Flood Light

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What are flood lights?

Flood lights are lights that give an even, wide spread of light and can light up a large area equally brightly. The reflectors are designed in such a way that all the light is used to light up a certain area, and there is little to no backwash which means no wasted light. Since it is used to flood a large area with light they are called flood lights.

What are they used for?

Flood lights are most commonly found in outdoor areas like parks or stadiums where there is a need for good bright light over a large area. Most sports are played under flood lights and even if you are having a party outdoors you need to install at least one of these.

Flood lights are also used in security to light up the outside of commercial establishments and parking lots and to bring out something against the background of the sky, like a statue or even part of a building. In homes flood lights are mostly used as a security measure because one single light will be more effective than a number of ordinary lights.

Do I need one for my home? Will it increase my power bills too much?

The answer to the first question is up to you. A flood light is one of the simplest ways to light up the outside of your home and you can install it high up so that the entire front or back garden is lit up. Of course there are other ways to achieve the same thing so as mentioned it is your preference here.

The answer to the second question is no. Most flood lights are gas powered lamps. The cheaper ones are Sodium (yellow light) and Mercury vapor (white light) lamps. You also get really high intensity discharge Xenon lamps that gives you the same white light, but since their output in the infrared and ultraviolet band is much more, it is the closest to sunlight that you can get. They are also more expensive. The advantage of gas powered lights however is that although they are more expensive when you get them, their running costs are actually quite low. They are very efficient and use only around 40 to 60% of the electricity that a comparable incandescent bulb would.

Which one do I get?

Once again this depends on your needs. Most street lamps use either sodium vapor or mercury vapor lamps. The Xenon ones are just too expensive. Depending on how much area you want to cover, and how bright you want the light, you can opt for any one of these. You get bulbs with different lumen, which is the unit to measure the power of the light and the higher the rating, the more the output. One thing that you have to remember though is that the reflector is sometimes more important than the light itself. Even a bulb with the highest lumen will not work if the light is not focused properly and most manufacturers only give you lumen rating when the light exits the bulb, not at 100 yards distance.

Which is the best one of the lot?

For home use the mercury vapor lamps are probably the best option. Even though they are a little more expensive than the sodium vapor lamps, they give off a white light making everything clearer. They may not have the same output levels of the Xenon lamps, but then you do not need that kind of output anyway. Plus a Xenon lamp requires more than just the lamp and you have to install a ballast to ensure that there is no fluctuation in the current supply. All this is not necessary with a Mercury vapor one. Just make sure that you get one with the right voltage. If it is a high powered one that requires more, then you may have to take a dedicated line just for the light; more expense for you.

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Hurricane Lamps

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A hurricane lamp is one that will remain lit through a hurricane. This statement may not entirely be true but you get the meaning. Hurricane lamps have been used for centuries because they are the very sturdy and can hold a flame without a flicker even in high wind. This is done by covering the entire lamp both top, sides and bottom, and allowing the smoke to pass out through small holes in the upper portion of the lamp. These holes are too small to allow any of the wind in and the draft created by the hot air rising will keep a constant supply of fresh air coming up from the bottom.

The traditional hurricane lamp is of just one standard shape, it is an oil container at the bottom with a glass shield above that encircles the burning wick. The top is covered by metal which extends in two bars to the metal container at the bottom giving it both stability and some measure of protection from sudden movement. Most of them also have a loop on top which is used either to hang them somewhere or to carry them around.

Hurricane lamps are usually only oil lamps. There are no candle hurricane lamps simply because the light given off by a candle is just too low to be of much use even in normal weather, far less inclement weather. There are variations of course that can be used with candles, but they are not the most commonly known ones.

These days there are so many different kinds of torches for different purposes that hurricane lanterns are not needed. They are however very good at creating a very nostalgic atmosphere, and if you want even a vaguely nautical theme anywhere the look is never completed without a hurricane lamp somewhere in the picture.

Nowadays you do get these lamps with bulbs inside to be used as outside lights. In fact most hanging outside lights are based on the design of the hurricane lamp. These lamps are probably the best if you want this light for your home; they give you the look that you want without the hassle of having to fill oil and light them up before you start to use them. Of course they will not be the same as having the genuine one, but then for everyday use, convenience trumps exotic every time.

There are variations of the same design that you can get and you even get string lights with the lamps designed like miniature hurricane lamps, that you can hang outside. If you have a porch, or are looking to decorate the outside of your trailer, or even have a deck that is high up, putting these lamps along the edge is a very good idea. Even if you do not want to go with the string light idea, just hanging them from some pole in your garden will suffice. In fact you even get solar hurricane lamps that do not require anything more than that you install them where there is sunlight throughout the day and they will even come on automatically when it gets dark. They are pretty sturdy, and the cheaper ones actually come with clear plastic instead of glass, although this does not make any difference to the way they look.

Hurricane lamps are available in a wide range of prices and start from as low as $20 or $30. Although the good quality ones will be more expensive, you basically have one for whatever budget you have. Most lighting stores will definitely stock them and finding one is not too difficult. Unless you are looking for some exotic design or an antique one, there is really no problem in finding one.

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Lamp Parts

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Lamps are enchanting and elegant sources of light that are very common in most of our homes today. Which is why lamps are now manufactured in so many different designs, colors, materials and shapes. Lamp designs are so innovative and come in lovely patterns, which makes most of us want every lamp we see. Although most lamps look unique on the outside, they are all pretty much the same on the inside. The external part of most lamps are a lamp base, a vase or stand, a vase cap, a lampshade, a finial and a power cord. The non-visible lamp parts include a pipe, a neck, a base harp, a bulb socket, a bulb and a harp.

The various parts of a lamp are usually arranged in this sequence, The base which is the portion of the lamp that usually rests on top of a table or floor. The base is followed by a vase or a stand. In case of a vase, there is a hollow pipe attached at its center through which the power cord is passed through. The vase is covered by a vase cap, which leads to the neck of the vase. To this a harp is attached, which enables the lampshade to rest over the bulb. Then comes the bulb socket, to which a bulb can be attached. The top portion of the harp is attached securely to the lampshade by means of a finial.

Going into each of the main lamp parts one by one, we can first look into the lamp base.  Lamp bases are usually circular and flat, holding the entire lamp structure in place. However, nowadays lamp bases may be square, oval or even any other attractive shape as its main purpose is to help the lamp stand firmly on either the floor or over furniture. Lamp bases may be of any size and is usually proportional to the size of the entire lamp. They are made out of many different materials such as wood, metal, marble, glass and even plastic.

The vase or the stand is the portion of the lamp over the base. Stands are available in many different shapes and sizes. From stands shaped like ballerinas and teddy bears to stands that branch out like a chandelier on a stand, the options that these come in are innumerable. Like the base of the lamp, lamp stands are made out of many materials such as wood, metal, ceramic, plaster of paris, marble, glass, plastic and crystal.

Lampshades are the most attractive parts of any lamp. They are designed specifically to look elegant and disperse light evenly around a given area. Designers of lampshades have become so innovative that you can get lamp shades in the most extravagant and beautiful shapes and designs. Lampshades come in a wide range of colors, sizes, fabrics and shapes. Lamp shades are also made out of many materials such as paper, bamboo, plastic, metal, glass, crystal and fabric. Most of the other parts of the lamp like harp, neck, vase cap and finial are not necessarily a part of more modern lamps such as metal lamps, which usually come with a metal lamp shade that is fitted on a stand.

