Bright ideas for a cloudy day

With an airy and geometric frame, this fixture
looks more like a sculpture than a light source.
Photo: West Elm.

The weather might be dull, but inside it's sure luminous! Lighting is enjoying a revival today as one of the key ways to set a room's style and boost its personality. 

For contemporary lighting, the trend continues to be "less is more".

Geometric shapes are in focus, making many fixtures look more like sculptures than light sources.

The pared-back industrial style is also still making strides, featuring fixtures with little more than a bulb and a wire. Simple and efficient.

Too simple, you might say?

But easy is good, especially if you're into DIY. And DIY is great if you're on a budget but still want high style. 

 

Ready to challenge your creativity? Below are links to three awesome lighting projects to try on a cloudy day. As always when it comes to electrical work, leave the final installation to a certified electrician. Here we go:
 

1) These fashion-forward fixtures are made of drinking straws, pipe cleaners, spray paint, cord and light socket. You get the idea just by looking at the pictures of the site.

http://blogg.skonahem.com/mormorsglamour/gor-en-lampskarm-av-sugror/.

 

 



 











 

 

2) To complete the Lindsay Adelman's Hanging Pendant above, you buy a complete kit here ($57) and follow the instructions. Lindsay Adelman's DIY projects also include a chandelier, mobile, desk lamp and sconce. Photo: Remodelista. Here are the parts for the Hanging Pendant kit:

 



3) Finally, here's a link to making an industrial pipe floor lamp (below).

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.ca/2014/04/how-to-make-industrial-pipe-floor-lamp.html. Make sure to read all the comments regarding enhancing the safety of this lamp.

 

 

Bright ideas for lighting

Soon our homes will be filled with sparkling, light-filled Christmas trees, soft candles and illuminated decorations. The additional light sources will give our homes a layered, cozy feeling that is easily missed once the holidays are over.

But what if we apply some of the principles of Christmas decorating, in particular those that pertain to lighting, also the rest of the year? Here are three ways to do exactly that:

1) Assess the light bulbs in your existing fixtures. Do they give off a cool white or a warm yellow light? You can drastically change the whole appearance and feeling of a room by replacing a whitish bulb with a warmer, yellower version. As clients of mine have experienced, it can save you from having to repaint the room, or having to change upholstery and area rugs.

2) A layered lighting scheme is based on variation in the height and direction of the light sources. You can achieve amazing improvements simply by replacing a floor lamp by a table lamp, or by using pendant lights as reading lamps next to the bed, instead of the more typical wall sconces. Whether it'll work or not, depends on the height of the surrounding furniture and on the other light sources in the room.

3) Christmas lights are all about low-intensity accent lighting. Get the same result the rest of the year by having dimmers on the main light sources; by using products such as LED strips for in-cabinet and under-cabinet lighting; and by illuminating interesting features in your home. When buying light bulbs, make sure they are actually dimmable - not all of them are.

With these easy and affordable measures, our homes will feel warm and inviting all year round. Isn't that a bright idea?

Let there be light!

These paper "flower shades" are certainly different and

loaded with personality. 

Want to infuse your space with personality? Bold, fun or oversized light fixtures are the answer!

They are a great way to add impact and a touch of fun to any space, whether it's your dining room, bathroom, mudroom, hallway or bedroom.

Lamps have the ingenious ability to take a room from "normal" to "shining", quite literally. And they can do it without you having to spend a fortune. 

But while our stores boast many interesting chandeliers and glamorous pendants, I find that the selection of lamp shades is a lot more limited, at least here in northern Ontario. That became even more apparent during my trip to Stockholm some weeks ago. There the design stores are full of shades in just about any colour and pattern, ready to add some "oomph" to a space - and a smile to the beholder's face - challenging us to have some fun with design.

Have a look at this:

High-impact style and function in this bubble lamp from Italian design

house Missoni. The company has a collaboration with Target - fingers

crossed that we'll see their designs in Target's North Bay store, slated

to open this summer.

