Remodel Update: Front door is stained a deep cherry stain (and we are getting alot of positive comments from passerby-ers, neighbors, and friends) and some of the front siding is up. (I know it is hard to see from this picture.) New flooring is being installed by my wonderful hubby-it too is a beautiful warm color; you can see we are about half way...it should be done by this weekend! YES!!! Trim is next...
The three L's...lighting, Lochsa and "laws" of lighting...
Happy second week of June! Last week I was fortunate enough to whitewater raft on the Lochsa(LockSaw) River(with 9' of water) with my family and now am getting down to work. This week I wanted to talk about lighting. During our remodel we moved or replaced 14 light fixtures. I was able to add some low-voltage lighting above some cabinetry that will just set it off! I have been searching for a pendant for above my dining table that is part-modern, part-rustic, part-traditional...some would just say "transitional". I have found some interesting sites with totally customizable shades and am including a couple of examples of colors I chose...I am matching them to an amber glass pendant for above the new island. Of course, I have found some awesome lighting that is very modern, just not quite right. I truly believe that someone will design the perfect light for me at a reasonable price-in the mean time I can play with the custom sites. So far the prices have ranged from $800 to $299...whew!
Check out the http://www.lampsplus.com/ website, as well as the http://www.stonegatedesigns.com/ website, and http://www.alluminaire.com/ where you can design your own drum shade versions, wallpapers and fabrics, all to match.. LampsPlus.com Design Your Own Custom Lighting: "I created my own lighting design ... check it out!"
Not sure how to size your lights(light fixtures)? or how about choosing a light bulb(lamp)?
The size of your dining light/chandelier is dependant on the size of the room: measure diagonal across the room, take that measurement and convert it into inches. For example, if the room is 24' wide diagonally, the light fixture should be about 24" diameter. How high do I hang the dining light above the table? Usually 30" above the table top or roughly 5' AFF.
A couple of words about low-voltage lighting versus high-voltage lighting: first, the low-voltage fixtures cannot have any insulation touch them, so they must be protected. In my case, the fixture is 4 3/8" round, but the box that surrounds it is about 12" x 18". Sound like overkill?!?! They will be accent and task lighting for cabinet areas. Now, how about dimming them?
Yes, you can dim low-voltage fixtuers, but they must have a special dimmer that is magnetized, and therefore more expensive, of course. High-voltage fixtures are actually what most of us had in our houses all along, they run on "normal" wires and use incandescent bulbs. What you may not know is that eventually it will be against the law to use incandescent bulbs, (2012 I think) and you will switch to CFL, which is short for Compact FlourescentLighting. I usually cringe just thinking about CFL bulbs as I remember the old bulbs with the cool, washed-out look. But we can already get CFL's with a better CRI(color rendition index) than the early CFL's, you may just pay more for them until the demand is better. And, of course I can't forget to mention the LED's (light emitting diodes) bulbs and the fact that they are being developed for uses in lots of places. Even televisions are using LED lighting. I predict their cost will go down as well.
Have a great week!
DESIGN QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“The drama of this interior doesn’t come from the obvious; it comes from the strength of the point of view. The rooms are sets—not for theater, but for living.”—Interior designer Vicente Wolf, August/September 01
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