Lamps make beautiful yet practical accessories to most of our homes. Whether you pay a few score dollars for them or a few hundred dollars for them, they are mostly made of the same basic features. You will mostly be paying for the way it looks and the materials used in manufacturing the aesthetic aspects of the lamp. Based on what your needs are, choose a lamp that will suit you and your home.

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Lighted Mirror

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You use the mirror every day, and not only for your daily toilet. Most people use it more than just a couple of times a day, and most women carry around a compact mirror with them all the time. With all this usage, most of us do not think of the kind of mirror that we need. Obviously the size of the mirror is what is the first and sometimes the only thing that everyone thinks of.

The size of the mirror is important because depending on what your use would be you need different sizes. For example the mirror in your bathroom is only meant for basic toilet and therefore does not need to be too big. An average sized one maybe a foot or two in size is more than enough. The mirror outside your bathroom needs to be bigger. This is because this is where you will be doing all your dressing. The mirror therefore needs to be a full length one, and possibly be a paneled one so that you can get even a side view.

This information is not new and most people would already have one, but not all of them would have a lighted mirror. Most people would have some form of light above their dressing mirror by default, but most times this is not enough. How many times have you found that the make up on one side is slightly different from the other side, or that you had never noticed the slight bags under your eyes. Even men do not shave fully well simply because the light that is installed is above the mirror, and however bright it is, the light is going to throw a shadow downward and the bottom half of your face will not be lit as well.

Having a light alongside is a very good option, and many people actually do this. They install small wall sconces on either side of the mirror to provide good light. A simpler way would be to get lighted mirrors. These mirrors come with lights installed on either side of them and you get them with almost all the different kinds of mirrors that you have. These lights are covered with a milky white shade so that you get bright light, while still not being bright enough to glare your eyes.

One of the coolest things about the lighted mirrors is that you not only get them with the larger mirrors, you also get them for smaller ones. You therefore have lights for full length mirrors, as well as for the smallest compact mirrors. They usually encircle the mirror and have a switch so that they come on automatically when you open it and then shut off when you close it. Not only is this very cool, it is also very useful when you want to touch something up in your face and you don’t have bright enough light to do it properly.

Depending on the size of the mirror that you get and the size of the battery some of them are actually quite bright. And worst comes to the worst, they can be used as a torch for those times when you are stuck in the dark and do not have one with you.

Even the normal lighted mirror in your home is a better option, especially the cabinet ones. They can be installed in your bathroom because you may not necessarily have very bright lights there and you will need a good light at least in front of the mirror. The additional expense is more than compensated by the light facility that you get alongside your mirror.

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Swag Lamps

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A swag lamp is one that hangs down from the ceiling with two hooks with a little swag in between. It is one of the simplest and oldest forms of lighting in the home and is also one of the cheapest. The swag in the middle does not serve any useful purpose and is there just for show.

Most swag lamps usually come with plastic shades and are therefore very cheap. You may occasionally come across ones with glass or other kinds but they are not only very uncommon, it is difficult to find a replacement if yours breaks. Most swag lamps come with cloth or other fiber shades that will not only wear well, but also look nice. Of course if you want to go in for the really expensive ones, you can get really impressive ones but then you will also have to pay a lot more for them.

Swag lamps can be of any size, starting from the small one light ones to bigger three or five light ones. The only difference between a swag lamp and a pendant lamp is that the pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling from just one hook while a swag lamp hangs from two hooks. Both hooks are attached to the ceiling with a little bit of swag in-between them. This gives your lamp a very unique look, something that no other kind of lamp can give you. In fact if you have a long enough chain, you can let it hang down the side of the wall for a certain distance giving it an even better look.

A swag lamp can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. In fact you can even hang mini chandeliers from a chain and put a swag in-between to make it a swag chandelier, a really cool idea. It is not everyone’s cup of tea of course, but in certain settings a swag lamp is the best that you can get.

These lamps can pretty much be used in any setting and in any room and it only depends on the kind of lamp that you are going to use. For example if you want a really big light for your living room you could go with a large lamp that has up to five lights in it. This will ensure an even spread of light throughout the room while still giving you a very nice light. Even if you get a simple one with a simple shade…that may not look all that spectacular if you had just hung it from your ceiling… when you use the swag to hang it the entire picture changes. The lamp includes the swag too, and if you do a good job of it even the simplest ones will look nice. Most importantly they will also cost less than if you had gone in for a more impressive one.

You can pretty much install a swag lamp wherever you want and there is no rules on where or how you need to do it. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is if it will suit the overall look of your room. For example, if you want to add a swag lamp in your living room, then just get tassels to hang from the curtains so that they will complement the chain that is hanging from the ceiling. Just putting one in the middle of the room will not look nice and in some cases will actually turn out quite bad. Most swag lamps are best when they are installed in one side so that the chain hangs against the wall. If you include a few horizontal decorative elements somewhere near your entire room will have a different look just because of a lamp.

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Garden Light

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A garden light, or garden lights is something that all of us wish to have. Some of us who are lucky enough to have a garden, or at least a yard can have at least a couple that we like, while a number of us who live in apartments cannot do so.

There is nothing special in a garden light. Any light that you want to use in your garden becomes one. The most commonly found lights in the garden are the pole lanterns simply because they are the best looking of the lot. You get them separately or as a unit with the pole. The height differs and you can get short knee height ones or you can get much bigger above head height ones.

Obviously it is going to cost you quite a bit to get them installed. First comes the cost of the lights that you are going to get in and then comes the installation plus some of them actually require that you embed them in concrete. Last comes the wiring and this is even more of a headache if you want to conceal it. But at the end of it all, you will have something that you can be really proud of. Imagine having lights in a row along the hedges around your garden, or having a few lamps dotting different places in the garden next to benches where you can sit.

You don’t have to get a landscaper to come and do your garden, you just make use of what you have and install lights so that they look nice. Even a simple log placed on the ground will look really amazing if you put in a tiki light next to it. If you have wrought iron Victorian style garden chairs and table, you could go with a high post lantern that sways gently in the breeze.

If you have an alcove somewhere in your garden, putting knee height pathway lights along the periphery if it is round, or in the four corners if it is not, will give it an enchanting look. Even a simple arch created with bougainvilleas will look like an arbor when you place a light strategically close to it. It should be close enough to bring out the color of the flowers, but far enough away to give those who want privacy there.

Everyone will have some idea of what they want to do, but the only problem is the expense. Even if they can get the lamps, the installation costs will very often be more than the cost of the lights, and most people will drop it because of this. The good news is that there are solar powered garden lights that are available and all they require is that you keep them where they get sunlight throughout the day. They are also not too expensive and cost just about the same as any other similar garden light. The convenience of these things is really tremendous and even the pathway lights require that you just plant them in the ground; no concrete or anything.

The advantage of using solar garden lights is that you can pretty much calculate the cost only based on the price for the materials. There is no installation cost to speak of and as long as you are ok with the cost of the light, that is all you have to think of. You even get fountains and bird baths that are solar powered, and they also come lit in different colors. The quality of the piece depends on the amount of money that you pay for it. The cheaper ones will work just as well, but will have cheaper quality plastic which looks tacky.

The best thing to do therefore is to go online and look up different pictures of garden lights. You will find pictures that people have posted and some of them are really quite imaginative. This will give you an idea of what to do with your garden after which you can decide whether you want to go with the solar ones or the normal ones.

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Decking Lights

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Why do you need Decking Lights?

