insignia of candles of distinction. These badges are no longer used, mainly because of mass production. If you find a chandelier with badges that are similar to what you saw in old books, it can be an antique.

A chandelier is a jewel because of the charm and elegance it lends the room where it is placed. Choosing the perfect one depends on the style you’re looking for. The larger the room, the bigger it can be. A large chandelier in a small room is very powerful. If you know what you’re looking for, these simple guidelines will help you find the perfect vintage chandelier with the best price.

String lights make a great addition to any home; whether they are to be used indoors or outdoors they really will turn the space that you live in from a generic cold interior (or exterior) into a place that radiates warmth and that you will want to spend time in.

The Importance of Lighting

You may have noticed from many of our other posts that we believe that interior lighting really can make a house a home. Regardless of the type or condition of the interior of your home if you get the lighting right it will hide a multitude of sins. The best way to get the right lighting is to use multiple light sources and in today world it has never been easier.

String lights used to be reserved for just Christmas and festive periods but this isn’t the case any longer. Whether they are wrapped around a bunch of willow in the corner of a room or all bundled up in a bowl, string lights look great all year round.

What sort of interior style are you trying to create?

It’s unlikely that if you are trying to create ultimate bachelor pad that string lights will feature in your lighting scheme. If you are female however and are trying to create the ultimate sanctuary string lights should be up there on your list of home accessories. Whether you own your home, rent a home or even just have your own bedroom in a place, there is no reason why you shouldn’t try to put your own stamp on it. Sting lights are the perfect way to do this, wonderfully feminine, string lights are the way to add some elegance, grace and warmth in to a room.

String lights also add a strong point of interest in a room, so if you are renting a place and can’t put things on the wall then you could try the methods that I mentioned before – let me recap on them and also add some new ideas.

How to use string lights to add interest to a room.

Many home stores now sell bunches of willow, by getting some string lights that have transparent cables you can weave them unobtrusively through the willow. When night falls and you switch on the string lights the light will bounce off the willow and will give the corner of your room a wonderful warm glow.

A plain glass vase and some battery operated string lights are all that you need to create a ‘wow’ focal point. Try and find some sting lights that are about 5 ft long and with a transparent cord. Stuff the lights in to the vase (making sure that you can get easy access to the on/off switch) and your done. The sting lights look fantastic at night particularly if you find some with a transparent cord as the light refracts through the cord creating a great spectacle.

Similar to the ‘bunches of willow’ tip is that of careful weaving some battery operated string lights through a plant. Instead of creating a warming glow you should get a slightly greenish tinge in the light from the plants foliage.

All three of these ideas are a beautiful way to use string lights to improve the appearance of your home.

Picture lights are available in hundreds of different designs, powered by batteries, mains or low voltage, and can be LED, halogen or fluorescent bulbs.  With all of this variety you are sure to be able to find a light that will suit your needs.

Lighting can make a bland looking room look fantastic. I really cannot stress enough how much good lighting can transform the rooms in your home – if I had the choice between spending my money on lighting or paints, fabrics and wall paper I would go for the lighting every time – it makes a house a home.

You will have no doubt read that to get the best lighting results multiple light sources that can be used in different configurations should be used.  Lighting does not just have to perform a functional purpose it can be used to create an ambience that is unachievable by any other means.

Good lighting also gives a room extra dimensions and the one of the best ways to do this is to use what is known as pool and feature lighting. Pool and feature lighting is a method of lighting and not a type of lighting. So you won’t be able to buy ‘pool lighting’ so don’t go searching for it! What you can search for though is the types of light fittings that are good for creating pool and feature lighting.

As the name suggests pool lighting is ‘pools’ of light and there are many ways of creating them. The easiest way is simply to use  table floor lamps to create different zones/pools of light in your room. Pool lighting does wonders for a room but one of my favourite forms of lighting is feature lighting and picture lights perform this function brilliantly. Don’t however be fooled in to thinking that a picture light can only light a picture – there are many uses for picture lights.

Picture lights can be used to produce beautiful background lighting in your room can produce a wonderful tranquil environment to relax in. What is actually happening is that the light bounces from the picture and into the room picking up some of the subtle colours from your pictures. If you have pictures with warm colours in them then the room will have a warm glow to it.

