Please share and brainstorm lighting ideas and fixtures
Hi everyone,
From what I have read an effective lighting plan includes lighting in layers and includes ambient lighting, accent lighting , task lighting and decorative lighting too. Ideally lights should be a combination of down lights and uplights.
Some on these boards have mentioned that choosing light fixtures was a difficult, time consuming process. I wondered if we could share some of our best lighting finds, and lighting ideas so others can benefit. A list of best places to search on-line for lights or places where decent priced fixtures can be found would be helpful. Maybe just a sharing of your favourite light fixture or favourite lighting idea.
Here are some of my ideas:
1) For good ambient light it is wise to bounce illumination off the ceilings and walls. The best sources to do this include: a) opaque indirect wall sconces, torcheres (floor lamps), indirect pendants (sort of bowl shaped uplights), up light chandeliers OR cove lighting and not just pot lights. My ceilings are only 8 feet so sconces are the best solution for most of my rooms due to ceiling height.
2)I am planning for ways to add accent lighting to a shelf or to highlight features such as pictures, fireplace, etc in all the main rooms. This requires actually thinking in advance about what size picture, etc I would want in each location before closing the walls. We might choose to accent under the overhang of the island too.
3)I am considering step lights for the stairs and low wall lights in the bathroom (acts like a night light). I will back light some of our bathroom mirrors.
4)My favourite lighting books are: a)Perfect Lighting by Sally Storey, b)The Home Lighting Effects Bible by Lucy Martin and Residential Lighting by Randall
Whitehead.
Below is the foyer light we have chosen (thanks to help from a GW member on the decorating forum).
So I hope you will share your lighting finds and ideas too.
Lets share our inspirations and let there be light in our new homes.
Carol
Comments (14)
niteshadepromises
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agoRelated Discussions
share your hoyas under lights setup ideas!
Comments (14)> unless you are refilling the water level daily - does it matter to the plants how fast the excess water evaporates? Fast over one day, or Slow over several days, but the same amount of moisture either way. You assume with hydroton at the bottom the water will evaporate over, say, a day, then the hydroton will be dry till the next watering. That does not need to happen. You can have enough water underneath (and enough hydroton to raise the pots so they are not in a puddle), so that the stronger evaporation still last for the whole time between waterings. Then humidity will be both higher and long lasting. > I guess the downside is that [hydroton is] much more expensive In my case, I bought a big bag a growstones without having a clear plan for them other than a little experiment here and there - so whenever I say hydroton, I actually mean growstones in my case, and I already have a bag. But you are right, of course. Re comparing Chula's smallest pots. I exchanged emails with Harry, and here is the summary of all the differences: 2.25 NCUV: uneven bottom (I put insect screen on the bottom of my pots, and looks like this may be a [small] issue); annoying top ridge; no legs/risers; lighter weight; more see-through. 2.25 SLOTS: more level bottom; smooth top /no ridge; little leg risers; heavier; more opaque. Both have some good advantages - I might just get half of each. > There seem to be two main overlaps with Hoya people. Orchids and Succulents. Good observation. And people who like hoyas with succulent leaves also tend to (surprise!) like succulents. I am not among them, by the way. Hoya kerrii or obovata do very little for me. I mean I'd grow them, but they wouldn't raise my pulse like many others do. Which probably explains why my succulents and cacti combined pots could look better than they do, AND I have little desire to do anything about it. Anyway, that's a tangent. Doug, thanks for chiming in - I thought GG and I lost others a long time ago here. :-) > There is a certain type of personality, that dips their toe in and is quickly up to their neck. The byline of my plants photo album on facebook says very tongue-in-cheek "I can quit any time, OK?" :-) I definitely feel the orchid attraction. What's pulling me back a bit is how ugly most of them look out of bloom (unlike many hoyas!) The leaves are nothing to write home about. When I mentioned this at an Orchid Society meeting, one woman replied, "Eugene, you just need A LOT of orchids, and then something will always be in bloom to distract you from the ugly foliage". HAHAHA, looks like they heard it all before and are well prepared with a perfectly logical "let's submerge to the neck" kind of answer. I have 9 orchids, but there's space on the stand which I bet will not remain empty forever. Back to hoyas... > I have to vote against the hydroton as a replacement for egg crate as I have been there and done that. The biggest problem was having the roots grow through the pots and attach themselves to the hydroton. Well, as you said, the stability insert helps with this. Those roots will have to grow through the insect netting (I'll probably have that depending on the size of the drain holes), out the pot, then around the stability insert pocket, find those holes (they are small and few from the looks of it), and into the hydroton last. They wouldn't attach too firmly, I guess, because I'd be taking the insert out of the tray once a month or so for their showers, and maybe more often for other reasons like watering or draining. > the roots grow through the pots and attach themselves to the hydroton, which makes them very hard to re-pot when the need arises. I imagine you try to dislodge the clinging hydroton or if that does not work, cut the roots just above the highest hydroton ball under the pot. This looks to be minimal root pruning to me - but I appreciate practical experiences, of course, 'cause I am all about theory here. :-) This is a good problem to have, anyway, as the plant is growing vigorously. > The constant evaporation causes strong salt build up on the leca decreasing their effectiveness over time. True, but it will never be as bad as plastic crate's wicking/evaporative abilities, right? :-) By the way, I am sure you get this, Doug, but making sure everybody else reading understands - salt build-up is very bad in media because of fertilizer burn, but here we are talking about something happening outside the pot, so none of that applies (apart from the reduced wicking capacity Doug mentioned)....See More'40's lighting fixtures? ___ any ideas? ___anyone?