One of the high-points of having an outdoor deck is relaxing there in the evening or in the early night. When the weather is pleasant, just sitting back in a deck chair and looking up at nothing but the sky will not only relieve stress, but will also reduce eye strain. Obviously you cannot sit in the dark and you need some light there. If you have conventional wall mounted lights that will light up the deck, you will be defeating the purpose of having a deck because the light will just be shining down into your eyes. Installing decking lights will give just the right amount of light so that you can still see clearly, yet not find them glaring to the eyes.

What are the kinds of lights that I can use?

Decking lights come in very many different shapes and depending on the kind of lighting you want, you can choose the lights. Most of them will be floor mounted, but you get masked and open ones, as well as stairway lights to light up the stairs. The most common are the sunken ones, because they are the most convenient to install on a deck, but if you have a little imagination you can pretty much install any kind of lighting you wish.

Where do I get them?

Decking lights are very easily available in most lighting stores. If you want a wider range to choose from than what the store has, you can always look online. There are a number of places where you can browse either by type or by manufacturer and you can do it from home.

Do they cost a lot?

While not being too expensive, good quality decking lights are still quite expensive. You must remember that if you are going to install them directly on the floor, they should be weather proof, meaning that they should be able to take the heat from the sun, the rain and the cold, and still work. The glass on top also has to be thick enough that if you stand on them by mistake, they should not break. This results in them being on the expensive side. Of course you do get cheaper ones, but these are not as good quality, and will not last you as long as the good ones. If you are willing to pay anywhere more than $50 to $80 per light, you should get reasonably good ones, although there are ones that can cost in the hundreds too.

How do I install decking lights as cheaply as possible?

It is better to go with the good quality ones than the cheap ones because if they conk off, you will have to keep replacing the lights. Most manufacturers will say that their product will last a long time but this is only marketing drivel. Check the wires to see their quality, as well as the material of the glass and the reflectors. Better ones will obviously be better. If you find a cheaper one that you feel is as good then take it.

Another good way is to install solar powered ones. They are not too expensive and cost just as much as a normal one would, but you do not have the trouble of installing the wires etc. which brings down the installation cost. If you are willing to get your hands dirty, you can do it yourself. Although the cheaper ones may not necessarily be the kind of quality product that you are looking for, they have pieces ranging from a low $15 or $20 going up.

Going with solar lights also gives you more options in that you can think of installing other kinds of lights other than the usual floor mounted ones. Check online to see the different ones that are available so that you have an idea of what would look good for your deck.

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Tiki Torch

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A tiki torch is an oil fired lamp that is mounted on its own stand so that you can pretty much install it anywhere you want. Since they are oil fired lamps they are usually only installed outdoors, but if the room is well ventilated, you can even use them indoors. These lamps are becoming very common accessories in hotels and other places where a certain ambiance is desired. Because they are available in a wide range of costs, they are also being used as lighting accessories for parties and such gatherings even at home.

A tiki torch in its most basic form is just a long stake that is about 5 ft. to about 6.5 ft. in height with an oil lamp on top. How this torch came to acquire this name is not known except that maybe because this torch has its origins in Polynesia, it came to be associated with the Von Tiki expedition. This is not fact however and only conjecture. The earliest tiki torches were used by a WWII veteran who served in the Pacific area and thus came into contact with these torches. He thought that it was a great idea to use them when he opened up his own hotel and restaurant. Although it became a hit immediately the use of these torches was not very widespread simply because if you wanted one, you had to make it yourself. There were not too many lighting manufacturers who made these lights.

It is only lately that manufacturers have been bringing tiki torches out and nowadays there is pretty much no design that you will not get. Their original problem with them being oil fired remains, but then this is one of the charms of the torch. If not it would probably be called tiki light. For those who want a slightly different version of the same thing, you also get gas fired ones. These lamps obviously do not look the same as the original oil fired one simply because a gas powered flame cannot mimic an oil fired one and each looks very different.

There is no reason for a tiki lamp these days other than for purely cosmetic reasons for your home. It makes the whole place look nice, and even if it is not something that you can use on a daily basis, it looks very nice if you are having a party, especially if you have a large garden. You can get these lamps from a low $30 each and go up to more than a couple of hundred dollars depending on the kind that you want. Once you get them, there is no installation as such. You just plant them in the ground and that’s it. The only problem is the oil that you use in them.

There are a number of combustible liquids that you can use in these lamps starting with kerosene. The only problem is that the use of kerosene is not recommended (obviously when the manufacturers are selling high “tech” oils for $30 or $40 a gallon, you can get kerosene for less than $5) by the makers of the lamp. The use of kerosene does not damage the lamp as such except for the formation of soot and smoke. Kerosene emits a lot of smoke and if you are sitting downwind of the lamp, you may not be comfortable with it. Other more technologically advanced oils are sold for higher prices, and some of them come like the citronella ones actually keep bugs away.

A tiki torch is a very different accessory to have at home. This lamp is usually not found anywhere other than in hotels and, even if you get a couple of the less expensive ones; this lamp makes a great impact. If you have parties frequently they add a nice atmosphere and, because they are mobile, you can pretty much arrange them in any way that you want to.

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Candle Wall Sconces

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Technically a sconce is the fixture that holds the light and it refers only to the fixtures on the walls not on the ceilings or on the floor. It comes from the time when people stuck fire brands into brackets or sconces in the wall for light.

Usually sconces are associated with electric lights although you do get other kinds of sconces, candle wall sconces being one of them. I know it seems a little odd for you to have a sconce to hold a candle but to be honest no one is looking at necessity here. If you are looking for a really classy look while having candles lit in your place you are not going to achieve it without the use of these sconces.

Many people will want to put candles on their walls, especially if they are having a party at home because they would have seen it in movies or magazines. It is actually very nice and you will be able to create a wonderful display that people will stand and look at, even more so than if you had spent a lot of money on a painting or some such. The only problem is that candles do not stay on the walls all by themselves, you will have to place them on a stand and this is where candle wall sconces come in.

Manufacturers also know that their products are not purchased because they are functional but because they look nice and are suitable for accessorizing homes. They therefore bring out a number of designs starting from simple ones that are little more than a stand that is screwed into the wall to really elaborate ones that can hold up to 8 or more candles. What you want to go with is really up to you and it all depends on what kind of a look you are working towards. If you want one entire wall covered it would be better to go with the individual ones because they can be spread out. You can even create an image out of it and it will look all the better.

If on the other hand you are just interested in filling up one bare spot on the wall a bigger one would be good. You don’t have to go for the enormous ones, you get two and three candle holders too. You also get intricately carved sconces that have only one candle but occupy a lot of space.

Apart from as an accessory, you can even use them to keep your candle along with matches if you use candles for emergencies. Although there are a number of battery powered emergency lanterns that are available, what with 24×7 power supply they are just a waste of money. Having a candle is a better option and keeping it on a sconce is a good idea because it will be out of your way and you will not throw the candle out by mistake too. All candle wall sconces come with a small nail at the bottom so that you can stick your candle into it. This will hold the candle in place and you need not have any fear of a lit candle toppling over and pouring hot wax on someone’s head.

Price wise these sconces come in all ranges starting from around $20 or $30 up to a few hundred dollars. The more elaborate and larger the design the more expensive it is. If you want to get one but do not want to spend so much you can try online stores. Many of them offer discounted prices and if you wait for a sale you can pick up a couple really cheap.

