Lighting by Lux Blog

Living Room Lighting

2009-11-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

As its name suggests, the living room is the home’s most heavy-duty multi-tasker. On any given day, it can function as a daycare, a reading room, a home theater, a game room, a home office, a casual dining room and an entertainment hall - often all at the same time. Lighting for your living room needs to be flexible and meet many different needs. The following tips will help you develop a

Now With Power Reviews

2009-11-06T06:46:00.001-08:00

After minor wailing and gnashing of teeth, we're now live with Power Reviews Express and we couldn’t be more excited (Ok a long vacation would do the trick) but we are very excited to have this implemented. In a nutshell the on-site product review world is fraught with dupes, fakes, irrelevant rants and sadly, outright fraud. The reviews you see on some sites could be the merchant themselves, a

All About Ceiling Fans

2009-11-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ceiling fans have come a long, long way since they were first invented in the late 1800s. Although they've been around for well over a century, it took the energy crisis of the 1970s to make them popular with homeowners. But despite their contribution to year-round energy-efficiency, what they lacked in looks made them an unpopular choice among interior designers.Today, however, things have

Creating Mood and Drama With Light

2009-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

The phrase “mood lighting” may call to mind romantic candlelight and a cozy fire flickering in the hearth, but really, almost all types of lighting have an impact on our moods. Using general ambient lighting to brighten a room on a cloudy day can contribute to a positive mood, just as dimming the lights in the evening can help us wind down and relax. Festive lighting can contribute to a party

Defining Features With Light

2009-10-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we showed you that lighting can be used to create interest and add space to a room. This week, we bring you some how-to tips to add definition and accentuate the details of your homes interior.In homes with architectural details such as molding, columns, archways, built-in bookshelves or display nooks, light can highlight these features and bring out the character of your home.

Enhancing Space With Light

2009-10-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

As the air grows crisper and the night grows longer, we're seeking the cozy comfort of the well-lit indoors. It's a good time to explore the decorative functions of light. I'm not talking about the pretty sparkle of a crystal chandelier or the artistic statement of a Tiffany lamp; I'm referring instead to the optical illusions and area-defining effects that light itself can achieve.Light can

Lighting 101: Taking Your Lighting's Color Temperature

2009-10-06T07:45:00.001-07:00

You might know that the phrase “cool light” doesn't mean that it's safe to touch the light bulb. But what, exactly, does it mean, and what does it have to do with your home lighting plan? Simply put, lighting has a color temperature, which refers to the amount of white/blue or yellow/red contained in the light.This temperature is measured in degrees of Kelvin. Unlike Fahrenheit or Celsius, which

Home Office Lighting Tips

2009-09-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

With the traditional job market having yet to stabilize, more Americans are working from home today than ever before. Whether going freelance, starting a home business or simply telecommuting to save money, working at home generally requires a home office, be it a small desk tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, a coat closet converted into an office nook, or an entire spare room repurposed for

Lighting 101: Lighting In Layers

2009-09-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

A common mistake many homeowners make is to rely on a single type of lighting to illuminate an entire room. While this may seem to get the job done, a room can become much more functional, and also more comfortable, by practicing the technique known as “light layering.” This technique uses the four main categories of lighting that we touched on earlier in our post on Kitchen Lighting. To recap,

Showing Art In The Best Light

2009-09-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

Artwork is one of the easiest and quickest ways to add a personal touch to your home décor. We learn this lesson early on, but if you've come here, chances are your tastes have moved beyond simply tacking posters on the wall. You know that if it's worth hanging, it's worth framing; and if it's worth framing, it's worth lighting well. What you might not know is that there are different lighting

How To Clean Your Crystal Chandelier

2009-09-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

If you own a crystal chandelier, you might love the classical touch of beauty it brings to the room. You might also know that its beauty can fade as its sparkle becomes dulled by layers of dust and grime. Cleaning it might not sound like the easiest chore on the list, but depending on how dirty it is, it doesn't have to be complicated. Here are three methods that will put back the shine with

Understanding Energy Star, Dark Sky and ADA Lighting Regulations

2009-09-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

When shopping for lighting, you might notice different types of compliance listed on the packaging. You might guess that ADA Compliant, Energy Star, and Dark Sky all refer to good things, but what, exactly, do they mean? Are all of these different compliant standards something that the average homeowner should be worried about? The short answer is, it depends.ADA refers to the Americans with