As with most lights now, the technologies available for picture lights are LED, halogen and fluorescent. LED are the most environmentally friendly but to get a good quality of light you will have to pay a lot of money. Unfortunately for the environment, the best quality of light is produced by a low voltage halogen bulb. The low voltage type of picture light will therefore require a transformer to operate from the mains power. Some picture lights will have the transformer subtly built in to the base, others if they are plug-in will have the transformer at the plug end. If you are having your picture lighting professionally installed the installer and you are having the cables channelled in to the walls will mean that the transformer will be located remotely.

If cables and channelling seem like a little bit too much or if you just want your picture lights to add a bit of interest around the room then you may well opt for a cordless picture light. These battery operated light will invariably be powering an LED ‘bulb’. If this is the route you decide to go down then try to ensure that the LED is a warm white variety – if it just say LED then steer clear as it will probably have a cold blue tinge to it. A cordless picture light is a neat solution to easily add light to areas not near a power source. In term of fixing cordless picture lights some will screw to the wall, some will clip to a picture or unit and others will come with a self adhesive strip. Some types of picture lights will come with multiple methods of fixing the same light.

A word of warning:
If you are using your picture light to actually light pictures then the quality of the light is very important.  Lighting pictures is a specialist area – any distortions in the bulb glass or lens on the front of the light will cast shadows and produce a poor quality of light and may spoil the picture you are trying to illuminate. If the picture you are lighting is of significant value to you – be it financially or sentimentally – speak to an expert as the last thing you want to do is fade, or scorch the picture by using an inappropriate light.

House lights help to create the perfect first impression of your home to visitors after dark not only do they look fantastic they also provide a great deterrent to thieves whilst for you they will make getting in and out of you home in the dark easier.

With so many house lights on the market it’s difficult to know where to start but before you part with your money ask yourself these questions:

What type of home do you own?

This is going to be a big factor in deciding the style of house lighting you choose for the outside of your home. A more traditional home will look better with a more traditional design of light. If you’ve got a home that was built in the 1960′s and decide that a porch light designed on an 1800′s lantern may look nice I’d urge you to reconsider! Try to match the style of lighting to your home if you’ve taken the time to read this article then you probably have a good idea of what style is appropriate to your home.

What type of porch do you have?

Is your porch enclosed so that you lights will not be exposed to the elements or is it a canopy that provides a small amount of shelter for visitors to your front door. If your porch lights are going to be exposed to the elements you will need to look at outdoor porch lighting that has an IP rating of IP33 or more.

What do you want your lighting to do?

Do you want your house lights to provide a useable light so that you can get in and out easily in the dark? Do you want your outdoor house lights to deter thieves? Or, do you just want some lights to look nice and enhance the appearance of your front door? LED house lights look nice but do not give off a great deal of light. If you are looking for a light to just enhance your property there are many alternative to regular porch lights, for example you get illuminated house numbers and signs that are far more energy efficient that porch lights and are also very pleasing to look at.

How bright do you want it?

This follows on from the previous point, but should be considered. Even if you do want the light to be functional do you need to use a 100W bulb or would a lower wattage but focused beam be more appropriate. Light pollution in our cities is becoming a major problem and is affecting nocturnal wildlife; unnecessarily bright lights can also cause problems between neighbours so choose your outdoor porch lights carefully.

Environmental impact

Whatever type of light you are looking for whether it’s an indoor or outdoor house light try to find one that has the best green credentials. This doesn’t necessarily mean finding a light that’s has an LED or energy efficient light bulb – it could be that you have a convention bulb that is only activated when someone gets close to your door way. If you do want your lights to be on for 12 hours a night then an LED or energy efficient bulb will be the option best for the environment.

How will you power your outdoor house lighting?

The easiest way to install a outdoor house lights is to get a solar powered light. Solar powered lights mean that no cables need to be routed to it to provide the power and therefore no drilling through the external walls of your home will be necessary. If you ant a brighter light than that provided by solar powered light then you may be well advised to opt for a low voltage or mains powered light.