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Lighting Shop

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Once you move into your home it is very rarely that you think of making a change in the lighting system in your home. This does not mean that you will not make any changes at all. If you did not have a chandelier in the beginning you may like to get one installed, or you could get a floor lamp if your tastes run that way.

Some people do not plan ahead about what they want to get. They just get whatever catches their eye when they go out shopping. Others know exactly what they want and look around until they find something. It all depends on your innate nature. However you are it is still a good idea to visit a lighting shop if you want to get any lighting material rather than just go get something from your local departmental store.

The department store may be much bigger and may have a number of things, but as lighting systems go they will not have what you are looking for. This is because the people who manage the store will not know anything about the lighting systems on display except what their margins are for each product. You will therefore only find things that will be the most profitable for them there. A lighting shop, on the other hand, will give you a whole range of choices, often more even than the largest departmental store because that is what they do. Obviously the bigger the shop the more on display but finding a more popular one means that you will get more up to date and current designs than a place that does not have as much activity and a bigger shop does not necessarily mean a place with more activity.

A lighting shop is a much better place to get your lighting requirements for two reasons; the first will obviously be that they will be better stocked. The second is that even if they don’t have what you are looking for, many of them will help you out to get what you want. Most of these shops will be owned and run by the owner himself, and many of them will even show you brochures from different manufacturers so that if you do find what you need there, they will get it for you.

Another very important thing about going to a lighting shop is that the owner will know about his stuff and will be able to help you when it comes to installing your purchase. Sales persons in large stores do not necessarily have this knowledge because there is always a large turnover of personnel there and there is no training given to new employees. A lighting shop, however, always has the owner at hand who will know about all things electrical and can help you with what needs to be done. For example if you are getting a new wall mounted sconce that costs you $50, why would you want to pay 10 times this amount to an electrician just to get it installed. If it is not too complicated you can do it yourself and this is where advice from the owner will come in useful.

Last but not the least most departmental stores have a one price policy. You pay what is printed on it. On the other hand if you go to a lighting store there is every possibility that you can get a discount on your purchase. This is especially true if you frequent the same place, most owners will give you something off simply because you are a regular customer while this never happens in a larger store.

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Solar Fountain

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A solar fountain is very obviously a fountain that runs on solar power. Many people like to have a small fountain in their homes because it looks really nice and there are different designs to suit different tastes.

If you are looking for a small fountain to keep inside your home as a sort of decorative item, it is a very good idea and the sound of the water trickling or falling down is very soothing, especially after a hard day’s work. It is better to go with the electrically powered ones for this because they are much cheaper and you will not have any problem with regards to power source.

If you want one in your garden it is a totally different matter. You will have to build one in the size you want or get one pre-made. Either way it is going to be an expensive matter. If you are alright with a small one, you will still have to pull wires to where you want to keep it which means that by default it will be close to your house. The further away you go the bigger headache it will be to get the wires out to it.

The solar fountain is a very good alternative in this case. They are powered by the sun and therefore do not require any wires. The only problem though is that you can get a small cascading waterfall a couple of feet high or a fountain cum bird bath. You will not get a fountain per say because solar power technology has not progressed to such an extent that it will create jets of water that high. The maximum that you can expect is a couple of feet which is why it is good as a bird bath or as a small cascade.

The whole thing is just one unit and you plant it wherever you want it and that’s all there is to it. Many fountains come with the solar panels integrated with them which means that you just have to make sure that the panels are positioned in a way that they get the maximum sunlight throughout the day. There are others where the panels are remote and are attached to the fountain with a chord that can be up to six feet long. This is actually a good idea because you can keep the fountain in any position that you want and make sure that the panel is getting enough sunlight at the same time.

The only problem with this of course is that they tend to run only during the day because once it grows dark, the fountain loses its power source. This problem is not insurmountable and you get battery packs that you can attach to the fountain. The panels charge the batteries during the day and the battery operates the fountain when it is dark. In most cases if you are going for a solar fountain it would be a good idea to get a battery pack too because most often you will actually come out to enjoy your fountain only in the evenings and you wouldn’t want to curse yourself for a stupid idea because whenever you see it, it is not working. In fact if you also get a solar lamp to go with it so that you can light up the fountain in the evenings you are all set.

Price wise these fountains are not exactly very cheap. Most of them come between the $150 and $250 range with a few lesser and many more than this. If you have the money however it is a good idea because once you install it, there is no maintenance required and as long as you get the good quality ones, they will last you a number of years. In fact the only thing that needs to be replaced would probably be the battery.

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Table Lamp Lighting

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Most people, when they think of lighting systems think of ceiling or wall sconces for their homes. There is nothing wrong with that; it is a very effective system of lighting the home and is probably the cheapest as well.

The only problem is that most of us have this ‘ceiling light with one or two wall fixtures’ so firmly ingrained into our minds that even when we have the money to do something different we stick to the same system but go in for a more expensive lamp. For example if you had $200 to spend on a room you would probably go with one ceiling light and one, or maybe, two wall sconces. If you had $500 you would do the same except that the ceiling light will be either a simple chandelier or a very nice semi-flush or pendant light while the wall sconces will be good quality ones. If you had a couple of thousand dollars to spend you would go in for a really elaborate chandelier with concealed lights at a few other strategic locations and maybe a candelabra or table lamps.

The only problem is that ceiling lights are good for only one thing and that is providing good overall light. Even the most elaborate of chandeliers have to be a light first and a design element second. This is good when you want the room lit well generally. This is not always necessary as unless you are going to read or work there is really no reason for bright light. This means that you can cut out the ceiling light from places like your living room since you will not be working there anyway.

If you want your living room to look really nice you need to go with table lamp lighting. Table lamps have been used for centuries and are still being used because they are very good at what they do, keep the overall lighting at a comfortable level while still giving you good light in certain places. This is possible because of the shape of the shade. Most table lamps have a shade that tends to focus the light downwards. This means that except for the area immediately below and around the table lamp the rest of the room will get diffused lights. If you keep them on a low stool what happens is that the entire room gets a warm yellow diffused light while the floor is still lit well. Obviously one is not enough for a room and there needs to be a minimum of two. These two need not be kept at the same level and you can have one at shoulder light, like on a mantelpiece while the other can be on your coffee table. The higher one will give you a little more light but will be far enough away from your seating area to give you the same general effect.

If you are going with table lamp lighting there are any number of things that you can do and this is just one option. If you want better light go for something that has a shade made of linen or a shade that is open at the top. If you want lesser light go with a heaver shade or maybe even a slag or a tiffany lamp. The kind of lamp you use and the effect created is very different depending on where you keep these lights. For instance you can put in a slag lamp on your mantle piece while going for one with a cloth shade for your coffee table lamp. This is just practical, if you put it the other way round there is every chance of someone knocking over your lovely lamp and shattering the shade. You can even install a small crystal curio or small candelabra under your slag lamp and it will look like you are highlighting it. Just imagine how you want your room to be and then go out and get your lights.

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Outdoor Ceiling Lights

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If you are looking for outdoor ceiling lights there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. Since it is a ceiling light you do not have to get an outdoor light at all and can make do with an internal light fixture if you like it better. Outdoor lights tend to be a little simplistic while you may want to have a three arm chandelier. Since it is going to be protected from the weather there is not too much of a problem with doing this.

Where outdoor lights are better than indoor ones is with the light output. They are designed knowing that if they had the same output as indoor lighting systems they really wouldn’t work. For example a simple outdoor pendant light that costs you $50 will have up to three bulbs inside because you need brighter light outside. Because the inside of the home has walls which reflect the light a lower wattage light is more than sufficient; this is however not an option for the outside.

