Choosing A Lamp For Your Bedroom

Your bedroom. It is the place where you return to each night to rest and regain your strength for the next day. The bedroom is home to many relaxing activities such as watching television, reading, knitting etc.

You ever sit in your bedroom with your spouse at the end of the night and argue about who is going to get up and turn off the light? It is an irritating argument because the light switch is only a few feet away, but neither of you want to get up and turn it off because you are so tired!

This issue is easily fixed by lamps on the nightstands on each side of the bed. Whoever came up with that idea deserves a BIG thanks!

After establishing the necessity of nightstand lamps, all that needs to be decided on is the style of the lamp you would like next to your bed. There are so many styles to choose from. Here we will discuss three styles and then you can choose which is best for you.

Stained Glass- Table lamps made of stained glass are quite beautiful. There is a huge selection available with literally thousands of different types of stained glass table lamps, so someone interested in this type of lamp has a wide range of options to choose from in order to match their current decor. This style is most often seen in homes with older residents.

Sleek Metal- The younger demographic seems to be more drawn to lamps with sleek designs using light metal bases and even some metal shades. This type of lamp is also characterized by it's sharp edges and corners instead of a softer, rounder style.

Classic Style- What we categorize as a classic lamp style is an item with the classic round, cone-shaped lamp shade and a normal base made of any material. These classic lamps are the most common and are found most commonly in family homes.

So whether you are a customer looking for a stained glass lamp, a sleeker more modern looking metal lamp, or a classic lamp, you have lots of options when it comes to purchasing something to put in your bedroom. And no matter what you purchase, at least when you have a nightstand lamp, you do not have to be arguing about who is going to get up out of bed and turn off the light. So enjoy your night time relaxing activities, and enjoy them in the light of your very own nightstand lamp.

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom   

Popular Techniques For Mounting Wall Lights Outside

One of the more popular uses for wall lights around the home is, believe it or not, outside. It can be used to completely change a person's perspective of an area of your property at night, or even of your entire home. To ensure that you are achieving the sort of perspective that you want, however, there are a number of tips and techniques for mounting fixtures that you should familiarize yourself with first.

Wall Washing This technique involves large walls and other big surfaces being lit up using an even distribution of illumination from a fixture. This type of lighting is able to 'flatten out' textured surfaces, which has led to its common use in covering up imperfections and illuminating certain features. Unless you want a reflective or flattened out look, properties with textured or glossy walls should not use the washing technique.

Grazing This is similar to wall washing in that it aims to achieve an even spread of illumination on surfaces. These wall lights differ to those used in the previous technique, however, in that it does so without sacrificing on the attractiveness of textured surfaces.

Spotlighting This technique involves smaller features of your property (such as sculptures, landscaping structures, plants and so on) being illuminated. In terms of wall lights, these fixtures are used to illuminate a feature that is situated above or below.

Light Scallops This technique is commonly used to add a certain impact to the exterior of your property. With diffused lighting or a reflector lamp, you can create a softer effect with the fixtures, whilst PAR lamps will ensure that you have a more defined scallop on your walls.

LEDs When it comes to choosing the globes that will be used in your wall lights, LEDs tend to be a very popular choice. As they operate on a low-energy system, they can be used for long periods without bumping your electricity bill into extreme proportions (and you can do your bit for the environment). They are also renowned for producing light (not heat), so they are perfectly safe for use around plants and children without risking fires or burns.

If you are in the process of choosing wall lights for use somewhere in the landscape of your property, you should begin looking at the various techniques that you can use and picking up some tips. This will ensure that you present your home in the best possible light at all times, regardless of whether it is day or night.

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom   

LED Lights - Word Games

If I said "My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas" or that "King Philip came over for great spaghetti" I don't suppose you would know what I was talking about. They are actually two very handy mnemonic devices, the former to help remember the names of the planets in our solar system, while the latter is used to recall the taxonomic order. One I think is perhaps more familiar will be sohcahtoa, which probably helped a lot of us with revising those tricky trigonometrical functions during our school maths lessons.

