Is there an annoying buzz or hum in your house?
Do you have a buzz or hum? Here’s how to track it down and get rid of it.
I want control over my light levels and I love dimmers. I have them all over the house. But one problem with dimmers can be buzz. Even if the buzz doesn’t sound like it comes from the dimmer, the dimmer most likely is the culprit. Continue reading
WAC Lighting Landscape Lighting Plan for LED
Here is a Landscape Lighting Plan provided by WAC Lighting. You can see that it has longer runs. With LED, you don’t have to worry about voltage drop. Continue reading
A combination of path and spread lights, accent and in-ground landscape lighting
Deck and patio lights, path and spread lights are decorative, but the point of accent and in-ground landscape lighting is the light. You shouldn’t really notice the fixtures at all, just the effect they create. Continue reading
Signature Style: Creating Beautiful Interiors from Traditional Home Books
One of my favorite decorating books is Signature Style: Creating Beautiful Interiors from Traditional Home Books.
The book is about finding your own approach to design. All of the interiors are Traditional, but the eight different designers have very different approaches.
There are a lot of photos, as you would expect. But the designers explain their process. They let you know what to look for in each photo. Continue reading
Are you trying to get a lot of light where you want it in your kitchen? One option is track lighting.
Just replace whatever light is already there with track. You can aim the light wherever you want. You can even add more light.
You don’t want to overload the circuit. It’s not just annoying to be constantly popping breakers, it really is a fire hazard. Check how many things are already on that breaker. How many watts are on the light you are replacing? You know you can go that high. With new high efficiency LED lamps, you can get a lot of light with very little electricity.
An Ideal Setting by Annie Graves
Jewelry Artist Carolyn Morris Bach transforms an overgrown 18th-century cape into a polished work-and-living space.
Yankee magazine September/October 2017
Vern Yip’s Design Wise
House Beautiful June 2017 regular article Master Class is by Vern Yip.
Master Class
Vern Yip On Perfect Measurements
“I used to be a premed student and was deep in that world of science and math,” says the Atlanta designer. “I’m still equally left- and right-brained. People often tell me they feel design paralysis, thinking designers are magical unicorns pulling things out of the clouds – we are not! So much of what we do is standardized and logical, especially because most people don’t buy custom furniture. Whether you rent a studio or own a 60,000-square-foot mansion, these rules on dimensions are universal: You can lay out a solid floor plan.”
Vern Yip’s book, Design Wise has all the rules logically explained, with plenty of pictures to illustrate the point. You can search inside the book on Amazon. Continue reading
From traditional to eclectic, no matter what style you choose, coordinating your metal finishes can make all the difference in pulling a look together.
There are more choices than ever in metal finishes. Brass, bronze, chrome, nickel and stainless in bright polished or matte brushed finish, each sets its own style.
Then there are custom painted finishes to really personalize your look.
Continue reading
Monorail lighting is a great choice for many homes.
If you are looking for a simple monorail layout, a monorail kit might work for you. These kits have all of the hardware you need for most basic layouts and include pendants or fixtures.
Tech Lighting now has these great new kits!
Tech Lighting’s 800RAL28 Monorail kit has two pendants and two heads made with natural onyx. The metal hardware is finished in antique bronze. Continue reading
Is your kitchen bright enough?
“Many older kitchens aren’t bright enough after the sun goes down. The most pleasant kitchen lighting comes from several sources. Lighting designers classify kitchen lighting as either task lighting, general – or ambient lighting – lighting, or accent lighting. That doesn’t mean you need three different types of fixtures; many light fixtures can handle more than one lighting job at a time.”
The Kitchen Idea Book, Joanne Kellar Bouknight
This is my kitchen. It’s a tiny little kitchen, but I still have a ceiling light over the sink, light and vent from microwave over stove, undercabinet lighting in the corner, so I can measure coffee in the morning, a lighted ceiling fan, light from the window and the sky light and the three pendants over the bar.
My Kitchen
November 2014 Redbook has a great article in the Design School series.
Redbook Design School series November 2014
Tiny space? No problem. Listen to this wisdom and you’ll swear that someone snuck in and added some serious square footage to your home. Continue reading