Most people look for outdoor ceiling lights for only one reason and that is to light up the place outside their front door. Every other outside light will either be wall fixtures or lights that are placed outside in the garden. The kind of light obviously has a lot to do with what you want here. For example if you are looking to impress your visitors then a simple ceiling light would really not do. You could go with a simple chandelier or an elaborate three or five arm semi flush ceiling light to give you the desired effect. If on the other hand you want something more subdued and understated, you could either go with a flush mounted or semi-flush ceiling light that is elegantly but expensively designed. Although the light output would not be high – it will spoil the effect, you could install a couple of wall sconces on either side of your door sill or on the lintel and you will have something that is both effective yet very fashionable.

What you do with the light is more important than what kind of light you get. For example you could go with lights incorporated into ceiling fans if you live in hot climates so that people who come to your home will feel a cool draft of air even before they step inside. If you want to be a little different from others you can get a solar powered spotlight and mount it high on your ceiling. You get a 6 foot chord that connects the light and the solar panels so that you can install the panel outside where it will catch the sun and install the light inside. Solar lamps are not too powerful and will be just right for you and since they have the auto on function you don’t even have to bother about switching them on. They will come on as soon as it gets dark and if you are the sort who comes home to a dark house you may want to consider this.

Most outdoor ceiling lights tend to be flush ones and are simple yet nice to look at. They are also a little on the expensive side because you can get a much better looking indoor light for the same price. If you are looking for more options than your local store has or for a good deal so that you can get more than one light, the Internet is your best option. You can look up all the different lights there are and even purchase online if you are not averse to doing so. You need to be wary of scammers though and it is better to stick with the known online stores even if they do not offer as much of a discount as other places.

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Quoizel Lighting

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Quoizel Lighting is a lighting system manufacturer who is located in Charleston SC, US and offers unique lighting systems for sale in the country. Quoizel was set up in the 1930s as a small family owned business and has grown exponentially since then to have a pan American presence now.

As a company Quoizel is not very large and although they sell their products throughout the country they dominate the Charleston and the Greater New York areas. For the rest of the country they sell their lighting products online through several of their dealers and through a number of other lighting stores. They do not sell directly as a factory outlet and if you want to get anything directly from them it is going to be a tough task. Just like most other lighting system manufacturers they have an online presence but do not sell directly.

Quoizel is a very traditional lighting system manufacturer and all their products give you a feeling of the good old days while still incorporating new technologies in them. Almost all designs are old fashioned and there is nothing radically different in their products. The only thing that sets them apart is that they are reasonably priced. You will get designs that many other large manufacturers charge much more for at a cheaper price and at the same quality too. In fact this is one of their defining characters as a company, which they give their customers the best deals that they can.

This does not mean that they are a low end lighting manufacturer. Quoizel is a very well-known brand and sell everything starting from simple ceiling and wall fixtures to large elaborate chandeliers. You could call them an economy brand while all other manufacturers try to get into the luxury market. This is probably the reason for their success because they concentrate on the average man and not just the well-heeled. If you take a look at their chandeliers you will not be able to find any difference from another from a large branded company for which you may have paid much, much more.

If you are the sort who wants large ostentatious fixtures then it is a little pointless coming to Quoizel lighting because they will not have what you are looking for. Their design theme seems to be that simple is more beautiful and if you look at their products you will realize that it is actually very true. All their lighting fixtures are simple, functional and have just the right amount of decoration in them. A simple understated look is what you will achieve with their products. Even their chandeliers are much simpler than others and although you do find large chandeliers with them they are all classical in design.

If you take a look online at Quoizel products you will find that they are not as expensive as similarly designed products from other manufacturers. While most other companies have very few designs below the $200 mark Quoizel has a number. You even find fixtures that cost lesser than $100 and there is no difference in the quality of their products from the more expensive ones either. Their designs are simple and meant for the common man, not for designers who will go for the most expensive ones to justify their commission.

Quoizel has made a name for itself as a lighting manufacturer that gives you good quality products at an affordable rate. You may not find a sales person who fawn all over you when you visit their showroom but you will find knowledgeable people who will help you find something that is good for you. Try them and see; you may not want to go elsewhere at all.

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Reception Desks

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A reception desk is obviously not meant for homes but for offices and such places. Although the new age design theme tends to deviate a lot from convention, a reception area is still an essential and having a desk is imperative. This is because the reception area is the first place anyone will see and this is what makes the first impression.

Companies go to a lot of effort to find a receptionist who will make a good impression and the reception desk also has to be as good if you want to make a hit right from the beginning. The desk has to be impressive looking because that is what it is meant to do; impress others, but it also has to be functional because the receptionist is also invariably also a customer service person and needs a lot of information at his or her fingertips to be able to help customers. This necessitates a work desk which is often, but not always, very clean and tidy.

Designers have solved this by having two tops for the same desk. Most reception desks will have a table top at a comfortable height for the person sitting behind the desk, while there will be a higher counter at elbow height where customers can lean on their elbows. This also forms an effective screen so that people on the other side of the desk will not be able to view what is going on behind the desk.

This is very useful when you are dealing with irate customers who will claim a lot that you don’t want to give them. In hotels there are people who will create a scene simply because they feel that doing so will get them an upgrade. The desk also has to be very imposing although the size of the desk depends more on the size of the room and the décor. For example there are some places that will go for the “large is better” theme and get a really imposing piece of furniture. Others will go with a simplistic theme and get a simple, yet elegant and good quality desk.

The shape of the reception desk is also up to you. There are simple single desks or the usual L shaped ones. These desks are probably the most common because they can be shoved up against the corner effectively making it into a small alcove and giving space for a minimum of two receptionists there. There are also larger U shaped ones for those who want to keep the reception desk in the middle of the room as well as a hemispherical shaped desk. What kind of desk you choose depends more on the rest of the room and however simple or imposing the desk is it should complement the décor not create a jarring effect.

You would be surprised at the prices at which these desks come in. most reception desks are made of plywood, or some similar material, and are therefore not too expensive. The wooden ones are very expensive, but you also have a number of limitations on the size as well as the designs that you get them in. There are really large U shaped desks that you can get for between $700 and $900 while you can get simpler ones for less than $400. In fact if you are open to getting it assembled at your place of work, you can even purchase it online and avail yourself of a number of discounts that you get for purchasing on the Internet. Even if you don’t want to buy it online it is a good place to do your window shopping.

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Candle Lanterns

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Candle lanterns are a very old invention. In fact very soon after the invention of fire and lamps that could burn with oil the lantern was invented. The lantern is nothing but a casing on the outside of a flame that kept the wind from blowing it out. In fact the earliest lanterns did not even have glass but metal hoops around. This kept the heat within and broke the force of the wind or breeze enough so that the flame did not get blown out.

After the invention of glass it was incorporated into these lanterns. This was very convenient because it reduced even the gutting of the flame when it flickered in the breeze. This basic design has lasted to this day with just a few variations along the way.

Most lanterns were oil lanterns because candles just did not give off enough light to be worth having outside. There was however a few designs that were used as early torches that could be taken around with you. Oil spilled when you carried them and candles were better if you were taking the lantern around with you. These lanterns were used until the early 1920s when electricity started spreading all over the globe.