How do you want your house light or lights to be mounted?

Do you have a canopy that the porch light can be fitted to or hung from or do you want your porch lights mounted on the wall either side of your front door. Perhaps you don’t want them near your front door at all and want to light your driveway.

By considering the above point before purchasing your house lights you will hopefully end up with the right light for your property first time – saving you time and money. Lights added to the front of your property will increase its curb side appeal and as such will increase the value of your home so don’t rush your decision. Driveway lights are another way of adding some interest to the front of your property; if you already have lights in your driveway you could try to match your outdoor house lights to them.

Illuminated bathroom mirrors are mirrors that come with self-lighting options. These mirrors light up the space around them so that you can see your image clearly.

How useful is an illuminated bathroom mirror?

Illuminated bathroom mirrors have a number of uses. The most obvious use is that they do not rely on the natural or bathroom lighting fixtures to reflect your image. This helps if you have a badly lit bathroom or if you have a bathroom with lightings that do not illuminate the mirror properly. Using these mirrors, applying makeup and shaving becomes very easy.

These mirrors also look very elegant, stylish and sophisticated. You must have seen them being used in bathrooms of your favorite stars in some or the other movie. Therefore, if you want to give your bathroom a high-class Hollywood-ish look, then these mirrors are your best bet.

In addition, these mirrors give an ambient light that helps to create a soothing atmosphere in the bathroom. When you just want to relax in your bathtub or take a rejuvenating hot bath, then you can simply turn the lights of the mirrors on and enjoy your bath with soft and soothing lights.

These mirrors are really easy to maintain as well. Since the lights are generally behind the mirror, the front is kept smooth and easy to clean. Therefore, these mirrors do not demand any special cleaning up as such.

What are the various options available in illuminated bathroom mirrors?

There are many options available of varying sizes, shapes and designs in illuminated bathroom mirrors. There are the oval, rectangular, or circular shapes from which to choose. The most popular though is the round mirror shape. However, if you want an innovative shape, then you can get it custom-made as well.

As far as the size is concerned, it all depends on the size of your bathroom as well as the space available in it for installing a mirror. If you have a small bathroom, you should preferably go for a small mirror with soft lights. However, if you have a large bathroom, then you can even go for a large wall mirror with bright lights.

In mirror designs, there are endless options again. Some of the more popular options are art deco mirror, Venetian mirror, cheval mirror, etc. You can choose any of these designs depending on your budget, taste and preferences.

For more functionality, you can also opt for mirrors that have an in built cupboard. These mirrors are really helpful for those who do not have enough storage space in their bathroom. These cupboard mirrors can greatly help one in organizing one’s cosmetics and bathing accessories and preventing cluttering in the bathroom.

What to look for while buying an illuminated bathroom mirrors?

One should be very careful while buying these mirrors so that one’s investment does not go down the drain. The first consideration is of course of lighting. You should preferably go for low voltage lights to save on your electricity bill. So, do check the voltage and power consumption of the mirror while buying.

If you are worried about the steaming up of mirror on winter mornings and are always wondering how to stop steaming up of your mirrors, then illuminated mirrors have an interesting solution for you. There are some illuminated mirror models that have halogen lights installed. These halogen lights heat up the mirror. This condenses the steam and the mirror remains as easier to see as it ever was. 

In addition to this, you should look for warranties if any. Try to look for a branded mirror even if that costs you more. This is because a branded model would have a long life and it would therefore prove to be more inexpensive than a cheap mirror in the longer run and larger picture.

Where to buy illuminated bathroom mirrors?

You can buy these mirrors both online as well as offline. Generally speaking, there are more options to discover on the web than in the market, and that too at cheaper prices. Therefore, it is recommended that you buy these mirrors on the Internet.

In addition, if you are dissatisfied with the range of options available in the market, then you can also get these mirrors custom made according to your exact requirements. Though these mirrors would prove to be more expensive, they would at least save you from making any compromises.

What is the price range?

The price of illuminated bathroom mirrors ranges between $100 and $350. There are also options that are cheaper than $100 for those how are tight on budget.

