Guide To Home Lighting

Before you start your bedroom wall mounted lighting decision making, you will need some basic tools. You probably have these around the house. What you will need is a pencil, paper and a measuring ruler.
Now give some thought about the way you will be using the bedroom. Decide weather you are going to be using computers, reading while your are lying in bed and for the women, will you be putting your makeup on in this room? Do you want the lighting to be able to change the mood of the room? Write this down with your pencil and paper.
The next step is to select where you want to place the wall mounted lighting fixture. My suggestion is to choose places in the room where you will be able to light up work spaces, over the bed for reading, illuminate mirrors or other wall art you have applied to the walls. Now that you know where and for what purpose you wish to apply your wall mounted lighting, you will need to measure how much space is available for your wall lighting fixture. This will be helpful in deciding what size lighting fixture will be best for the job. Again, write this down with your pencil and paper.
At this point you should decide on how your new wall lighting should be controlled. You have a few choices. You can go with using a wall switch or a wall dimmer switch. When it comes to your choice of power source, you can use a wall outlet, but be sure that the outlet is located close to the place on the wall your light will be. Your second choice would be to wire the wall lights directly into the electrical system of your home. If you are not able to do this yourself, there are electricians in your area who will do the wiring job for you. Your third choice is to purchase wall lighting that is self contained. This means that the power source is a battery located inside the wall lighting fixture itself. With the event of LED lighting, you will be able to produce bright light that uses very little power and this will extend battery life.
With what I have written so far in mind, the next decision you should make is choosing a style of wall mounted lighting that will match the theme of the bedroom. Try to find wall fixtures that go with the furniture and wall decorations you already have in the bedroom. You should take your time and explore all the wall mounted lighting possibilities. There is an extremely large amount of these fixtures available to you online. So don’t rush into your final decision.
To give you an idea of what is popular in bedroom wall lighting, a very popular choice is swing arm wall lighting. With swing arm wall lighting you can either mount the fixture to each side of the headboard or on the wall above each side of the headboard. This will make it easy for you to direct light for reading or working while lying in bed. You also have a choice in the direction of light you would like your wall mounted lighting fixture to aim. You can add a touch of mood enhancing ambiance by installing wall lighting fixtures in which the lighting is directed upward toward the ceiling. By using spotlight or lampshade wall lighting fixtures, you will have your lighting aiming in a downward direction. This is good if you are using the light to perform certain tasks in your bedroom.
Once again, if you are planning on connecting your bedroom wall mounted lighting directly to the electrical system of your home and you are not comfortable with electrical wiring systems, to avoid dangerous situations, have a professional electrician in your area do the job for you.
No matter what your final choice is, you now have before you an idea of how to prepare for choosing wall mounted lighting for your bedroom. I can not stress enough how you should take your time and explore everything that is available to you before you make that final decision.

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Wall lights or sconces, as they are also known by, are another way of introducing more light into a room. Sconces also tend to be quite a decorative lighting fixture and this can add to the aesthetics of the room decor. This type of lighting offers an unobtrusive and tidy little way of providing light. Wall lights do not take centre stage like a hanging pendant or the more opulent chandelier. Nor are they big and tall like floor lamps with their trailing flexes.
Instead, they are neatly installed onto a wall surface although the wiring aspect can present problems as many homeowners are reluctant to drill into the wall surfaces in order to install the necessary wiring. An alternative is to have trailing cables on the wall rising from skirting board outlets.
What height to hang a pendant light is a frequently asked question? Given that wall sconce lighting can function in different ways, you need to ascertain what purpose your wall lighting will serve. If you intend to use wall lighting as reading light in a bedroom or as task lighting in bathrooms, then the lights will need to be positioned at a height that enables you to carry out those required tasks. If you are planning on having the light from your wall lights bounce off the ceiling then you will have to install the sconces at a high enough height near the ceiling. A lot of the wall sconces have simply evolved from other types of light fixtures. You can find wall-mounted downlighters in stores and these are simply off shoots of non-recessed ceiling downlighters.
Similarly, most designs of wall-mounted uplighters have come from the normal floor-standing uplighters. They are very similar in design, with both sharing tungsten-halogen bulbs and lamp shades made from thick glass or metal. The only differing factor is how they are mounted. Because wall lighting is fixed to the wall, it is worth bearing in mind the sort of beam and light pattern the sconce will throw onto the wall behind it. This light pattern can vary greatly simply because there is such a large range of designs and styles of wall lights available. From flamboyant turn-of-the-century Globe lights, so vividly reminiscent of smoky, hot cafes, to the more sleek and sophisticated hemispherical chrome fittings - different sconces will give off different patterns.
Also, if you have a translucent shade for your sconce, this will act as a diffuser for the light emanating from the light source. Otherwise, wall fittings that have the shade placed very close to the wall will mix direct, indirect and diffused light in such a way that the direct light will give a wall washing effect below whilst the ceiling above and the area of the wall behind the light will reflect light back into the room.
All of these factors need to be considered if you want to make the most of the light capabilities of your wall sconces - assuming that you are not merely installing them for decorative purposes.