The use of candles and lanterns started declining slowly after that although even now they are used in some developing countries in rural areas where electricity has not reached. Nowadays candles are not even used as emergency lanterns, what with battery powered ones available widely. The only reason that the candle has not died out completely is because it is still used in religious ceremonies everywhere and because they are still preferred by people to set mood lighting.

Nowadays perfumed candles are available for this reason. Many people use candle light if they want to create a closed intimate atmosphere and having a perfumed one is much better than a plain one. Of course you still have the problem of the flame flickering and getting blown out if you want to create this setting outdoors and this is where the candle lantern comes in.

Because these lanterns are not meant for functional use but as an accessory, you very rarely get just plain ones. Most of them are well designed and of good quality. Obviously there is not much in a candle lantern other than a metal casing with glass but if you are looking for a cheap one it will take you some looking. Many of these lanterns are priced above $100 and you would think that you were getting a table lamp if you look at the prices on some of these things.

You could try getting them online and there are a number of stores that sell them. They claim to give you a discount of more than 20% over what the stores charge you, but you will have to do some background checking to verify this claim. Many of these stores however do sell you stuff at a cheaper rate and even if it is just the sales tax that is not applicable you still come out ahead. Another thing that the Internet is good for is to check all the different designs that are available out there. Most stores will carry only a very small collection because they will have limited display space while this is not a problem for online stores.

A candle lantern is not really a necessity, but if you come across something that is sold somewhere at a rate that you consider is a good deal then it might be a good idea to get one. After all not every purchase that you make is made only because you need them and a candle lantern will look really nice in your home when you have visitors over.

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Lighting Universe

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Lighting Universe is one of the most well-known of all lighting systems sellers. They are not the manufacturers of these systems; they are an online store that stocks products from a number of different manufacturers, both name brands and others. They advertise saying that they have over three million products to choose from and sell through more than 500 partner websites.

Lighting Universe is a one stop shop for all your lighting needs. It is a large well known organization and they have a pan American presence. They are also very well-known which means that there is no danger of you getting involved in an online scam where people promise you a cut rate price and not send you anything after you have sent them the money.

They also offer a guarantee of the lowest price anywhere, which means that you are sure that you are not getting ripped off. Plus they ship free on any purchase of $49 or above which is pretty decent. There are a number of other stores that will not offer free shipping at all although they will tell you that this is because they sell you the product at almost a nil markup which is obviously just so much drivel meant to fool the unwary.

Lighting Universe has actually removed the pain in purchasing lighting systems. You just sit at your computer and browse through all their products and even if you don’t want to purchase anything at that time but want to mark it down for future purchase you can create an ID and add that item to your favorites where it will be sitting when you come round to purchasing it. This may seem like a not so great idea until you realize that there are more than 3,000,000 products to choose from and it is going to be a tough ask for you to remember exactly where you saw the item that you liked.

They also offer to sell you everything without any sales tax at all. The only provision is that this does not apply to residents in Washington state; anywhere else in the country and you get everything already at 10% off or more because of the lack of sales tax. Added to this the discount that most manufacturers give when they sell online and you can get yourself a really good deal with them.

Apart from all this their website also gives you additional features like a project manager that will help you design a lighting project for your home. It is also easily integrated into any other application and can be saved and printed out so that you can use it as a reference when you commence it. They also have separate managers for large scale buyers and give custom quotes based on your requirement. You also have the default contests and prizes that they give away.

You can connect to them via Facebook and twitter as well as their website. Even if you don’t want to put up your photo on their website as they request you to do it is a great place for you to post a picture of a room that you have designed yourself that has great furniture and fixtures. Who knows you may get a fan following yourself.

The best part of Lighting Universe is that they have a very good return policy. There are no hassles and there is not a single dissatisfied customer in the country considering that there has been no complaint of bad customer service from them. They make sure that your shopping experience is as enjoyable as possible so that you not only return to them again and again; you will also tell your friends to visit them.

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Lighting Direct

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Lighting systems are expensive, especially if you are looking for the nicer ones. Of course you can get the cheap unbranded ones but these are not of good quality and will not last as long as the good ones. Getting your lighting direct from the manufacturer is a good option because you can get it cheaper except for the fact that a number of manufacturers do not have their own websites at all.

For example Murray Feiss for all their name in the industry do not have their own website and do not sell online except through online stores, while at the same time Hinkley and Elk lighting have their own websites, take queries from customers but do not sell directly. When you are looking to buy directly from the manufacturer this poses a problem except if maybe you live in the same town where the manufacturer is located.

Of course you have many online stores that claim to sell at the lowest prices anywhere and sometimes this claim is true and sometimes it is not. Even when you find a store that quotes a lower price, there are no guarantees that it is a genuine online store or nothing but a scam to get your credit card details. There seems to be no option other than to go to a lighting dealer and get something even though you know that you will be paying up to 50% more for it.

There are however a few things that you can do. Like I already said, a few manufacturers do have an online presence and do accept retail orders; you just have to find them. This is especially true if the sale is a large one. If for example you are looking for a really nice chandelier you will probably have to pay up to $1500 or more to get something that is really impressive. Even if you get a 10% discount on the store price you will be saving yourself $150 and very often the discount will be more. This is because the store that stocks and sells the merchandise will be taking a minimum of 20% and sometimes even more as their cut for displaying the products. If the store is in a more upscale area the cut is even more.

Another thing that you can do to get lighting direct is to go to stores website. Most of them have websites where they accept retail orders and many of them actually quote a lower price than even the official lighting seller for the manufacturer will if you approach them directly. For example you may find out that the official seller is willing to sell you a $1500 chandelier for $1350 online but you will find stores willing to sell it to you for cheaper and by quite a bit. The only problem is to do a little digging and find the best place. Don’t always go with the cheapest quote because it is quite possible that what you see is not what you will get. If you find a good place search in various forums to find out how genuine they are, and if you do find that they are genuine go back and leave your feedback to help others like you who are looking to buy lighting direct from wholesalers.

The amount of discount you get by doing this is huge and there are instances where you will get up to a $100 off on something that costs $400 in stores. Imagine your savings if you are looking for a really expensive lamp then. Just be a little careful and do a lot of digging around because along with the good, there are plenty of the bad too. You just have to segregate them.

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Candle Lantern

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A candle lantern is a lantern that is powered by candle light. These lamps are old fashioned, so old fashioned that they belong to four or five generations before our current state in lighting. We are currently in the high discharge and LED lamp generation, before this came about it was the incandescent bulb and before that the gas lamp. The oil lamp came before this and the candle lantern comes before all of that.

This does not mean that they were not in use. They were widely used till nearly a century ago and were displaced only after the widespread arrival of electricity. In fact even now you will find them as curios and as emergency lanterns although they are more used for show than anything else now.

Candle light has always had a fascination for man. This is really surprising because he has tried so hard to develop newer lighting systems that are not only brighter but are more efficient and not so damaging to a person’s health. Even with all this candles are still being made and sold and even now if you say “romantic” there will be a candle somewhere in the picture. If you watch a movie where the hero wants to impress the heroin with a romantic dinner, he will have all sorts of colored lights and fireworks displays put up for her, but the place of honor belongs to the candle that is placed on the table top.

This is so not only in the fictional life of movies but also in real life. Whatever technology you use it is the humble candle that is the best setting if you want a really intimate atmosphere. Midnight services are usually candle lit services and the passing away of a widely respected person is mourned using candles.

