Lighting Buff | The experts in home illuminations

Lighting Trends for 2013

April 7, 2013 No comments

2013 is ushering in many new trends when it comes to lighting. Today’s homeowners are looking for the pieces which best represent today’s wants and needs. The following trends are the best options for longevity as they often never go out of style.

Layered lighting. Lighting which includes layering of features, such as clear glass over frosted glass or fabric shades over crystal interiors, is all the rage. It gives a variety of textures and looks to provide a ton of visual interest.

Natural materials. People today are going back to the basics, both due to environmental concerns and aesthetic appeal. For example, wood and cork fixtures are a new sight on lighting showroom floors. These lights look beautiful in eclectic rooms which house everything from stainless steel to mahogany floors.

Minimalism. Most people don’t want overdone crystal chandeliers or lights with patterns painted on the shade any longer. The more simplistic fixtures which have natural color palettes and materials are a much simpler and more appropriate choice. When you purchase a neutral, simple light, you’ll find that you can easily change the room around it as trends change without having to replace your light time and time again. Not only does this make it a great investment, it ensures that the light you love today will continue to be the light you love in the decades to come.

The main thing to remember when it comes to choosing lighting is to find the one that suits your taste. Usually, you can narrow down your choices to just a few fixtures, and make your selection from those.

Remember, at lightingbuff.com you can always have me and my team help you choose the perfect lighting fixture for your home or apartment – one that will suit both your style and mine. (Hey, I’m not going to let you buy something that is hopelessly outdated, unless you force me to!)

As we say here in Brooklyn when searching for a parking spot – “Happy Hunting!”

How to Highlight Your Dining Room’s Best Features with Spot Lights

March 31, 2013 No comments

Visitors want to know exactly which parts of your room they’re supposed to look at. It isn’t always clear, and using spot lights is the best way to bring attention to your art, china cabinet or architecture. That said, how does one know which lights are the best to buy? We’ll take you step by step through the process.

Pregnant woman with money. Family budget. by SalFalko on Flickr

Firstly, what is your budget? If you have only a small amount of money to spend, your choices will be more limited. Figure out what you can afford and then move on to step two.

What exactly do you want to highlight? How many lights would you like to add? If you only have one or two places to brighten, then you can buy two separate fixtures. If you want to highlight an entire row of art pieces on the wall, then you are better off installing track lighting. Figure out your lighting plan and then move on to step three.

Tall ceiling by Studio Plank on Flickr

The third thing you need to consider is how tall your ceiling is and how far away the pieces you want to light up will be from the lights. This will determine the strength of the lights you will require, such as 40 watt bulbs versus 100 watt bulbs.

Once you take all of these things into consideration, you’ll know exactly which lights to buy. You will understand what wattage of bulb they must accept, how many you will need, what style you want and how much you can afford. Then you can go shopping and enjoy what you buy!

LED Lighting: Cheaper, Brighter and Better All Around

March 25, 2013 No comments

LED lighting is showing up all over the place today. Why? The fact is that incandescent lighting doesn’t last very long and isn’t very environmentally friendly. Compact fluorescent bulbs are easy on power, but they put off high levels of electromagnetic radiation and create a hazmat situation when they are dropped. LED bulbs have none of these problems and provide tends of thousands of hours of light. What a great idea!

Police Car Lights by davidsonscott15 on Flickr

Thanks to LED lighting becoming so affordable and being created in formats which are just as bright as any other type of bulb, they’re being found everywhere. For example, emergency vehicles now frequently use LED bulbs in their head- and breaklights as well as the lights on top of their vehicle. This means that less money is spent both on replacement bulbs and the cost of labor to replace them.

Bay Bridge ( new LED lights ) by Liping Photo on Flickr

Even the government is getting in on this hot new trend. They are replacing their old bulbs with new, efficient LED lighting. From bridges to street lights to stop lights, the cost of having unionized employees replacing bulbs frequently is exceptionally high. By switching to LED, taxpayers are saving millions of dollars every year!

