Lights on the house aren't just for the holidays. Patio lighting creates a warm ambient space for friends to gather and watch fireflies. Front stoops provide gentle lighting for a new couple to gaze upon each other one last time before they part. Deprived of outdoor lighting, we would crash into our neighbors' mailboxes after sunset. Burglars would feel safer prowling neighborhoods. Parents wouldn't be able to keep an eye on their teenagers outside, or flicker the lights when they think it's time to come inside. [caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="photo by somegeekintn on flickr"]bathroom lighting fixtures are out there. [caption id="attachment_353" align="aligncenter" width="496" caption="Chandelier in a bathroom"]

If you're setting up a home theater, or maybe even a gallery, track lighting can provide the perfect atmosphere. It's the latest craze.  Track lighting has superb advantages in a home theater, and the contemporary styles available are stunning. Surface mounted lights are easy to install because the heads are attached to a track rather than individually wired into the ceiling. More lights and less junction boxes installed into the ceiling will result in a smoother remodel. It all begins with an outlet adapter track to mount the lights on. [caption id="attachment_783" align="aligncenter" width="466" caption="Track Lighting and Mirror...

They're not lampshades for hobbit holes. They're mini chandelier shades, used to dress up or soften the lighting of a chandelier. You can take them or leave them depending on what kind of gathering you're hosting. Sometimes collectors of antique chandeliers notice that the shades are deteriorating and decide to replace them. [caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Chandelier from the Highlands Collection"][/c...

If you do a lot of evening entertaining, especially outdoors, adding landscape lighting is one of the best ways to immediately improve the look and feel of your back yard or patio. A little lighting can really go a long way, highlighting the best features of your home and garden that would otherwise be hidden at night. But there's a particular art to stetting up lights that takes a little thought to perfect - too many lights and your back yard will look like a bad christmas decoration, and too few can stand out in a bad way, too, looking out of place rather than enhancing the spot you put them in. Whether you have your lights professionally installed or you plan to do it yourself, the very first thing you should do ...

Looking to start a landscape lighting project but not sure where to begin? Don't worry, you aren't alone. With all the different types of outdoor lighting available, it can be hard to decide what kind of lights to put where, or even how many you need. Picking a porch light is one thing, but designing a whole back yard is something else entirely. Especially if you've opted out of hiring a professional designer and electrician to do the work for you and go the lighting is incredibly important to giving your home a look and feel that's all your own. With so many lighting fixtures out there - literally thousands of designer sizes, styles, and types of lights - the lighting fixtures you choose are a chance to showcase your unique personality and style. Nowhere is this more true than with foyer lighting. Whether you have a large entryway or a small one, a foyer chandelier is the very first thing your guests will see when they arrive, and can help set the tone for the rest of your home, as well as making the space make seem more inviting. So what should you look for? [caption id="attachment_2975" align="aligncenter" width="261"]kitchen is increasingly becoming the center of the home. Large kitchen islands, rather than separate dining areas, allow you to entertain while you cook and clean, enabling your chef to be part of the party... and for the party to offer a helping hand. With that in mind, it only makes sense to show your kitchen island a little love with an island light. Good lighting in your kitchen is incredibly important. Especially in a larger kitchen, or one where you do a lot of entertaining, just your standard bank of fluorescent lights probably isn't going to cut it. Good kitchen lighting comes in layers - that means different types of light different quantities of light, and light in a lot of different areas, not just in the center of your kitchen. Adding more light to your kitchen makes it feel warm, open, and inviting. One of my...

I'm a big advocate of using lighting in your home as something more than mere function. Lighting fixtures themselves should be beautiful, and choosing the right type - and amount - of lighting can totally transform the way you experience your home. Humans are instinctively drawn to light, and a well-lit space will feel warm, inviting, and cheery. This applies every bit to the outside of your home as it does to the inside, and one of the best ways to enhance your home's curb appeal is to add a little outdoor lighting. [caption id="attachment_4023" align="aligncenter" width="500"]lighting. Lots of light, lots of light fixtures, lots of different kinds of fixtures, and most especially lights with a lot of style. There are all kinds of lighting fixtures out there. From modern pendants to elaborate crystal chandeliers, it isn't hard to find a lighting fixture to fit your home and your own personal sense of style. Today I want to talk about a very specific subset of lighting - floral lighting fixtures, to be precise - and just what they can do for your space...

Any real estate agent or contractor will tell you: if you can manage to sneak built-in lighting into any (and every!) room in your home, you should. Being able to flip a switch and get all-over, over-head lighting gives any space an immediate visual appeal that can easily translate into a fast sale or even a slightly higher value on your home. But installing permanent lighting fixtures isn't always practical or even possible, especially in a rental. Worse, most floor lamps don't give the kind of room-wide illumination you might hope for. That's why I wanted to showcase a f...

I think many of us tend to take lighting fixtures for granted. After all, I'm willing to bet that - with maybe a few exceptions - most of the lighting fixtures in your home aren't terribly remarkable, and are maybe even a little bit boring. But I'm a big believer that the right lighting fixture can really make a room, and so much better if the design is a hop and a step outside the norm. I think this is especially true for a modern space, where a same-old lighting fixture can be actively uninteresting, and even an expensive crystal chandelier can fail to do justice to your design. So, if you favor a striking modern aesthetic, h...

Traditionally, dining areas are full of big, beautiful lighting fixtures - dining rooms often include a chandelier centered over the table, and even breakfast nooks or big standalone tables often have their own dedicated lighting fixtures. But if you happen to have a kitchen that's on the smaller side (or a ceiling that's on the lower side) a three tier chandelier probably isn't in the cards. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for pure utility, either. Modern pendant lights offer a more contemporary style in a slightly more compact package that can really make your kitchen shine.

A Better Option For A Contemporary Kitchen

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In recent years, kitchen islands have become more and more popular, especially in large kitchens with open floorplans. But upping the size of your kitchen - and especially introducing a secondary workspace like a kitchen island - means you'll need more and better lighting. Some kitchen islands are used for prep, some for seating, and some are even designed with built in sinks or range tops, all of which need more than just your standard overhead lighting. Here are a few different styles to help you get the most out of your kitchen isl...

Your home is your own little piece of paradise - your place away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  So if you wish to create a little more ambiance in your home or if you are simply looking for new lighting options that are not only easy to install but also affordable, consider these 7 indoor lighting options:

• Track Lighting