If the use of candles is so widespread then so should be a candle lantern, although this is not true. Not many people use a candle lantern, preferring to hold it in their hand with the other cupped around the flame to protect it from the wind. Imagine you standing outside on a cold wintry morning for a New Year’s service with the wind blowing. Everyone will be hunched over with their backs to the wind not so much because they are feeling cold but because they don’t want their candles to go out. Then imagine you standing erect in the middle of this group because you have a candle lantern into which you have kept yours with no worry about wind or even rain.

Also imagine if you want to give a candle lit dinner to a loved person. You really don’t have much of a choice about the location that you choose because it has to be indoors. Even if there is no wind, a sudden gust of wind will put out the candle if you are outside. On the other hand having a candle lantern means you can pretty much have a dinner in gale force winds if you feel like it.

These lanterns are also very useful as emergency lanterns. In these days of electricity you may think that candles are not needed but they can come in handy should the electricity fail. Admittedly, battery operated torches or emergency lanterns are probably a better idea but candles can be much more enjoyable and can add a little fun to an undesired event. It can also give a family the opportunity to sit around the candle and just chit chat which is a nice change from watching TV will do so much to bring you all together. Of course you may not need a lantern for this which means that you will have to go groping in the dark for a candle that you last saw somewhere a few months back. A candle lantern on the other hand can be kept anywhere near at hand and will be just something for show until use for it comes up.

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ELK Lighting

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Elk lighting is actually not Elk but ELK, short for Ebenstein, Lesko and King, the three founding fathers so to speak of the company. They are based in Pennsylvania and were established in 1983. Within such a short time however they have managed to establish a name for themselves among a host of other lighting system manufacturers and the fact that they have grown so quickly so fast is a testament to the quality of both the design and the manufacture of their products.

They have showrooms not only in the US, but also in Europe and Asia, and their website says that they were finalists in the 21st annual arts awards. It also says that they are the preferred lighting system providers for a few of the royal houses in England. If this background is not sufficient we can proceed to the products that Elk lighting provides.

As a lighting system manufacturer Elk is a very new company. Most of the other well-known brands are nearly a century old and have a tradition of good design behind them. Elk, because it is new, tends to lean towards radical designs although you do get the traditional and old fashioned designs too. There is nothing really different in these designs and most of them are very similar to very many that you find in other companies too.

Where Elk is different is that they come out with radical new designs that are very different from other designs found in any other lighting system manufacturer. You get wall sconces shaped like twigs and chandeliers shaped like branches. You get pendant lamps like a half open flower and ceiling lights that look like decorations. Yes they do come out with the more normal designs but if you are going for Elk lighting then why would you spend so much money getting something that you can get cheaper elsewhere.

Price wise they are comparable to all the other well established brands out there, although they tend to have a larger range than many other manufacturers. In fact if you go to the picture gallery in their website you will find that each page has more than 100 different designs to choose from and they have 20 different pages in their catalog. You will probably get tired just looking at everything that they have.

Apart from this they also undertake any one off request that you may have, whether it be for a large commercial establishment or for your home. Their philosophy seems to be that once you enter their showroom, you should not walk out because you did not find something that you were looking for.

Obviously this is going to be expensive, but if you are looking for something that is totally different from what others around you have you should be willing to pay for it. You will however never feel ripped off as the quality of their products is there, even for a blind man to see. The sheen on the metal itself will tell you that they use genuine stainless steel and not chrome plating, and when they say bronze, they really mean bronze, not bronze-like. The glass that they use for their shades is clear enough to be called crystal and if you get something from them you do not have to even think of replacing it for the next two generations.

Another thing about Elk lighting is that they have a large in-house design team that is always coming out with new designs and collections. They make sure that they either set the trend or keep up with it so that you are never going to call them old fashioned or even classic. As the website says “Lighting for distinctive homes” is really their motto.

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Touch Lamps

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Touch lamps are lamps that are capable of being turned on and off by just touching them. This is nothing great and in fact anyone who has even a slight knowledge of electrical engineering can convert any lamp into a touch lamp without too much problem.

These lamps work on the principle of capacitance. In a nut shell capacitance refers to the ability of any object to hold an electrical charge. Even human beings hold a certain amount of charge although not enough to give others a “shock” and when they touch any object the total capacitance of that object goes up. If you had an instrument that measures the capacitance of any object, say a lamp, and connected it to a switch that will turn it on and off every time the capacitance changes even briefly you have a touch lamp.

There is no danger of any electric shock with these lamps and they are perfectly safe. They can be installed anywhere although most of the designs are for table lamps rather than for wall fittings because of practical reasons. A touch lamp is more a design element or something that is used as a conversational gambit rather than as a lighting system. In fact most of the lamps are small in size and you will very rarely come across even a normal sized one.

Because of this unique property, many touch lamps come in designs that are not traditionally table lamp designs. You get lamps that are made more like decorative items that will suddenly glow when touched. The number of designs is innumerable and going online is a good idea to take a look at all the different designs there are. You can even purchase from online stores if you want and most of them offer discounted prices too.

Touch lamps are a great accessory in your home. Having one on your center table or on a small table next to a chair or sofa is a good idea. Even if you do not need an additional light in the room, having one will give you that “I am different from others” impression. Because these lamps are considered novelty items they are not good for lighting purposes. You however get them in all shapes including antique lamps and slag lamps. In fact you even get kits with which you can convert most normal lamps which have a certain amount of metal to a touch lamp. “Touch technology” does not work with glass and you will need a metal one for it to work and as long as you have a metal stand you can convert it to a touch lamp.

These lamps are not too common and even if you find them at a store you will not have too wide a selection to choose from. Going online is a good way to search for and get a really unique one. Although many people may not particularly want one, it is a really unique gift to give and is much better than other comparably priced curios that are the usual choice for gifts.

Cost wise these lamps are not too expensive either and you get quite good ones for between $30 and $50. many of these online stores also offer really good discounts and you can get a 10% or 20% discount on the price, especially if it is on a sale. You don’t lose anything anyway and if you do find something that you like you are ahead because you have just saved yourself some money. If you know that you are going to need a gift for someone, as long as you allow three days for shipping, most stores will ship it to you well within time.

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Magnifying Lamp

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Magnifying lamps or magnifier lamps as they are otherwise known are not a new phenomenon. They have been used for generations in areas where both good light as well as magnification was needed. The jewelry, electronics and watch making industry are just some of the examples of places where these kinds of lamps have been used for a long time. They have however only recently started being used in households for various purposes and have made a big hit.

These lamps are very simple; merging a magnifying glass along with a light. In earlier times people used to have a desk lamp to provide light and use either a hand held magnifying glass or a monocle that could be gripped by the eye if they wanted both hands free. This was obviously not the best solution and very soon large magnifying glasses started being attached to the light so that they could continue to do their work relieving both their arms as well as any stress from their eyes.

Although very useful in different industries you may think that these lamps are not very useful in your home. You may very well be right, but just read on and find out about the different options that you have and then decide whether you want one or not.

The first kind is obviously the desk lamp. They are very simply just a large magnifying lamp with a small lamp attached to the underside. It also comes with a flexible stem so that you can position it exactly where you want it. There are variations of the same lamp in the sense that you get wall mounted lamps of the same design and ones that do not have a flexible neck. There are battery operated ones and electricity operated ones. You have lamps where the magnifying glass comes with a snap on cover so that you can shut it and use it like an ordinary table lamp while you just snap it open to use magnification when you need it. You even get lamps that have separate stems for the lamp and the magnifying glass so that you can position each where you want it.

