Tag Archives: home lighting tips

Pros and Cons of Incandescent Lights

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The lights you put into your house can have an effect on your perceived environment. Incandescent bulbs are one of the most traditional and timeless light bulb options to use in your home. However, there have been many advancements in lighting options. Having uniformed bulbs in your home can be substantial. Loading mixed bulbs into a light fixture can look disheveled and out of place. If you are using incandescent bulbs or are considering it, here is everything you need to know:

Pros:

Cost

If you are looking for a conventional and affordable light bulb, this is it. Incandescent bulbs are some of the most affordable bulbs on the market. They have been around forever and are massed produced to be the most common lighting in homes today.

Natural Feel to Light

These bulbs are great for general-purpose lighting. They mimic natural light with a more warm and yellow hue to them. They can be great to add to rooms that have no window exposure because they have a more natural feel even when the sun sets.

Timeless

When you think of traditional light bulbs, this is the image that most likely comes to mind. These light bulbs are timeless and for a good reason. These timeless bulbs are very good at illuminating homes as well as giving a clean natural look to the light.

Cons:

Not Efficient with Energy

While they are very common, they are far from being the most efficient. These light bulbs can use a lot of energy and raise your electricity bill. Remember to keep these lights off when you are not using them.

Halogen Bulbs Can Be Very Hot

Halogen bulbs are a type of incandescent. Halogen bulbs are filled with halogen gas. This gas keeps the filaments in the bulb from burning down. However, this feature allows the bulbs to burn much hotter. You need to be cognitive of this heat for extended periods of time. Placing any combustible or flammable materials near these bulbs can quickly lead to a fire.

All in all, these light bulbs will always be a great selection. Know that they are not the most efficient and can burn hot. Plus, there are many other great bulbs available on the market. It is all about choosing what works best for your environment, lifestyle, and home.

Interesting Lighting Livens Space

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web-lighting-interesting-blogWhen you’re planning your home’s appearance, take the time to consider all the elements. Flooring has a dramatic impact, and wall color creates a finished look. Window coverings add warmth and help manage light. But it’s easy to ignore your home’s light fixtures, and that can lead to missing an opportunity.

Lighting creates a mood, both in how an area is illuminated and how the lights themselves set a style. Let’s take a look at this open floor plan as an example. Four different choices of lighting make a real difference in this space.

Old-style ceiling fan: With the dual fan arrangement, this steel fan reflects a look that reflects the mood of hard-boiled detective fiction. You can imagine Humphrey Bogart in a room with a fan like this one, a steel file-cabinet in the background and his feet crossed on top of a battered wooden desk in the center of the office. A fan like this one says you’re not afraid to hark back to another era.

The pendant lights over the kitchen island also recollect another time. They mimic a classic schoolhouse style with their interesting shape. But the clear glass and Edison light bulbs bring them into the present. This combination of past and present blend to make a daring combination. Are you willing to take the design risk? The result is a room that steps out of the ordinary.

Ceiling lights provide the third light choice. These can be bright when needed for cooking or projects, or dimmed to set the right tone for evening events. Brushing along cabinets and walls, these lights are the quiet workhorses in your home. You really don’t want to do without them.

Finally, a simple chandelier sits over the dining table. Turned on for meals and off at other times, it’s functional yet creates an aura of warmth to match the meals served there. This light says hospitality.

Your home’s light fixtures are more important than you may realize. Take time to make the right lighting decisions for you and your family.

Let Lighting Create Style

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Kitchen from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

Kitchen from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

Because of its position just above eye level, pendant lighting tends to capture the eye. This is even more true when they are lit. So be sure to pay close attention to your options when selecting pendants. Here are some factors to consider when making your decision.

Style: Are you a staunch design traditionalist? If you want to create a traditional feel, be sure to stick with standard shapes and only choose light colors such as white or amber. On the other hand, if you like the old-style farmhouse look, consider the old-fashioned schoolhouse lighting. And if you want to be more cutting-edge, take a look at these light fixtures from Kichler. While they are effective task lights over the island, they also cause guests to take notice with their daring design.

Finish: What metal have you chosen for your kitchen faucets and pulls? You may want to stay consistent with your lighting, particularly when going for a traditional look. If your style is more eclectic, you can mix it up a bit.

Coordinating pieces: Do you want to link your pendants with other lighting fixtures in your home? If so, be sure to take a look at all the coordinating lights in the package. On the other hand, as long as you don’t go too far, different choices can work well together. Be sure to take the time to see how your lighting coordinates from room to room.

Light level: Will these pendant lights be primarily decorative or will they need to double as task lighting? Make sure the size of your pendants and the level they hang at meet your specific lighting needs for your island. After all, style may be important but light comes first!

For more ideas of what’s available in pendant lighting for your Fulton Home kitchen, take a look at the options offered at the Fulton Design Center and visit our models at Oasis at Queen Creek. You’ll see these lights and many other intriguing choices for your island.

Master Bedroom Lighting Creates Relaxed Environment

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While this master bedroom is spacious and inviting, the feature that makes it stand out is the lighting. This is an area that is often ignored when decorating, but its impact is significant.

This room, the master bedroom from Fulton Home’s Tehama model at Victoria Estates, actually has four lighting options available, along with a number of variations. The first choice is natural light. With plenty of windows, daylight would find this room cheerful and appealing.

In the evening, the ceiling fan provides a broad base of overall lighting with one flip of the switch. For a cozier look, keep that light off and take advantage of the spots on the ceiling. This type of lighting is softer and can be used to or provide a little minimal light. Dimmers on these lights give the owner even more options for light levels.

Finally, lamps on either side of the bed offer task lighting for a reader and add personality with the light patterns on the walls. Thanks to the variety of lighting options, this room can be brightly lit to make it easy to clean out drawers or make the bed. But it can also set a mood or just provide a comfortable space to watch television or read for a while before going to sleep.

Whatever room you work with, giving yourself a choice of lighting options makes the space more versatile. For example, spotlights can highlight artwork or just provide a little more light to brighten up a dark corner. Lamps can make a large room cozy by keeping the focus on one area. They also add a decorative touch. Lighting is as important to your décor as furniture and accessories. Like this bedroom, the more lighting options you create the more control you have over a room’s look and mood.