Lighting Tips and Resources

It's been a while since I've shared lighting tips, so I thought I'd do a little round-up today.  Kichler and the Philips group (Forecast & Thomas Lighting) talk about the 3 types of lighting, which is also referred to as light layering.  The 3 types are General/Decorative, Task, and Ambient.  Ideally it's best to have a little bit of all three in every room for optimum lighting and flexibility.

You can learn more about this from Kichler at
 http://www.kichler.com/consumer/help_page?nav_reset=true#
and Thomas at
 http://www.thomaslighting.com/lighting-tips/three-types-of-lighting/.


Next you'll need to decide what style of lighting you like.  Some styles to consider are classic traditional, fresh traditional, transitional,
 (http://www.thomaslighting.com/lighting-tips/the-styles-of-lighting/)
Arts & Crafts, contemporary, and modern (http://www.kichler.com//consumer/style_guide_page/portlet_style_guide/cms/begin?portlet_style_guideresource=/OpenCMS/sites/kichler.com/style_guide/page1.html#).

Thomas's example of classic traditional

Kichler's Mission or Arts & Crafts style

Kichler's modern style

Thomas's transistional

Thomas & Forecast have a great glossary of lighting terms.  Do you know what baffles, lumens, and mica are?  If not, you can learn all about them here:
http://www.thomaslighting.com/lighting-tips/lighting-glossary/

Progress Lighting has a virtual lighting guide that allows you to visualize lighting from Progress using photos from your own home.  You can try it here:
http://www.progressvirtuallighting.com/

And if you do not love looking at a computer screen and would rather have a book full of helpful hints, you can order a "Lighting Made Simple" guide from Hinkley Lighting:
http://www.hinkleylighting.com/guide/
(But Hinkley also has their tips online at http://www.hinkleylighting.com/be-inspired/lighting-tips/)
They'll tell you how to size your chandelier, which is like this:
To size a chandelier for your dining room, or to be the focal point of your space, measure the length and width of the room and add those figures together. The sum, converted to inches, will equal the diameter that you can use as a guideline when selecting the size of your chandelier.

If the resulting measurement (room length + width, converted to inches) seems inappropriate due to the size of your table, size your chandelier three quarters the width of your table.

In most cases, the bottom of your chandelier should sit approximately 30"–32" above the table top.

And I've just added a new board for Lighting Tips on our Pinterest Page, so you can find all these links and some pictures on Pinterest, too!
http://pinterest.com/dominionelecsup/lighting-tips/

Please remember that we have lots of experts at all 3 of our Dominion Electric Supply showrooms!  We have 12 lighting designers who are certified by the American Lighting Association, so please let us know how we can help with YOUR lighting design.

Vendor of the week - Capital Lighting

We've decided to feature a vendor of the week, so I've put all the names in a cup and today we're going to start with Capital Lighting!  First off, a little bit about them, from their web site:

Capital Lighting is a family-owned company located just outside Atlanta, Georgia. We pride ourselves on delivering stylish, high-quality products at affordable prices through the best lighting showrooms across the United States and Canada. Beginning with design concepts from popular home fashions, we transform our ideas into lighting fixtures that blend timeless beauty with today's styling. As our designs take shape, we make sure that a high standard of quality goes into manufacturing each fixture. From the casting and forging to the hand-painted finishes and fine details, we strive to make our products the best in the industry.

Next, here are 4 fixtures from each of our showrooms to show you a few things that we have on display from Capital Lighting here at Dominion Electric Supply.  In Arlington:

9082WG-484 ~ from their 5th Avenue Collection, in a Winter Gold fnish (a gorgeous champagne finish that mixes silver & gold)

4006WG-484 ~ also from the 5th Avenue Collection and in Winter Gold

4366RT ~ Corday Collection in Rustic finish

4166RT-510 ~ Reserve Collection in the Rustic finish

On display in Chantilly:

3976-WG ~ This is the Manhattan Collection, but also in the Winter Gold

4168RT-497 ~ This is a pot rack from the Reserve Collection.

4165RT ~ And a bowl style from the Reserve Collection

4086SG-535 ~ The Palazzo Collection ~ it's hard to see here but there are tiny mirrors on the body.

And a few from our Laurel showroom:

9303CB ~ Chesterfield Collection and Finish

3521CB-441 ~ love this style from their Manchester Collection

4609 ~ Spring has Sprung! This is Chelsea.

1118RT-510 ~ They're not just chandeliers ~ they also have bath and exterior and all sorts of other styles!