Quite simply, mnemonics are a great way of remembering things and there are plenty floating around. Everyone knows that LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, but here we believe it stands for a lot more. That is why we have been putting our heads together to devise a unique word game to help you remember why LEDs are so important. So, without further ado, we present the three rules of LED:

L is for Long Lasting

LED Lights have a far longer life span than traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs. They even outstrip energy efficient compact fluorescents for longevity, lasting anywhere between 30,000 and 50,000 hours, depending on what model you buy. Some of the newest LEDs, also known as SMDs, or Surface Mounted Devices, last more than 50,000 hours.

E is for Energy Efficient

LED Lights use about 90 per cent less energy than conventional forms of lighting. The ramifications of this are pretty self-evident. Not only do you stand to save an enormous amount on your electricity bills, but you will also be doing a huge favour to the environment. It is a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for data on incandescent equivalency, as these will tell you the wattage of the halogen-style bulb and LED is designed to replace.

D is for Durability

LED Lights are made from the high-quality materials, meaning that not only do they look incredibly stylish, but they are also very robust. This is one of the reasons that LED Lights have such impressive life spans, because of the quality of their components. The whorl shaped heat sink on some of our LED Lights also ensures that excess heat is dissipated towards the back of the unit, again guaranteeing a long life span from your bulb.

So every time you buy LED Lights you will know exactly how they are benefiting yourself, but also how they are benefiting everybody else as well. And look, we even got a four letter word score. Great stuff!

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom   

Incandescent Bulbs Vs Fluorescent Bulbs: What's The Deal?

In the US, much of the legislation that was written in 2007 which would make the incandescent obsolete because they do not meet the energy efficiency standards was recently overturned in December 2011. What's left is efficiency standards for 40W-100W bulbs will require implementation by October 2012. All other bulbs will be exempt from adhering to efficiency standards.

International governments have begun banning incandescents and promoting the use of more energy-efficient lighting alternatives such as CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and LEDs. Countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, the EU, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Russia, China, India and the US have started or have plans to phase out the incandescent light bulb. Many consumers have reacted negatively to the decision to ban the bulbs as the CFL or LED light quality can be much harsher than traditional bulbs, but alternative bulb makers have begun to create a variety of color choices in lighting temperatures.

By 2020, a second tier of restrictions would become effective, which requires all general-purpose bulbs to produce at least 45 lumens per watt (similar to current CFLs). Exemptions from the Act include reflector flood, 3-way, candelabra, colored, and other specialty bulbs. In the US it looks like we will still be able to get our incandescent bulbs for the near future, but the way forward for lighting may be in CFLs and eventually LEDs. As the new alternative bulbs improve in lighting quality, they offer consumers power savings.

In a way, the overturning of the 2007 legislation is good news for customers that like the look and feel of the current incandescent bulbs. Perhaps by the time the 2020 legislation is in place, the CFL bulbs may offer even higher quality light.

Are there new bulb alternatives?

CFL: These bulbs use 1/5 to 1/3 the amount of energy as regular bulbs and have a much longer life span (5-18 times!). CFL's last 6,000-15,000 hours vs 750-1,000 hours by incandescents. CFLs do have a higher purchase price than incandescents, but the lower energy costs can save over five times its purchase price over the bulb's life. The light spectrum of CFLs is different than that of incandescents, but recent improvements in phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color of light emitted by them. "Soft white" CFLs are supposed to have a light color that is similar to standard incandescents.

LEDs: First introduced in 1962, LEDs have increasingly become used as lighting. They are commonly used in displays, televisions, and automotive lighting. Recently they have begun being used as room lighting for higher end or specialty lighting. LEDs can produce light over the entire spectrum. Benefits of LED lighting including lower energy use and longer lifetime. LED lifetimes can be 35,000-50,000 hours. They can also emit varying colors of light without the need for any color filters. However, LEDs for room lighting tend to be quite expensive. While they have the advantage over CFLs of not containing mercury, LEDs could also contain other harmful materials such as arsenic or lead. This is more common in colored LEDs, particularly red or yellow.