The second kind is the floor mounted lamp which usually comes with a tripod stand. They may or may not have wheels and you can choose which model you want. These lamps are good especially for the elderly because they can effectively take their lamps with them. They keep it next to their chairs most of the day and take it to their bedside at night so that they can read before they go to sleep.

There are small magnifying lamps that can be carried in your pocket or purse. They are usually nothing more than a hand held magnifying glass with a battery powered lamp that you switch on. Although this may seem like a very embarrassing thing to do, it is actually a cool accessory to have when you go to a dimly lit restaurant or theater. It is much more elegant to pull one out of your pocket and keeping it at arms distance to read what you have to as opposed to bringing the reading material right up to your nose.

The best kind and one that even the youngsters would like is the head mounted ones. These lamps are sort of like a torch that comes with a head band and shines down instead of up. It comes with a couple of magnifying glasses that can be flipped down over your eyes when you need it and flipped back up when you don’t. This is actually a really cool thing to have and is a great present to give others, even if their eyesight is not failing.

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Hinkley Lighting

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Hinkley lighting is a family owned lighting systems manufacturer based in Cleveland, OH. They are a very old company and have been providing lighting systems to “discerning customers” as their website puts it, since 1922 when they were established. They are a well-known manufacturer in the US and have a number of unique designs that suit any interior theme for both homes as well as commercial establishments.

Like a number of other well-known lighting systems manufacturers they started small and grew over time to have a pan American presence now. They also offer direct retail marketing and you can request information on any of their products and buy directly from them. Just their website is so well made that it is a mirror of how well their products will be made too.

There is another brand called Fredrick Ramond that is part of the same company. This brand was established as a more upscale brand to Hinkley and offers lighting systems to the more particular customer.

Hinkley lighting has a number of showrooms around the country where their products are put up on display. Not only do they offer their products for sale, they will also take care of the installation and after sales service because they pride themselves on their customer service.

OK, enough said about the company then. If you take a look at Hinkley products, you will find that there are a number of unique designs that you do not find in other lighting system manufacturers. By default all their designs are really classic and even the more modern ones are a seamless blend of the old as well as the new. The impression you get is that they are favored more by designers and architects rather than retail buyers, and home owners. This is not surprising because their products are slightly on the higher side in terms of price and the lowest priced lamps are around the $70 mark. Compare this to the lesser known brands and you can get comparable ones for $40 or $50 while the unbranded ones cost much less than this.

What they are good at however is giving you something that you will not get elsewhere. If you take one of their wall sconces or chandeliers, they are all uniquely designed and you will not find another one which even comes close in terms of design except maybe in another Hinkley showroom. If you are really “discerning” about what kind of lighting you use in your home then Hinkley lighting is definitely worth a look see. Just log on to their website and browse through their gallery. Not only can you look at pictures of their products, they also give you a lot of information on how you can use certain lighting systems to the best effect possible. Although this is meant to be used with their products you could always use a good suggestion elsewhere too. For example, I have always gone with wall sconces and simple pendant lights above my bar at home, but Hinckley suggests that a couple of simple three arm chandeliers would do just as fine while giving your room a better tone. This is actually true and considering that I spent just as much on the pendant lights as I would have on a simple chandelier this is good advice.

Of all the lighting manufacturers’ website I have visited Hinkley is by far the best designed and easy to use. Although I have never personally used any of their products, just visiting their website has left a pleasant memory that will stay in my mind till the next time when I want to add something to my home. Take a look too and you may be as favorably impressed. If not, you’ve only lost about 5 minutes of your time.

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Light Shades

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Light shades are just that, they are shades meant to mask the light coming from a light source so that it does not glare your eyes. Shades are not meant only for lights, you also have sun shades otherwise called blinds and eye shades also called dark glasses or coolers. Even the cap or a hat has a shade but is usually referred to as a peak.

The eyes are a remarkable organ. They are better than the best camera and have the ability to focus from closer than a foot distance to the horizon and beyond. All this with just one lens; if you wanted a camera with similar ability you will have a long wait because there isn’t such a thing and likely never will be.. Of course you have cameras on board satellites that can take less than a meter resolution from kilometers up in the sky, but it will not be able to focus close up. It is the versatility of the eye that is not able to be copied, not its ability.

The only problem with the eye is that because it is so sensitive, more than a certain amount of light will damage it. Of course the body has an instinctive protective mechanism which is screwing them shut, but if you need to be able to see at the same time you’ve got a problem on your hands. This was no great problem and all you had to do was mask your eyes either by keeping something over your eyes, like when you are looking up at the sun or by covering the source of light, like a light shade.

Light shades were especially important in those days when there was no electricity and no high power lamps. In fact even until the 1930s and 40s you did not have very bright lights at home and had to have a shaded desk lamp when you were working at night. The shade effectively did two things, cut out the light coming to your eyes while focusing it on to what you want to see. This is the reason why the outside of the shade is usually of a darker color than the inside; the outside has to absorb light while the inside will have to reflect it out.

These days you can keep your light at a great distance and still have sufficient lighting for you to do your work and most commercial establishments do this. However when you are at home you are not as interested in having bright light and most likely want to mask your bulb so that the light that comes out is dimmer. Of course you could say that if you use a lower wattage bulb it is equally effective, but this is not so. A lower wattage bulb will give off very low light which may not be sufficient while a good shade will cut out light that comes upwards so that your eyes are in comfortable semi-lit glow while still focusing light downwards so that you can clearly see the room.

In these days of unlimited choices the only reason shades are still being used is because there is no other effective replacement for them. Shades however do not always have to come in the traditional inverted cone over the light shape. You get so many different designs along with so many different degrees of transparency in them that you are spoiled for choice. You get the traditional paper shades that are probably the cheapest while at the same time being very pretty and you get the normal glass shades that are either plain or colored. A variation of this would be the tiffany or slag glass shades that are more expensive but are equally beautiful. You also get the prism glass or crystal shades that provide diffused lighting not so much by reducing the amount of light that comes out but by refracting the light in so many different directions that you can look directly at a really high powered lamp and still not feel uncomfortable. Your choice is limited only by your imagination and of course the size of your wallet.

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Novelty Lighting for Big and Little Kids

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Novelty lighting will always be the perfect fit for a child's room. Getting creative when decorating a child's room can be a lot of fun.  The options to decorate your child's bedroom have dramatically increased in recent years. In today's world parents are spending a lot of time and money on their kids and there are a lot more products in the marketplace to decorate kids rooms. The juvenile products market is exploding in kids decor, kids furniture, kids novelty lighting; etc.

Matching the lighting to the theme of the room is easy with ELK and Landmark novelty lighting. Lights of moons and stars will allow them to drift off to sleep peacefully. Dancing ballerina's, butterflies and hearts add a whimsical nature. You may even inspire an athlete with their favorite sports lighting. All your kids to dream big.

DON'T FORGET THE BIG KIDS

We talked about kids, but lets not forget about the big kids in the house. Big brother or Dad. Sports fans, car fans, train fans; etc. Celebrate their dedication to their favorite sport by decorating their room with novelty sports lighting. Add that special touch to the family room or rec room where they watch their favorite sports team.

Do you know someone who has a passion for planes or spends their free time collecting trains? Surprise them with lighting to commemorate their passions. 

ElK Lighting and Landmark Lighting are the leaders in the decorative lighting industry for quality grade novelty lighting. ELK Lighting is the license for top brands such as Trump Home Lighting. Landmark is the cornerstone for game room and billiards lighting.

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