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Most of us now recognize both the need and charm of residential outdoor lighting. Attempting to light the outdoors portion of your home however is different from indoor or commercial lighting. Here are some things that you need to remember if you decide to install outdoor lighting for your home.

Make a Plan
There are two ways for you to plan for installing residential outdoor lighting. Some recommend that you finish everything first before planning for lights while others say that you should plan the placement of your outdoor lights even before your outdoor structures and landscapes are completed. Either way would work and your plans will depend on your preference.
If you want to plan for outdoor lighting after everything is done, assess and evaluate your property properly to determine which areas need lighting. Look for pathways, potentially dark areas, steps, ledges and objects that may have to be lighted to prevent accidents. You could also try to locate items that you would like to be highlighted for decorative purposes.

Keep Changes to a Minimum
You wouldn’t want to redo a recent outdoor or landscaping project though just to accommodate the outdoor lighting. Aside from planning, you should also carefully plot your property and potential residential outdoor lighting locations before you begin on your lighting project.

Use Variety
Be creative. Don’t just settle for buying just one set of lamps or one set of embedded lights. Try to consider the idea of using a variety of residential outdoor lighting fixtures and items. Paths and driveways for example can be illuminated by lamp posts while landscapes, shrubs and focal objects can be illuminated by spotlights, backlights or uplights. Wall mounted lights, tiki torches, lanterns and table lamps are also possible options for residential outdoor lighting.

Ask an Expert
Consider asking the help of an expert if you’re not familiar with installing the lighting yourself. Be careful though because some individuals who claim that they know about residential outdoor lighting simply read off catalogs and learn through hit or miss. Get an installer who has a good reputation and who has been installing residential outdoor lighting for a living for some time already.

Check Building Codes
Before you even connect a single wire, make sure that you have checked installation and building codes. This is not just a matter of complying with a set of rules. This is a matter of keeping your family and neighbors safe from faulty wiring or installation.

Practice Electrical Safety
One of the most important things is for you to make sure that the lighting is safe to use at all times. Although product qualities are often quality controlled, you should do your part in ensuring safety. You should for example consider having separate external electrical split receptacles instead of using extension cords. You can also choose to install ground fault circuit interrupters near pools or wet areas. Both precautions can help prevent electrocution.