Disposal of bulbs - Most CFLs have 3-5mg of mercury, and states such as California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin have bans of disposing CFL bulbs as universal waste. In the US, The Home Depot is the first retailer to make CFL recycling available. The EPA website has advice on avoiding breakage and also how to deal with breakage of a CFL bulb including airing out a room and putting broken pieces in a jar.

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom   

Change The Look And Feel Of A Room

When it comes to decorating your home, the task can seem both monumental and expensive. Even making the smallest of changes seems to cost the earth and yet you obviously want a room that reflects your tastes and personality. Making large changes can be exorbitant, so going down the route of DIY is clearly best to ensure that you remain within your budget. But what exactly can you achieve without paying the earth?

One of the easiest ways to effect a rapid change in the look and feel of your room is by adding a new touch of colour via new wallpaper or paint. Both materials are inexpensive and even the most rudimentary DIY enthusiast should be able to manage them. Indeed, although wallpaper is usually associated with slapstick comedy routines form the early days of television, putting it up is surprisingly easy. The vast array of modern adhesives make the task a lot simpler and the preponderance of You Tube videos certainly provide you with every conceivable tip or practical pointer that you might want. As with any DIY task, the key is to take your time and remember to measure twice and cut once. Many novice home improvement advocates make their biggest mistakes in the full flush of their new hobby and will easily waste a lot of money by failing to take caution.

Painting is all about preparation and if you ensure that the surface you are going to paint is properly prepared, then you should not have any problems. There are a wide range of products that make it a lot easier to fill cracks and help with any uneven surfaces. Paint technology has advanced exponentially in recent years, making the task a lot easier for the avid DIY enthusiast. Look out for some of the more modern range of paints that are advertised as helping avoid splatter when you are using a roller brush - such small things make all the difference when it comes to decorating.

Other small changes that can have a big impact on your room include changing small fixtures and fittings such as light switches, door handles and curtain poles. Easily overlooked, it is often these accessories which guide our eye to the rest of the room and will make a huge impact on how we perceive it. Traditional wall lights and other forms of lighting are also important - not just because of how they look intrinsically, but because of the lighting effects which will make a big difference on how your room is seen.

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom   

What Is The Difference Between Desk And Table Lamps?

At first glance, desk and table lamps appear to be the same thing, but there is actually a difference between the two that sets them apart. The main difference is that both of these lights are used for very different purposes, so each has been designed with that purpose in mind. This makes a desk lamp unsuitable for use as a table fixture and vice versa. Read on to discover more of the ways that these lights differ from each other.

Table lamps are seen as being the more decorative of the two. Whilst they may be used for some light reading, their main purpose is to simply add some more light to the room, which allows plenty of room for decorative shades and bases. Desk lamps, however, are used as task lighting and are primarily placed on a desk or shelf to provide illumination for the completion of tasks, such as writing, reading, studying, typing and so on. Table lamps are available in a large range of styles, designs and sizes, which allows homeowners to choose one that matches their existing décor perfectly. Many fixtures will have intricately decorated bases or shades, as well as being able to be constructed out of a number of different materials. Desk lamps tend to be made in just one colour and are usually constructed out of plastic or metal. They are not designed to be decorative features of the space and are, instead, quite plain in their appearance. Table lamps are known to take up a considerable amount of room; they often dominate the table surface and will make anything else placed nearby look out of place or unnecessary. The lights require their own space and do not take well to sharing the spotlight. Desk lamps take up very little space and can often be placed in the corner of a desk or shelf. Some fixtures can even be clamped to the surface, allowing them to hang and be directed wherever you need them; this leads them to take up even less space.

Whilst there may be a number of similarities between the humble desk and table lamp, it is their many differences that set them apart. Placing a desk lamp in your lounge room, for example, would look very out of place and would not provide much additional illumination to the room, except to the space either side of it. In the same way, using a table fixture at your desk would probably cause you to strain your eyes whilst trying to study.

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice   Choosing the Perfect Light Fixture for Your Victorian-Style Bedroom