GUEST POST: Bedroom Lighting Tips

This is a guest post from Ross Donald, interior design specialist

 with the light fixtures suppliers at LightingSale.com:

Bedroom Lighting Tips

The last room you visit at night and the first room you see in the morning, your bedroom is your solitary chamber in your home. There are, of course like any other room in the home, many aspects of design that come together to complete the aesthetic appeal of a room. One aspect of this spectrum of design comes from lighting, and the choices that you make when lighting a room greatly influence the atmosphere of the room itself. Here are a few great pointers for illuminating a room that needs both darkness and light.

Know the size and function
Bedrooms come in different shapes and sizes, and each person approaches their bedroom with their own unique demands for what they need it to do. Is this room strictly for sleeping or will you be engaging in other activities? The bedroom is gaining popularity as a media / reading room, and these create their own demands in lighting.

Install multiple options
A general rule for interior lighting is that there should be several different types of lighting in any room. Essentially you want lighting that is fashionable and lighting that is functional. Imagine a bar at closing time: the whole night they have the bar lights on to set the mood, but after last call the bright house lights come on so the staff can clean the place up.
Mornings in your bedroom might typically entail getting dressed for work, meaning you’ll probably want sufficient lighting to make sure your chose regalia for the day does not cause people to mock your fashion sense. A strong centralized light source such as a ceiling mounted chandelier works great for bringing light to the entire room.
In the evening you may want to sleep while your significant other wants to stay up and read. In this case the use of small focused lighting, akin to what you see on an airline, makes a great addition that gives sufficient directed lighting for reading without causing a distraction that keeps the other person awake.

Think outside the nightstand
Tableside lamps are the traditional lighting companion for the bed but they are not the only choice you have. Hanging lamps with pendant shades can bring soft intimate touches to the bedroom and while sconces bring a suave contemporary framing style to your bedroom. Both of these have the added feature of freeing up space on your bedside table, and if you’re anything like me, the open space on that nightstand is a rather rare real estate commodity.

Adapt and Adjust
Don’t leave yourself short socketed in your bedroom design. Install plenty of wall sockets, a few at different heights, so that you have the flexibility to add light where you want it. Installing dimmer switches are a remarkable addition to the bedroom that allow you to almost literally set the mood with adjustable luminosity.
The last call in how to light and set the mood is up to you though. Every design project should always reflect your tastes as an individual, or, if you’re married, your wife’s.

Ross Donald is a writer and interior design specialist with the light fixtures suppliers at LightingSale.com

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Thank you, Ross, for this lovely post!

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The company Ross is working for offers a huge quantity of various light fixtures. I had a look through a few of their pages and found besides the classical chandeliers and other lamps these sweet and unusual mini chandeliers f.e.:

Cypress Wrought Iron Mini-Chandelier in Wet White by Crystorama

Tartan 1-Light Mini-pendant in Aluminum by Lite Source

Raimondo 1-Light Wall Lamp in Polished Steel by Lite Source

Folha 1-Light Table Lamp in Antique Silver by Lite Source

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GUEST POST: Fire Glass

Here is a very interesting guest post by Emily Micucci about Fire Glass. This is an intriguing way to add some magic to your garden or terrace and add some alternative lighting:

Fire Glass

In my opinion, the best way to furnish a gas fire pit or table is not with faux logs or lava, but with decorative fire glass. Smooth fire glass beads, designed to withstand white hot temperatures, electrify the scene in your outdoor living space. You’ll introduce a vibrant pop of color, or an iridescent pool of crystals, depending on the hue you choose.

Assuming you already have a fire feature to fill with fire glass, you can get right to the fun stuff. Choose a fire glass retailer that offers advice on how much you’ll need, as well as detailed product information. Often, fire glass retailers will give you criteria for calculating exactly how much glass you’ll need, based on the size of your fire pit or fire place. This is ideal, since you don’t want to order more than you need.

Next, make sure you choose a color that will have the most impact on the setting. Here is a beautiful example from Houzz.com. The cobalt blue is so striking.

modern landscape design

For a coastal retreat, I prefer a more pastel look—something that emulates the color of water.

Of course, you can always take the neutral route. White, silver or gold create a glowing ambiance perfect for virtually any setting. I love the sparkling gold set-up shown in this photo, courtesy of firepitglassrocks.com.

Fire glass lasts for years without losing its luster, so even if you’re not convinced by these gorgeous examples, look at it from a practical standpoint. It’s always beautiful, never cheesy, and looks like a lake on fire when you flip on your gas fire pit!