String lights transform a space. They turn plain, boring and uninteresting into a magical atmosphere. They are easy to install, cheap to run and look fantastic in whatever way you chose to use them. They were once reserved for Christmas and festive use but they have proved so popular that they are now used year round. LiveIn|LiveOut have taken a look at how you can get some string lights in to your home.

Four ideas for string lights in your home

1. Think of any dark corner in any room that needs a bit of a lift and perhaps place them into a large, tall glass vase. This adds instant glamour because you will find that in a glass the light tends to reflect around the material and looks simply stunning. It is best to use battery operated string lights for this purpose, as you will not be able to see the power source quite so easily once the string is bundled into the vase. Not having a cable going to an illuminated vase only enhances its beauty.
2. Why not add them to a bunch of willow? This looks amazing propped up in a corner adding interest to a porch, bathroom or bare corner of a living room. If where you choose to use them does not have a power point near by such as in the bathroom the battery powered option would be better.
3. Another way you could display your string lights is in your houseplants. This will require some of you more hardy plants and nothing too weak. Even though LED string lights are lighter in weight you will have to concentrate the majority of the weight around the ‘trunk’ or ‘stalk’ of the plant just so it doesn’t add too much strain on them.
4. String lights are great idea to add some fun into your child’s room. Children are visual and highly sensory beings when they are young. They learn and respond to lighting, so a simple and relatively cheap way of adding some creativity into their lives is to place some string lights around the room. The lights will create shapes on the walls giving your child hours of enjoyment and a sense of wonder … LED string lights are low heat so they are safer around small people. You can get them in a myriad of colours and they also come in a colour changing option. Great to stimulate those senses and relax the baby at night so you can have a better nights sleep. Do bare in mind though that any type of cord or string is a potential hazard for young children, so do make sure that they a fixed safely and securely out of reach.
   

Four ideas for string lights in your garden

1. For outdoor use you simply cannot beat solar string lights. The fact that they do not need to be plugged in, or have batteries gives you instant flexibility on where you can place them.Like inside the home, string lights look great in a feature plant or tree out of the front of your home and will add a bit of interest not only to the front of your home but also the entire street. Solar lighting does tend to take on more of a white/blue light as opposed to a more ambient warmer white light – but these can be purchased if you specifically require them but you will find that they cost a little more than the wired versions.
2. Another great place to put some string lighting is around your patio area. It is somewhere you like to sit and enjoy your garden so why not create more of an ambiance by some beautiful lighting solutions. Patio string lights like all types of outdoor lighting would be specifically for outdoor purposes and these are a little more expensive as they need to be of a certain IP rating (an IP rating general dictates how waterproof an electrical product is). You could perhaps wrap these around your table umbrella in order to create a perfect setting for those cosy summer nights watching the sun go down – you can even get dedicated patio umbrella lights.
3. The third place that you could put outdoor string lights would be in a pergola or archway. Delicate paper lantern type string lights do not have to cost a fortune and really enhance your garden.
4. Willow and reed screens have become very popular in recent years but at night their beauty is lost. If you can get small enough string lights you can poke them in between the willow sticks from behind so that they create a beautiful starry effect at night. This is possibly may favourite use of outdoor string lights.

Ideas for different types of string lights

Now that you have some ideas of how you might use string lights in and around your home, lets take a look at the different types of string lights there are available. You may or may not be aware that there is a multitude of different shapes, sizes, lengths and looks of string lighting on today’s market that are suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage.

I know that if you were looking at creating a Japanese feel into your garden you may want to get some paper lantern string lights – obviously if they are to be used outdoors look for the plastic/ paper look material! These are great – they look colourful and stylish adding sophistication into your space. I recently went to a home show and saw a fairly new design that looked like a string of lit leaves; they were beautiful and came in a fair few colours to match any interior.

If you are looking for a softer option for your bedroom, feathered string lights are in fashion. They look feminine and pretty and simply look at home draped over your mirror. Tube rope light is another option taking on a spaceier feel. The tubing is less unobtrusive during the day as it is clear rather that having lengths of wire cluttering up your home – at night they come to life casting a rather spectacular glow around the room.