How about the versatility of this lamp shade collection?

I can spot only one, single white shade, the rest are

covered in designer Josef Frank's playful patterns. The

Svenskt Tenn store is a must for any design fanatic

visiting Stockholm, Sweden.

Another interior from Svenskt Tenn. Observe how
the ceiling fixture picks up the colour of the china.

Dried plants give this white shade interest.

This feathered friend seems to like to be in the

spotlight.

Speaking of feathers, this shade

is made of them.

Here's a close up of the shade.

An unorthodox use of porcupine quills...

These traditional shades take on quite

a contemporary expression when they

are bundled together like this.

Among the many metal fixtures in a variety of

shapes and sizes, I saw a surprising number of soft,

inexpensive shades in simple, loose fabrics (see

the yellow, diamond-patterned shade in the

foreground). They can be quite impactful grouped

together in a mix of prints.

 

Bring on the bling

Make space for some glamour! As the saying goes: a little bling makes a room sing.

Light fixtures are ideal for introducing sparkle in your space, and they come in a wide range of styles and sizes. Be inspired by these shiny examples available at Howe's Lighting and Pixies Discount Cash and Carry in North Bay:

How about this fixture from Artcraft

over your dining table?

Another light fixture from Artcraft. 

This one would be appropriate in a

staircase or to light up a dark corner.

Showstopper piece from Feiss.

A more traditional fixture from Feiss. 

This light could also work in a 

contemporary or "shabby chic" space. 

Use this fixture from Kichler over

an island or a long, rectangular dining

table.

DVI Lighting makes this gorgeous

semi-flush mount.

Another stunning fixture from

DVI Lighting.

More bright lighting ideas

Did you know this about lighting?

• Lighting is the ultimate space enlarger. A narrow hallway or small nook will feel more spacious and inviting with the right lighting.
• If a room is poorly lit, it will never look as good as it will under proper lighting, no matter how beautiful your materials and colours are.
• Strive for three points of light in every room, and actually turn them on. Dimmers help you regulate the intensity of each light, and and are a great tool to achieve a balance between the different light sources.

Below are some good-looking fixtures that I’ve come across in North Bay: 

The mix of clear and frosted glass

makes this cone-shaped pendant

a stylish choice for your kitchen

island. Hang it in groups of three

for more impact. Discount Cash 

and Carry, North Bay.

This is a modern take on the classic chandelier.

Chandeliers have become increasingly popular

and are no longer reserved for the traditional 

home.

Round ceiling fixture with lots of pizazz. 

Howe's Lighting and Fan Co.

Retro-style ceiling fixture. Dicount Cash and Carry.

Clean and simple lines on this ceiling fixture with

frosted glass. Howe's Lighting and Fan Co.

Lots of bling and a gorgeous light is reflected off

this show stopper from Discount Cash and Carry.

If you're looking for affordable, stylish table fixtures,

the ones below from Walmart are worth having

a look at. They are all below $20:

Shedding light on lighting

What a treat today with all that sunshine and warmth! But the days are inevitably getting shorter and now is a good time to review your lighting needs at home. Here are three tips on how to get it right:

1) You will need task lighting for areas where you will perform specific activities, such as reading, playing cards, etc. You will also need sufficient overall illumination in the entire room. This is often achieved through ceiling fixtures or potlights. Lastly, you might want to add some mood lighting to draw attention to certain areas or objects in the room. Don't rely on one bright ceiling fixture for all your lighting needs! That's not a recipe for an inviting space.

2) A successful lighting schedule is based on variety. Plan to have illumination flow in different directions - let some lamps project downward, some upward and some in all directions. Also, place lighting fixtures at different heights in the room to create a more dynamic light flow. Finally, vary the intensity of the illumination. Dimmers are a great tool for that.

3) Make sure that the light fixtures are suitable in style and size to the rest of the furniture in the room. A super modern lamp will most often not look good in a traditional space.

Electrical lights are good, but when it comes to

creating a cozy environment, nothing beats candles!