By Emily Micucci, my firepits.com

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Thank you, Emily, for this lovely post.

Here are some more pics about fire places of this kind because I find them very inspirational:

modern landscape design

modern landscape design by san luis obispo landscape architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

modern pool design by san francisco landscape architect Huettl Landscape Architecture

mediterranean patio design by san luis obispo landscape architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

mediterranean patio design by san luis obispo landscape architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

image sources

Now look at this view:

image source

And for indoor use:

image source

image source

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FINDS: Exotic Gourd Lamps by Calabarte

I think it is time to show you another of my FINDS on the internet. You may have seen this already but I am sure you will be enchanted and seduced by these the same way as I was when I saw these images for the first time.

I was immediately struck by the magic of the shadow patterns these lamps create on a wall as I am also a big fan of all Moroccan handcrafts, especially the ancient brass lamps which also live through the pattern they create on ceilings, walls and floors.

"Artist Przemek Krawczynski from Poland can turn an ordinary gourd into a wonderful, stunningly beautiful table or wall lamp. There aren’t any analogues and never will, because all this is manual and very tedious work. Przemek dries gourds and then lignified gourds decorates with various ornaments. Przhemek’s works are known under the brand Calabarte. Carved patterns, ornaments, holes and figured the track, colored rhinestones add to pumpkin-chandelier an elegant and exotic look. Light from such exotic lamps will surely give any room an extra special atmosphere." (read more...)

But the gourd lamps of the artist do not only live through the light and shadows they are also very fine pieces of art, intricately carved from Senegalese gourds.

In his own words Przemek says: "The pattern of the lamp is structure of symetric, crossing branching as from the perforated layer through three basic outer forms to the deeper light carvings.
White surfaces are deeper layer of wood which allow some light to pass through it. Although the thickness of gourd mostly don’t exceed 4mm (more is on the top and bottom) the carved patterns in that places create structure of three different depth. Each one shines with different intensity. That carvings were definitely the most demanding part of work. The supporting stem is finished with brown jeweller waxed cording.
Also the part of the cord between base and switcher is weaved by thin cording in the same type.
The base is carved in wood and finished with natural italian oil."

Enough said - here are some images which show wonderfully how the lamps look like in natural daylight and how they magically transform everything that's hit by the lightbeams in the dark:

(all images with courtsey of the artist)

If you are eager to see even more of these beautiful images please check Przemek's Facebook page.

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GUEST POST: Arcadian Lighting

I am starting a new series today and I hope very much you will enjoy them - guest posts:

Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting. Visit their website and cool blog for more information about interior design, lighting design, and beautiful light fixtures. Enjoy!

A lovely room with blank walls is like wearing a beautiful dress without a single accessory. Beautiful art completes a room.  Walls should be decorated with art rather than left blank. Here are 8 lovely rooms decorated with beautiful art.

House Beautiful via

A lovely living room in creams and grays is punctuated by a colorful abstract painting. The white background of the painting creates a fresh backdrop for the splashes of colors.

Image Spark via

A single work of art can set the tone for a room. A large scale work of art needs room to breathe and should be hung alone on the wall. Love the serene feeling of this room.

Pinterest via

A collection of small paintings have a bigger impact when hung together. This lovely gray room has beautiful autumn color accents that play off the collection of paintings in giltwood frames.

Elements of Style via

Surrounding yourself with the things you love should include artwork as well as furniture and objects.  These horse photographs are the work of Christine Lane. Love the unique lamps.

Kristen F. Davis Designs via

This abstract painting, by Kristen Davis, stands out against dark chocolate walls. The painting incorporates colors from throughout the décor as well as adds additional pops of red.

Creative Juice via

A beautiful collection of art fills an entry and stairway, turning this pass through space into an art gallery.  Grouping similar subjects together helps unify the look.

Down and Out Chic via

A simple canvas filled with beautiful words can be beautiful art for a bedroom. What a beautiful saying to wake up to everyday.

Apartment Therapy via

An oversize color photograph of an antique interior dominates this mid-century living room. The architectural photograph expands the feeling of the space. Beautiful flanked by contemporary wall sconces.

Content provided by Arcadian Lighting a site that specializes in top quality lighting fixtures at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and say hello.
The company's bio:

"Arcadian Lighting is the best source for lighting fixtures and accessories at discount prices. Arcadian Lighting has been in the lighting industry for over 15 years selling decorative home lighting fixtures and lamps online, and has become one of the top Internet retailers for home lighting products."

Thank you, Susi, for this lovely post.

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