Month: August 2021

3 Must-Know Lighting Tips

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Aug 30, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , ,


Lighting design is often one of those design elements that feels overwhelming. Let us help take some stress off with some of the most important lighting tips and tricks to embrace…

1 – Mix & Match Across Finishes

Gone are the days where your lighting fixtures need to match perfectly to the hardware of your kitchen cabinet hardware or bathroom taps. Nowadays mixing finishes is all the rage. Be bold and experiment with complimentary finishes in the kitchen and bathroom. If you have chrome taps, try out a vanity light finished in matte black for a bold statement. 

2 – Layers, Layers, and More Layers

Finding the perfect combination of lighting for your home can be tricky, but let us help you with breaking down the most important tip for lighting your home – layering your light sources!

Within each room of your home there are many different types of tasks that need to be accomplished. For example, think of all the things you do in your home office – working on the computer, reading, talking on the phone, video calls, holding meetings, etc. Each of these tasks would benefit from a different style of lighting which all layer together to create the perfect home office! 

When layering your lighting it is important to consider three types of light:natural light (windows), overhead lighting (flush mount, chandeliers, pendants, etc) and task lighting (under cabinet lighting, floor lamps, table lamps, etc). Combining these three types of lighting will illuminate your home to perfection! 

3 – Style

And finally, it all comes back to style! Your personal style as well as the character of your home should inform your design choices across your home. Take some time and think about the feeling you want to create in each room. Do you want your front foyer to be welcoming, to dazzle, to relax, or maybe to excite! Do you want your living room to feel cozy or to have an air of sophistication? The options are endless!

If you are looking to update your home’s lighting please feel free to contact us. 

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

Home Office Lighting 101

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Aug 20, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With more and more companies moving to a permanent work-from-home situation, it’s no surprise that home offices are becoming a focus. Finding the perfect combination of lighting for your home office can be tricky, but let us help you with breaking down the most important tip for lighting your home office – layering your light sources!

Within your day you probably have many different types of tasks that need to be accomplished. Think of all the things you do in your home office – working on the computer, reading, talking on the phone, video calls, holding meetings, etc. Each of these tasks would benefit from a different style of lighting which all layer together to create the perfect home office! 

When layering your lighting it is important to consider three types of light:

1 – Natural Light 

Natural light (from a window) will serve to energize you throughout the day but it can also cause a lot of glare on computer screens. Natural light can be used in your home office through controlled use. Think of installing blinds or curtains to help manage brightness and glare throughout the day. 

2 – Overhead Lighting

Overhead lighting serves to illuminate a large portion of your room from one single light source. Overhead lighting can be a place to express your style and creativity in your office. It should provide enough light to keep the room bright for working, but not be so overwhelming to cause glare. If you are renovating you may have more ability to select where the overhead electrical box will be placed and can do so to avoid potential glare and shadows. Putting your overhead lighting on a dimmer switch is also a great way to create ambience in your home office.

3 – Task Lighting 

Task lighting is going to be your new best friend in your home office! Think of task lighting like your very own personal assistant helping you to focus and complete tasks with efficiency and less headaches. Task lighting allows you to highlight an area of your room, or desk, to help you stay focused and on task (pun intended). 

Think of all the different tasks you perform in your home office and how you like to perform those tasks. For example, if you like to read documents away from your desk and in that cozy armchair – then a floor lamp for reading is going to be a must! If you do a lot of handwritten note taking or writing at your desk – a table lamp would be a great addition to your work space.

When purchasing your task lighting be sure to include lamps with adjustable arms so that you accommodate a range of setups in your home. Ensuring that your task lighting has dimmable capabilities will also help to ensure that you have options to create a different feel in your office too!

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

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

Summer Lighting Trends

Posted by: The Lighting Lady Posted on: Aug 6, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , ,

Needless to say, it’s been quite the summer for 2021. We are excited to be beginning to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel and have enjoyed getting to reopen our doors this summer.

Since everyone has been spending more than the usual amount of time at home over the past year, it has been so interesting to see where our clients have been focusing their renovation energy on in their homes. Kitchen and bathroom renovations are still a main area of focus of course, but lots of clients have also been paying extra careful attention to the design of other areas of their home…

1 – The Home Office

With more and more companies moving to a permanent work-from-home situation, it’s no surprise that home offices are becoming a focus.  So what are people doing with their lighting in their home office?

Well we’ve found that people are really working towards using the natural light in their offices, adding functional task lighting and topping off the look with some statement overhead lighting pieces. People are really wanting to add a punch of personality into their home offices, a perk that many did not have before when working in-office. We have seen everything from crystal chandeliers, to geometric pendants and super modern flush mounts enter office spaces over the past few months! 

2 – Outdoor Lighting

Summer is the season to be outside and enjoy the sunshine here in Southwestern Ontario. With vacationing and travelling limited for another summer, we have seen so many families transforming their backyards into their own tropical paradise! From adding new gardens, putting in the pool they’ve been dreaming of, to finally updating the 15-year-old patio furniture – it’s no secret that Ontarians have been making magic happen in their backyards. 

As for lighting outdoors, we have seen families focusing on two main areas – the front door and the back porch. Our clients have been wanting to make their front and back porches more welcoming for the neighbourhood crew. 

3 – Kids Rooms 

The last area we have seen clients focusing on this summer is their kids’ rooms! This one seemed a little surprising to us at first but those preteens and teens have been stuck inside for a very long time and need a little refresh in their space too! Lots of kids’ rooms were not only their bedrooms this past year, but also their schoolroom, their sports training room and their safe space.

Interested in updating your kids’ rooms? Check out our post on Kid’s Bedroom Lighting to get inspired!

If you are looking for some summer inspiration please feel free to contact us. 

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