Month: July 2021

Making a Grand Entrance

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Jul 29, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , ,

Like it or not, first impressions matter. When guests visit your home there are a few key spots to put a little extra love and attention on. Your foyer is one of those places! Lighting for a foyer can be tricky to get right. There are a lot of different perspectives to consider. So let us help you with a few of those considerations.

1 – Scale and Sizing

Depending on the build of your home, you may have a one storey or two storey foyer. The amount of space you have will ultimately determine what type of light you may be looking for. People with two-storey foyers are often able to use larger chandeliers or pendant fixtures to fill their space. While people with one-storey foyers will need to focus on a flush or semi flush mount fixture. In either case you want to make sure that you keep approximately a 7 foot clearance between the floor and the bottom of your light. This will certainly make your life easier when moving furniture in or out of the house, hockey sticks are flying about or super tall Uncle Dawn comes to visit! 

2- Position of The Light Box and The Door

Another measurement to keep in mind is the distance between the light box and any doors in the space. Be mindful of the width or diameter of your light and ensure that you will be able to open and close any nearby doors without any interference.

3 – Sight Lines

When looking for your foyer lighting be aware that this is a high traffic area and an intersection point in the house. Take a look from the front door, down the hallway, dining room, etc and check to see what you can see within those different sight lines. You may want to choose a light for your foyer that compliments or contrasts the other elements within the space. 

4 – Style

And finally, it all comes back to style! Your personal style as well as the character of your home should inform your design choice in this space. Take some time and think about the feeling you want to create when opening your home to guests. Do you want your front foyer to be welcoming, to dazzle, to relax, or maybe to excite! The options are endless! 

If you are looking to update your foyer lighting please feel free to contact us. 

Or better yet, come in for a visit to our showroom!

Kids’ Bedroom Lighting

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Jul 16, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oftentimes bedroom lighting is overlooked. And the kids’ bedrooms – even more so. But what people don’t realize is that these are the perfect rooms to play with your lighting design. Bedrooms are the one area of the house where you want the ability for the room to be completely dark, completely bright, and somewhere in between all within the same 24 hours. Luckily for you, we can help you make that happen!

When shopping for your kids bedroom lighting consider these three tips:

1) Think About the Purpose of Each Area of the Room

Depending on the age of your kids the purpose of their room may alter throughout the years. WIth young kids you may want to incorporate a small toy area, or cozy reading nook to cuddle up together in. While older kids may need a desk for school work and a reading light next to the bed. When looking at the layout of their room consider your options for layering your lighting. Maybe a desk light is needed. Or some bedside scones or hanging pendants would be neat! Or even the perfect floor lamp to complete your cozy reading nook and armchair. Remember – All of your light does not need to come from one source! 

2) To Theme or Not to Theme

As we all know, kids change their mind more than Mother Nature changes the weather. As badly as your little one may need a Frozen themed room, or may love Thomas the Tank Engine, they probably won’t love them for the next 10 years. And as much as we would love it if everyone changed their lighting fixtures every 1-2 years, you probably don’t want to do that! So if you want to theme your child’s room, we recommend opting to theme items that are easy to swap out like bedspreads, small table lamps, etc. While your overhead lighting should remain a little more fluid through the whims of your children. That’s not to say that every room should have a boring flush mount round fixture, but rather think through the possibilities for your fixture. For example if your child loves outer space, look around for some of our more modern designs that have that space-age look when surrounded by planets and stars on the ceiling, but will also age with them into their teen years as a piece of sleek decor (once the glow-in-the-dark star stickers are peeled off the ceiling.) 

3) Have Fun!

Bedrooms are the place where doors close when company comes over. The lights in your bedrooms do not need to match or compliment any other lights in the house. If you love that crazy over the top chandelier but it would look out of place hanging over your dining room table, then have a little fun in your bedroom! 

If you are looking to update your kids bedroom lighting please feel free to contact us. 

Or better yet, come in for a visit to our showroom!

Lighting Your Front Door

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Jul 9, 2021 , , , , , , , , ,

Some people say that first impressions don’t really matter. But, we beg to differ. The first impression of your home can go a long way in making people feel welcome. So today we are here to help with our favourite lighting tips to make your front door a welcoming and inviting place for all!

Sizing

Often we find that clients have a tendency to undersize their outdoor lighting. We like to remind our clients that their outdoor lighting is largely being admired from the street or sidewalk. Therefore going up a size often helps these elements stand out with a bit more flair. A good rule of thumb to follow is that the front door wall light should be roughly one third of the size of the front door. From there you can go up or down to make your preferred statement!

Wattage

Lighting for your front door should provide enough illumination so that you can see and navigate your path or steps safely. However, you don’t want it so bright that your neighbours are complaining of glare through their windows! No one wants to live next to the Broadway-lit house. The wattage and colouring of your front door light will depend on the set up of your front door, proximity to neighbours, and any additional lighting you may have working in your landscape. Take a good look around and snap a quick picture before coming into the showroom so we can help you the best way possible! 

Style

The style of your outdoor lighting fixture should always compliment the style of your home. When this happens successfully, your home will always be welcoming to guests and have great curb appeal. We always recommend that our clients bring in a photo of the front of their house so we can help you choose something that reflects the charm of your house. 

If you are looking to update your outdoor lighting please feel free to contact us. 

Or better yet, come in for a visit to our showroom!

Ceiling Fan 101

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Jul 1, 2021 , , , , , , , , , ,

Ceiling fans are the perfect fusion of function and style. Ceiling fans can provide refreshing air movement (and help cut those AC costs), while still illuminating your space and providing opportunity for fun style choices. However shopping for a ceiling fan can be a little overwhelming. But not to worry, we are here to help!

1) Ceiling Height

When shopping for a ceiling fan it is important to know the height of the ceiling for the room you are looking for. If you have a high ceiling (over 10’) you will likely want to shop for ceiling fans that have a down rod so you can lower the fan into the room. If you have an average ceiling height (lower than 10’) then you don’t need to shop for a fan with a down rod. 

2) Size of The Fan

The size of your ceiling fan should be proportionate to the size of your room. See below for a handy reference chart from our friends at Kendal Lighting.

Room SizeFan Size
Up to 75 sq. ft(Good for: bathrooms, breakfast nooks, utility rooms)20-36”
Up to 175 sq. ft(Good for: bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms)42-52”
Up to 350 sq. ft(Good for: large bedrooms, family rooms, media rooms)52-60”
More than 350 sq. ft(Good for: great rooms, other large spaces)60”+

As a good rule of thumb, ensure that there is at least 24” of clearance between the edge of the blade and any surrounding wall. 

3) Air Movement

The great benefit of having a ceiling fan is the air movement. The amount of air flow is determined by the pitch of the blades. Most residential ceiling fans will be pitched between 12-16 degrees.There are also fans with higher pitches like 22 degrees for even more air movement. The greater degree of pitch will result in more air flow. 

4) Style

Of course, all lighting design choices come back to your preferred style. We want to ensure that you are creating a home to be proud of! When looking at the different finishes and colours of fans available its important to remember this good rule of thumb: a white fan on a white ceiling will blend in and allow other design choices to stand out, while a coloured fan on a white ceiling will stand out and work as a focal point in your room. 

If you are looking to add or replace your ceiling fans please feel free to contact us. 

Or better yet, come in for a visit to our showroom!