Bathroom Lighting seems to be one of the least important rooms people consider when it comes to lighting.  However, Lighting is extremely important in the bathroom for purposes such as shaving, makeup, showering, and creating a mood for the room. 

Vanity lighitng should be your top priority since these fixtures work the hardest to illuminate the head and face for grooming.  The most common mistake people make is putting recessed lighting directly over the mirror.  These cast shadows on the face, which make daily grooming rituals difficult.  I have had so many customers ask "me what is the best place to place your bathroom light?"  Vertical fixtures or sconces mounted on either side of the mirror are the best for casting even light across the face.  To eliminate shadows under the chin, eyes, and cheeks, fixtures should be mounted on either side  36" to 40" apart.  The center of the fixture should be roughly at eye level about 66" off the floor. 
Given the size and positioning of some vanity mirrors, sidelights can be impractical.  In this case I would use a bath light over the mirror.  It should be placed 75 to 80 inches above the floor.  You will want to face the light down so it washes evenly over the hair and face. 

The shower is the next important part of the bathroom that needs light.  If it is a small bathroom with a clear door then a light is not necessary.  However for larger bathrooms with shower curtains it is highly suggested to install a recessed light with a water proof shower lens. 
To add some ambient light a surface mounted fixture is installed usually in the center of the room.  This can also be replaced with an exhaust fan/light

With all the different variety of chandeliers on the market it makes shopping for the perfect one a real adventure.  There is something out there to fit every style and every room in your home. 


For instance here are some top customer picks for different style settings.
For a more Rustic, cabin setting, try the Somerset collection. 
It has a dark wrought iron finish to keep with the rustic setting.  The frosted icicle glass shades make it an attractive center piece.













Does your space have a more up beat, contempo vibe to it.  You may want to consider the Confuzion chandelier .  This chandelier can add some fun and excitement into your room, with it's bendable arms twisting in every direction. 






Or if your home is contemporary but in a more
subtle way you may want to try this halogen elliptical chandelier.  It is an elegant contemporary chandelier that can be moved up and down

Habitat for Humanity broke ground on the world's first all LED home in Durham, NC.  Some features of the home will be new LED recessed Lights.  The LED lighting in this house is projected to save approximately $250 worth of electricity costs per year over traditional lighting.  When it is complete the home will be an example of the energy savings you can achieve when get rid of the old way of lighting and enter the new technology with LED. 
LED residential lighting is still not currently common because of the expense when compared to incandescent or cfl bulbs.  However, in the last year the cost to manufacturer LED's has fallen from $80 per 1000 lumens to $40 per 1000.  As manufacturing cost decline prices will continue to drop. 

                          
Wall Sconces have a very different appearance than many light fixtures. They have a way of setting a particular mood that traditional light fixtures lack.   Sconces are attached to the wall with the light directed upwards toward the ceiling.  Sconces are often used as a point of decoration and style within a home.  They work extremely well in long rooms or hallways where a focal point is needed.  Generally a sconce is placed above the halfway point up a wall,, or three quarters the way.  Sconces are often spaced with the distance between them being the same as the measurement of the sconces from the floor of the room or hallway.
 

When choosing the right size ceiling fan to put into a room there is no set rule of thumb to determine the proper size.  Along with the room size you also want to take into consideration the room itself.  Some things to consider is the ceiling height, the walls, the furnishings.  Here are some suggestions what size you should use for certain rooms.

For a room 6 X 6 or smaller you generally want to use a small ceiling fan.  A small fan typically has a blade span of  36" or less.














A room 8X10 or less can accommodate a medium ceiling fan.  A medium ceiling fan has a blade span of 36" to 48".














A room 10X15 can accommodate a standard size ceiling fan.  Standard size ceiling fans range from a blade span of 49" to 55".