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The actual design of an outdoor lighting system is determined by the site characteristics, the landscape effect desired its function, and the homeowner’s personal tastes.
Most hardware stores and home improvement centers sell low voltage kits with a built-in transformer and a timer which lets you determine when the lighting is activated or deactivated. The transformers use 120-volt current, which is standard in nearly all households. The transformer then converts the current to 12 volts resulting in a safe and economical power source.
A GFCI receptacle will be required to install low lighting. Most homes don’t have these receptacles and it will be necessary to have a licensed, qualified electrician to install one. Before starting to dig, it’s absolutely necessary to contact your local utility companies (gas and electric) to make sure that you will not cut any existing underground cables or piping. The first planning requirement involves deciding which type of outdoor lighting you will install. There are basically five from which to select.
Up-lights: These lights provide ground level illumination with the lights pointed up. The purpose of the up-light is to highlight points in the landscape, such as trees, and other architectural features. Up-light fixtures include spot and flood lights as well as in-ground fixtures.
Backlights: Back-lighting can create a very dramatic effect when done with taste. Be sure not to use overpowering back-lighting because it may result in a “Halloween effect”. The basic idea of back-lighting is to strategically place a lighting fixture behind an object such as a statue or even a small plant. This object or plant should be fairly close to an outside wall. The goal is to use this fixture, such as a spot light or a floodlight or even an in-ground light, to create a silhouette on the wall. The fixture should be out of sight to provide some “magic” to the desired effect.
Path lights: One of the most common (and dramatic) uses of outdoor lighting is to create a guide on either side of a path or walkway or even a driveway. Besides providing an appealing decorative look, path lighting can be a safety feature, keeping visitors from wandering off the lighted area. Unlike most other outdoor lighting, path lights should be placed above ground (but fairly low) and should be the kind that spreads the light with a gentle glowing effect. Don’t use too many path lights in a particular area to avoid an “airline runway” look. The lights should be strategically placed with understatement being the operational consideration.
Down lights: Spotlights and floodlights can be used to illuminate an entryway such as a rear door or an entrance to a bordered garden area or even over a gazebo. Unlike a path light, a down light should not be seen so that a natural lighting effect is achieved. Besides providing a decorative effect, down-lighting offers security for areas, deterring most intruders
Specialty lights: Creativity is the key to the use of specialty lighting. The goal in using this lighting is to create a magical and inviting mood to an area. If you have a rock garden or an area with water and perhaps even a waterfall, strategically placed lighting can highlight these landscaping features and provide a very dramatic nighttime effect. Remember, specialty lighting is limited only by the homeowner’s creativity. There are a variety of home and garden magazines on the market and some very innovative uses of specialty lighting can be found by perusing a few of these periodicals.
Before beginning the installation phase, be sure to match the areas to be illuminated with the style and types of lighting fixtures that you will use. Don’t be reluctant to visit neighbors who use outdoor lighting and ask what they selected in terms of lighting fixtures. This may involve several trips to other neighborhoods but these trips will certainly be worth the effort. Although you will be paying night time visits, a polite and sincere introduction to the homeowner with a word of two of flattery will no doubt provide you with an invitation to look at the work that they have done and most will be more than willing to share their secrets with you.
Most outdoor lighting is either four or seven watts. Keep in mind that these lights are designed to highlight a fairly small area with the goal of providing understated intimacy. If the area you plan to illuminate is fairly large, you may want to purchase a few more lights than you expect will do the job. You can always return the extras for a refund. The lighting specialist at the store can help you select the right transformer and may suggest you buy one that can accommodate the additional wattage you may need if you decide to expand your outdoor lighting later on.
Rather than just jump into grabbing that shovel and starting to work, remember why they include instruction booklets with toys, etc. that need to be assembled. What I’m getting at is that you need a written plan from which to work. While this may be a time-consuming part of the project, it will pay dividends as you begin the actual work. Many homeowners who jumped right into installing outdoor lighting, ended up having to do much of it over again as they found that their mental plans didn’t yield the same benefits that a carefully laid-out written plan did. Another advantage to putting it in writing is that you may discover additional areas that could benefit from outdoor lighting as you move along. The written plan will allow you to note this so that you can revisit the area to install the additional lighting.

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As your outdoor lighting is the first element your guests will see when they arrive and the last upon departure, this area of design gives you ample opportunity to create a distinct and stylish ambiance. Although this can be achieved by even the simplest of outdoor fixtures, choosing fixtures that are both functional and decorative allows you to welcome visitors in an inviting and practical manner.
Subtle outdoor lighting transforms your pleasant daytime façade and garden into a nighttime masterpiece. Homeowners create dramatic effects around flowerbeds with hidden floor lights. An air of mystery is achieved by projecting the shadows of trees or garden statues onto exterior walls of the home. Emphasize the overflowing romance of nature by highlighting the height of trees with an upward-facing garden light.
To make your yard an attractive extension of your home, you can coordinate interior and exterior fixtures. With the wide variety of styles available in outdoor lighting, you can find unique and interesting pieces to match any décor. You may choose to create contrasting decor between your interior and garden; thus displaying your personal flair in many different ways.

Safety and Style Simultaneously
Choosing outdoor light fixtures requires the consideration of aesthetic factors and safety features. All outdoor lights should be approved for use in wet areas so that they remain safe during rain and snow. By installing timers or solar sensors, not only will you cut down on electricity costs, but you will also ensure proper lighting when darkness falls. A well-lit walkway deters burglars and allows for safe passage to the front door.
Although one strategically placed outdoor fixture is often sufficient to light a walkway, particularly bumpy outdoors surfaces, such as cobblestone walkways, can always benefit from brighter, more evenly distributed, lights. Personal safety considerations help consumers narrow down their outdoor lighting options, make the selection process easier, and create a safe outdoor environment.

Choose the Designs That Suit You Best
Outdoor lighting options generally embrace one of two prevalent trends. The first method is to use flood lighting and landscape lights to cast subtle lighting upon your landscaping or your home’s architectural design. The second option includes wall fixtures and lampposts, which provide light while making a more noticeable contribution to your outdoor décor. While bronze light fixtures have historically been the popular outdoor lights of choice, cast aluminum light fixtures have recently become trendy. Cast aluminum’s fabulous style options and rust-resistant finishes are drawing consumers to them.

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