Tips To Achieve Energy Efficient Lighting

2009-08-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

For most of us, there's just no getting around the necessity of light. There's also no getting around the fact that most forms of lighting take electricity, or the impact that electricity has on both our budgets and on the environment. Fortunately, nature blessed us with a free light source to get us through the day; but once that sun goes down, the electric lights go on and the energy drain

The Lowdown on Dimmers

2009-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

As often as this blog suggests the use of dimmer switches, we thought we should give you a little more information on what's available. There are several different types of dimmer switches, with some being easier to install than others. While they all give you control over the level of light in a room, some provide finer control, while others are simpler to operate. If that sounds confusing,

Lighting Up Your Child's Room

2009-08-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

If you have children, no matter what their age, chances are that their bedrooms are far more than simply places to lay their tired heads. Typically, a child's room is also a play room, an office, a study hall, a gaming or TV lounge, and a place to entertain friends. A successful lighting plan for these special, multi-purpose rooms takes into consideration all of these functions, as well as safety

Shedding Light on Tiffany Lamps

2009-08-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

When you think of lighting and art, you might automatically think of gallery-style lighting meant to illuminate a painting or a photograph. It's easy to overlook the light fixture itself as a decorative object; but lamps can not only be an integral part of the décor, they can themselves be works of art. A classic example of the lighting fixture as a work of art is the Tiffany lamp.The Tiffany

Outdoor Lighting Do's and Don'ts

2009-07-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks, we've brought you a lot of information on the technicalities of outdoor lighting. We won't send you off without some guidelines on how to pull it all together. By following these Do's and Don'ts, you'll soon be lighting your own landscape in style:DON'T over-light. You don't want to light up the sky like a football field on Friday Night. That much light will not only

Landscape Lighting Techniques

2009-07-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

By now, you've got your outdoor lighting fixtures picked out, your power sources are all sorted, and you know which light bulbs best suit your needs. So what do you do with it all? You don't want your landscape lighting to look haphazard or unprofessional; but where to begin? It helps to know the techniques that the landscaping pros use to illuminate their work. Use these techniques selectively,

Outdoor Light Bulb Considerations

2009-07-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

It seems like such a small consideration, and it's an easy one to overlook; but just as with indoor lighting, you don't want to neglect light bulbs as a factor when planning your outdoor lighting scheme. The options for outdoor bulbs are pretty similar to those for indoors, but there are other considerations, such as climate conditions and the amount of voltage you're planning to use, that might

Outdoor Lighting Power Sources

2009-07-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

This week, our coverage of outdoor electric lighting basics continues with a look at the main types of outdoor lighting power sources. Not so long ago, the options were pretty much limited to a single source. Today, there is a bit more of a choice, each with its own set of pros and cons.These are currently the three available types of outdoor lighting:120-volt household current fixturesSolar

Outdoor Lighting Fixtures

2009-07-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

These days, the mechanics of outdoor lighting are simple enough that the average DIYer can achieve a well-lit landscape in a single weekend. Still, all of the options can be overwhelming, especially if you're not familiar with the terminology. Whether you plan to install lighting yourself or turn all of the work and planning over to the pros, you still have a lot of decisions to make. It helps to

Summertime, and the Lighting is Easy

2009-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year when warm weather and long hours of daylight beckon us outdoors, and most of us are happy to answer that call. Time was when outdoor summer fun ended with the sunset. But thanks to technological advances that have made outdoor lighting both more affordable and more accessible, that no longer has to be the case.The back yard barbecue, the garden party, and the friendly

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

2009-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

As we've demonstrated over the last few weeks, there are several alternatives to the old-fashioned incandescent light bulb, all of which will save on energy use and, ultimately, save you money. But we have yet to discuss the most popular alternative: Compact Fluorescent Light, or CFL, bulbs.Apart from being the most widely available and affordable alternative bulb, there are a few other facts you

Kitchen Lighting Considerations

2009-06-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Lighting a kitchen doesn't seem that complicated, does it? Just make sure there's enough light to see what you're cooking, and you're done. Right? Not so fast. A lot more goes on in the kitchen these days than meal preparation.In contemporary homes, the kitchen serves as the main hub, where not only do meals get eaten, but also where homework gets done, bills get paid, and family and guests alike

A Video Tour of Our Retail Location

2009-06-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

From time to time we get questions about our retail store in Atlanta Georgia, here's a quick video tour. A larger version of the video can be found here.