When it comes to your home, there are many LED options available for you. The bulbs resemble those you already have, and fit into any traditional light socket. Whether you need large vanity bulbs for your bathroom or smaller bulbs for a table lamp, all options are available. There is truly no excuse today for not switching to LED!

Switching from Incandescent Light Bulbs to CFL or LED

December 20, 2012 No comments

As of January 1, 2012, the United States Government has banned manufacturers’ production of the ever popular 100 watt. One year later, January 1, 2013, the 75 watt incandescent bulbs will also be banned in effort to “Go Green”. Following this, on January 1, 2014, the 60 watt and the 40 watt incandescent bulbs will be discontinued as well. This doesn’t mean you can’t still buy them. Stores are selling their remaining stock, but with the CFL options and the new LED light bulbs, why would you?

If you’re wondering why the Government would do such a thing, here are some of the reasons:

Only 10% of the energy used to illuminate an incandescent light bulb is actually needed. The other 90% is wasted energy, generating heat.
The replacement for these incandescent bulbs, either the spiraled CFL or the newer LED light bulbs, are much more cost efficient and consume roughly 80% less energy.
The light from the CFL and LED bulbs are a lot more concentrated and elegant than the incandescent bulbs .

With the incandescent light bulbs being phased out, new terminology is being phased in in order to determine how much light a CFL light bulb or a LED light bulb will produce. Until now, people would determine which light bulb they needed by the wattage usage. Now with the more efficient bulbs you can get a 10 watt LED light bulb that will produce more light than the 60 watt incandescent.

The terminology used to measure the amount of light output is “Lumens” (see the knowledge base article Understanding Lumens ). The American Lighting Association put together a chart to help consumers with this transition:

Incandescent (Watts)	Lumens	LED or CFL (Watts)
25	250	4 to 9
40	450	9 to 13
60	800	13 to 15
75	1110	18 to 25
100	1600	23 to 30
125	2000	22 to 40
150	2600	40 to 45

Indoor Step Lights – Why Every Home Needs Them

September 5, 2012 No comments

In this video, I explain why it’s so important to make sure that your stairways are properly lit.

The most common way to light up stairways is by putting a light fixture at the bottom of the stairs, at the top of the stairs or sometimes both. But there is a much more elegant and practical manner to provide light for your stairways.

Step lights are a great alternative to lighting up stairways in the dark.

Decor – Step lights are a classy and elegant addition to any home. Available in many different styles, they add a distinctive touch that is typcially found only in high end homes.
Practical – Leave step lights illuminated at night so people can use the stairs without having to open up the house lights.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that since replacing step lights can be a difficult task, you want to make sure to purchase a high quality model from a recognized manufacturer that makes good quality lighting fixtures. Progress and Alico are two brands that have a great seletion of high quality step lights at reasonable prices. Low quality step lights, while they may be lower priced, tend to burn out after only 1-2 years. Save yourself the hassle and frustration and only buy good quality step lights that will withstand the test of time.

wood stairs with step lights

Here is an image of step lights illuminating a wood laminate stairway. Look how the lights blend in with the natural color of the wood, enhancing the soft tones of the grain. These lights are recessed into the step and make for a stunning array of wood and light.

step lights on carpeted home

On carpeted stairs, the light blends well with the deep colors of the carpet. The type of step light you choose should depend on the color of the carpet. Deep colors should have a high output light, while softer colors should use a more subdued light.

grand lighting on staircase

Remember, step lights add a touch of beauty to any home. You don’t need a home like this one to really enahance it with the addition of step lights.

Recalls

June 20, 2012 No comments

Very importanat! Must read recalls! Be sure to know if your fixture has been recalled due to safety issues. take a look at the following links for recalls.

1. Ceiling Mounted Light Fixtures Recalled by Thomas Lighting Due to Fire and Shock Hazards,

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12197.html

2. Bel Air Lighting Recalls Outdoor Wall Mount Lanterns Due to Fire, Burn and Shock Hazards,

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12198.html

3. Air Movers Recalled by EDIC Due to Fire Hazard,

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12199.html