Under cabinet Lighting is a great source of light to add to your kitchen.  It provides task lighting for your counter tops to make them ideal for food preparation and cooking, it illuminates the back splash on your wall to create accent lighting, it can also be used as a nightlight for the kitchen.   Here are some different types you can choose from.
1) Fluorescent under cabinet Lights:  Are the most energy efficient in providing a given amount of light.   They give off very little heat.  Most cannot be dimmed but they can be a wonderful, inexpensive option. 
2) Xenon lights are the most popular.  They are not as energy efficient and do give off some heat but they do have full dimming capacity, and they give off a nice warm light, similar to incandescent.   Even though they are not cool to the touch, they produce still significantly less than a halogen bulb. 
3) The most energy efficient option would be LED lights.  Althiugh most cannot be dimmed, some do however have two levels of brightness.  Leds are cool to the touch and will last for 50,000 hours before needing replacement.  The initial price is a bit more expensive but if you consider your future savings in energy, led start to make sense. 

We generally recommend the linear style under cabinet lights rather than the puck lights.  The linear provide uniform, well distributed light for the entire counter-top and eliminate shadows.   The puck lights tend to create pools of light in a more focused area.  Either type is fine though. 

Incandescent light bulbs have served as our primary source of light for decades.  However, that is soon to come to an end.  The U.S department of Energy is imposing tough new efficiency standards for lighting .  Edison's light bulb will be banned by 2014. 

The curly fluorescent is the replacement for the incandescent bulb, but it is not perfect itself.  The more energy efficient curly bulbs contain mercury, which is a health risk, and people associate them with an unpleasant light.  To find a solution to get quality and quantity of light the U.S government is offering a $10 million prize called the L prize, to the company that builds the most efficient bulb with the most desirable light. 

Phillips was the first company to submit the first design to the L Prize.  The bulb features light emitting diodes also known as LEDs, which used 80 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb and half as much as compact fluorescent. "We've spent 15 years trying to perfect LED lighitng, trying to make it replicate the incandescent light bulb, and we are now on the verge o doing that,: DenBaars said.

However the Led bulb cost about 40 dollars per bulb.  On the up side it will last up to 10 or even 20 years, saving homeowners 300-600 dollars a year on energy bills. 

 

In the last couple weeks electricty rates have been shocking consumers nationwide.  I know in my area I have seen a huge increase in the rates.  With a couple easy reminders you can start to cut those bills down. 

1) Turn off Uneeded Lights:   Lighting is responsible for 11 percent of the bill and by turning off lights you are not using you are already saving.  Make sure everyone in the house is involved.  I have a six year old that turns on every light in the house and leaves them on.  We came up with a fun song about turning them off and saving electricity and now he will not leave a room with out making sure lights are off and water is not running.

2) Switch out Lighting:  CFL (compact flourescent bulbs) are well known for substancial energy savings.  They use 75% less energy than standard bulbs.  If you are like me I do not like the light from the CFL's but I do know they save energy so what I did was put them in different areas in my home which really needed them because of long hours of use.  I put them in all my outdoor Lighting because they are on for long hours and i do not have to look at the light.

3) Install Motion Sensors:   This works well for your outdoor lighting

4) Turn off computer at night and use a laptop instead of a desktop:  Laptops only draw 15-25 watts during regular use compared with 150 watts for a desktop.

These are just some small ways that you can use everyday to help lower your electric bill and save energy. 

One of my friends recently bought a home and wanted to have company over.
After she had agreed to the plans she realized that she did not have any lighting in her back yard. Being a new homeowner myself sometimes you can overlook what types of lighting will be needy and where it will be needed.  She called me up in a panic worried that we would be sitting inside on a gorgeous night or wondering if I could quickly put together a nice set up for her.  I sat at the store and picked out a nice outdoor lantern that fit her decor.  I ran some wire from her house up a tree and hung the lantern over the area that I wanted it to go.  To add some drama to the scene we installed some low voltage landscape lighting up and down her pathway, to provide a safe entrance and exit for guests.  Her yard has some amazing, dramatic trees that we installed some directional landscape lights to illuminate.  I have always wanted tiki lamps and one of our manufacturers just came out with a new low voltage landscape lighting tiki lamp, so I incorporated some of those into my design.  Let me tell you, when our friends came over to the house it was lit like a palace.  Landscape lighting can have such a dramatic effect, and also provide a safe and secure environment. 
Please feel free to contact me at 1800-922-1469 for advice or assistant on your landscape lighting layout. 

Grand Light was in attendance on Wednesday July 14th to a party hosted by the New Haven Register in which we were honored to have been presented with an award for Elm City's Best Lighting.  Thank you to all who voted for us!