Comments (13)lazygardens, I dunno. I did go up in the attic for the very first time since buying this house, and I remembered to wear old clothes, brought a drop-light with a 50' cord, and a flashlight in case I dropped the drop-light. I didn't think to bring the camera. Poop. I just can't tell if the porch/breakfast room was added on. I don't know how a roof peak generally looks as it comes into one the oposite direction. There were some jagged boards... seems if the peak was original they'd not have had a problem with trimming it - but if it was an add-on maybe they felt cramped and skipped trimming? Still, dunno. Will take pictures. Link to my album is above, it shows front of house from two angles. As for ceiling lights or not, I just don't know. ALL of the downstair ceilings are covered with 12" squares of lightly-textured white stuff that tongue-and-grooves together. Hate to monkey with it as it's in good shape. Hey! When I was in the attic I did find out one thing, all of my ceilings are beadboard under the white squares! ha! Who knew? I wish some of that showed! Hmmmm, that'd be great in the kitchen, give it a real warm feel. I wonder though if it'd let dust filter down? Gag. Back to the lighting, hostaguy, is the lightbox sort of an endtable? Surely it's not a center hung fixture? Maybe I'm picturing something way too large? I've been looking at a LOT of light fixtures in the past few days - and I keep being drawn to the Mission and Arts & Crafts styles. I don't see why I can't make something wonderful, perhaps a silhouette cut of copper, mica underneath? Maybe a spray of pine cones? I am still strongly thinking of a colonnade with lighting built-in across the top to throw a glow across the ceilings of both rooms. Sigh, so many ideas and life so short. GH-...See MoreNeed to brainstorm some ideas for bathroom floor
Comments (13)I don't mind the block random at all, but I think it too will be more challenging than "square tiles in square rooms." However, the edges might be forgiving enough to just be covered with baseboard, if your baseboard is thick enough. Each type of tile probably has its inherent installation challenge, and I think in that case it would be to keep the lines straight through the room because you could go off kilter a bit without noticing it as you work. Then it would be really random :-) I haven't tiled for a long time, but my recollection is that it's all about layout and measuring (well OK other than the glueing, leveling, and grouting!), and you could maybe see how the sizes of various pattern repeats compare with the size of your room. You're certainly wise to think through the installation process when you pick your tile. Challenging yourself a bit is often a good thing, but a really wrong choice could be a real nightmare, which most old houses already have in abundance! Oh, and mixing painted and stained trim? I think variety is the spice of life, so it sure wouldn't bother me. Especially if you're consistent within a room, which I'm not even always - with respect to style or colour (if I have original trim for an opening I use it, but if I don't, I use new or other salvage and it doesn't match). I think if the trim works for the room it's in, it doesn't matter if it matches the rest of the house. The only tricky question I run into is how to do the jamb when you make a colour transition. Sometimes the answer is easy, sometimes not. KarinL...See MorePlease brainstorm lighting options - my vanity/dresser is in
Comments (13)Thanks for the recommendations Pal, I like both. The orb light most I think. snookums & lazydaisy, thank you. The mirror wall plate idea is perfect. I knew I could cut the glass around the outlet, but wasn't sure if the 1" border on the bottom around the cut out would work with glass (i.e., too thin). I will call our local mirror folks next week. springroz, it is too late to wire the wall for electrical I'm afraid. I could however install hooks or something on the wall and have the mirror cut around it. I could then hang a light off of that, but I'm not sure what lamp or how that would look exactly. I assume I will drill two holes in the counter and plug in below. Here are Pal's recommendations and a few I found. What do people think of the choices? I've excluded the few fabulous $500+++ lamps I found, the lamps below pretty much fall within budget. Orb: Adler: This one is silicone and you can shape it as you please: The thinnest at 3.5" I think: And the cheapest at less than $10, but probably wouldn't give off much useful light. Neat concept though and sort of what I was thinking with rope lights:...See Moreakshars_mom
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agoakshars_mom
10 years agomrspete
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agonepool
9 years ago
mrsb1227
9 years agoontariomom
9 years ago
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years agoI agree that can lights only can be a problem. Rather select lighting that will work with the entire interior. For example, we have a large arch top window in our dining room with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, so we picked a light fixture that was fairly tall to help fill the space, yet it doesn't distract from the view.
We added coordinating wall sconces on either side of the hutch, plus the hutch is lit as well.
We also added cove lighting under the trim on the ceiling (still have to paint clouds up there!!) and we added spots on the other wall as I knew I would be having something on the wall in 3s...turned out to be Wm Morris wallpaper panels.
I have to admit that at night when we are dining in there, all the ambient light (of course everything is on dimmers) makes the room feel wonderfully cozy, but not dark.
MichelleKaye
9 years ago
Kathy Harrington