Posts Tagged ‘Kitchen Work’

Modern Crystal Lighting Fixtures For Today’s Homes

January 23rd, 2010



Consumers of lighting fixtures these days are seeing more designs, and manufacturers have combined fashion with functionality in order to create more unique and innovative decorative lighting fixtures for homes and offices.

Decorative sconces, chandeliers, table and floor lamps in a variety of shapes, styles and finishes aid in turning a room from looking drab and dull by getting more dramatic glows and radiance. While traditional, polished brass fixtures still are the main central pieces of the decorative lighting business, a wider and better array of options have been developed in recent years.

Opulently designed crystal chandeliers, which were once reserved for formal spaces such as foyers, dining rooms, ballrooms and music rooms, are now sprinkling their glow all over the house. They’re even making an appearance above bathtubs and kitchen work islands these days.

The Demand For Crystal Lighting Fixtures Is Booming

Crystals have long been a way of life for many individuals, and most have these at home, whether they be part of chandeliers, figurines, to household accents, to plates, in wine glasses, trophies, and other furniture. The demand for crystals and their widespread use is because these items not only add elegance to one’s lifestyle but are also available in abundant varieties.

However, these wonderful pieces are also very delicate and fragile items. If you accidentally slip and break one of these, you may need to buy another expensive piece. However, it is possible to properly repair the crystal pieces of lighting fixtures like chandeliers, and return it to it’s original splendor and luster. So what’s the reason for the chandelier boom?

According to home lighting experts, it’s the idea of bringing drama into something everyday. Many say that installing crystal lighting fixtures reflects a trend towards making a unique fashion statement, where the desire for creating unexpected pairings is done, such as installing chandeliers with jet black crystals that “gleam darkly” rather than glitter. Most homeowners today have set their sights on modern minimalist lighting fixtures that still incorporate the elegant glow of crystals, in making their rooms radiate in unique ways.

Modern Crystal Lighting Pieces Are Flexible For Use In Any Room

Many home lighting experts today have noted that they are seeing the installation of modern crystal chandeliers in unexpected places and not just in the areas where many expect them to be. According to lighting analysts, these crystal lighting fixtures are everywhere, from small powder rooms to babies’ rooms.

The only place we haven’t seen them yet, nor would we want to, is the garage, some experts surmise. We may not know it, but someone could just be doing that now. While traditional chandeliers, with clear crystals hanging from metal arms still remain a standard favorite, many of the latest models push the barriers of design into newer directions. The colors and shapes of the new designs are more incredible,and look more like pieces of art today.

Modern crystal lighting fixtures that are installed and positioned properly can make for effective centerpieces in any room you wish to place them. Whether you wish to hang these in the bathroom, the living room, the nursery or entry hall, these new modern crystal lighting designs make for unique, and adaptable decorative home lighting pieces. Many modern contemporary crystal lighting pieces are also excellent for a smaller entryways,hallways,and also above kitchens.

http://goldenageusa.com – Golden Age USA

By: Vanessa A. Doctor

Light Emitting Diodes – Lighting Up the Design World

October 9th, 2009



Lighting is an important aspect of any design. The source of lighting can change the feeling and effectiveness of a room. There are many sources of lighting including natural direct or indirect light, tungsten lighting, fluorescent lighting and LED lighting. LED light bulbs have come a long way. LED bulbs were once too expensive to be considered part of interior design options for the basic consumer. Advances in technology have changed the cost of producing usable white light for the home. LED light offers many advantages and are a greener choice for lighting.

LED lights are light emitting diodes. These are solid state lighting sources that can convert an electrical impulse into light. They last much longer then tungsten bulbs and because of the solid state, are much less likely to stop working due to vibration or a sudden bump. These bulbs are small and sturdy. They can run the range of the color spectrum into non-visible light like infrared and ultraviolet with out the need for filters. These qualities make LED lighting attractive for many projects.

LED lights send out a narrow beam that is excellent for task lighting, like workbench lighting or kitchen work station lighting. The illumination of a wider area can be carried out with reflectors and strip lighting. Book cases and cabinets are great examples of areas that LED lights can be employed. LED’s are very useful for safety lighting and are used in airplanes, theaters and other places where lights can help illuminate passage ways without causing light bleed. These same principals can be used in home lighting for stair cases, walkways and closets.

One of the great advantages of these lights is the ability to paint areas with specific light and a variety of colors. Using LEDs in interior design for space lighting is becoming less expensive and more adaptive. Like track lighting these lights can focus on very specific areas. In addition, some LED lights can actually shift color depending on the need and desire of the home owner. A room can have walls that change color depending on the resident’s mood. With neutral walls the lights can shift the hue of the room. Selecting paint and lighting color requires some experimentation and foresight. The room needs to be able to stand up to natural light as well as artificial light. Areas of the wall can also be lit or shaded. This allows for creating a sense of texture and depth to an area that may actually be a flat wall.

Light emitting diodes can also be used for special decorative purposes. Door knobs can illuminate to indicate occupancy or vacancy, faucets and shower heads can be lit up creating an attractive stream of water. Heat sensitive diodes can even indicate if the water is hot or cold. These lights can be programmed to room temperature, shifting the color to help create a better ambiance. If the room is cool, the lighting can shift to warmer colors and vice versa. There are many applications for light emitting diodes with more on the way. This form of lighting will become standard as the price drops and applications increase.

By: Connor R Sullivan