If you'd like to learn more about them, their web site is:  https://www.capitallightingfixture.com/

New Chantilly Displays, Part II

I don't know where last week went!  I said I'd do this on Thursday, I think.  Well, hopefully better late than never!  So this is new displays in the Chantilly showroom of Dominion Electric Supply, Part Two.  First up, three from Minka:

Minka 4499-298 ~ this picture hides the neatest feature of this semi-flush ~ the bottom is open, and the three lights are hidden by glass shades.  So it's like a chandelier inside that shade, which I don't recall ever seeing in a ceiling fixture.  

Minka 4179-249 ~ another beautifully updated soft brass finish

Minka 4185-282 ~ the wooden look is very "in" right now

Now three from Currey & Company:

Currey 9906 ~ Here's more of that wooden look ~ neat shape!

Currey 9181 ~ I told you the wooden look was "in"!

Currey 9027 ~ I love the bubbly glass bobbles.

Next up, Quoizel:

Quoizel UPMM5005WT ~ more fun bubbles

Quoizel UPTR5007WT ~ we love those exposed Edison-style light bulbs

Last up, one from Artcraft and one from Uttermost:

Artcraft CL1350BZ ~ I like the way this lantern is mounted so close to the ceiling.

Uttermost 21947 ~ It's hard to see, but there's great bling on the bottom of this piece.

I've also pinned most of these to our new Pinterest page.  Check it out ~ we'd love more followers!
http://pinterest.com/dominionelecsup/

New Displays in Chantilly

Our buyers have been busy filling our showrooms with new things, thanks to great introductions at the January & June Dallas markets.  We have so many gorgeous things in Chantilly, I think I'll have to show you half today and half tomorrow!  And these are still just a small sampling of what's new, so please, come visit one of the Dominion Electric Supply showrooms in Arlington or Chantilly, VA, or in Laurel, MD.

So first up, Elk Lighting:

10193-6 ~ the orb style is definitely a trend that seems to be here to stay!

31225/6 ~ I love the simplicity of this circle

86053 ~ And this is the opposite of simple!  Truly a hanging piece of art.

Next up, a sampling from Kichler, Progress, and Murray Feiss:

Kichler 43073CH ~ back to the simpler side of things!

Progress P4626-09 ~ This glass is really unique.

Progress P4677-104 ~ Very elegant, in a contemporary kind of way.

Murray Feiss WB1585BUS ~ this is a sconce ~ does it look like a snowflake or a star to you?

I'll end with three from Capital Lighting today, and you'll have to tune in tomorrow for the rest!

9041PN-472 ~ We love this one so much, we show it in this polished nickel AND also in brushed nickel!

4056BD-529-CR ~ An unusual combination of crystal and drum shade (and I'm always a sucker for "dirty crystal").

4366RT ~ another lesson in simplicity, but this time in bronze

ALA Lighting Your Life Consumer Brochure Goes Digital

The American Lighting Association recently published an updated, digital version of its consumer brochure, Lighting Your Life.

Featuring an all-new layout with beautifully photographed lighting-design images from ALA manufacturers, Lighting Your Life offers up-to-date home lighting information for consumers.


Here is a link:  http://www.lightrays-digital.com/lightrays/lightinglife2012#pg1

They cover so much in this 36-page brochure!  Their topic titles are:

• Introduction to Lighting
• Basic Types of Lighting
• The Shapes and Forms of Lighting
• Lighting Controls
• Light Sources
• Energy Savings and Efficiency
• Designing with Light
• Track Lighting
• Recessed Lighting

So if you're ready for a nice overview or introduction to residential lighting, this digital brochure is a perfect start!  Then come visit any of our showrooms ~ all 3 Dominion Electric Supply showroom locations are American Lighting Association members.  You can also learn more about ALA on their website:  http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/

ALA's Better Homes and Gardens Lighting Magazine

Come in to any of our showroom locations to pick up your free copy of the ALA co-produced Better Homes and Gardens "Lighting" magazine.  They've been issuing this special magazine once a year for the past several years, but I think this one is the best yet.  Here are my favorite features:

I like this "Layers of Light" note they have on several pages, like this kitchen.  We've been talking about Light Layers a lot here lately at Dominion Electric Supply!

This is page 2 of the Layers of Light kitchen spread.

Next, they have many room ideas where they show one chandelier or light fixture....

... and then they show similar ideas in their "get the look" column.

At the back, they have a complete buyer's guide, with lots & lots of specific ideas, including manufacturers' names.  Don't you hate looking in a magazine and loving something you're seeing, but it never tells you who's it is or where you can find it?  No worries here!

And then they even show a "Low to High" column with some retail pricing.  

And even though they mixed up their labels here, this is a great chart showing some options for the phased out 100-watt light bulbs.  

So I know you won't really be able to see the details in these page scans I did ~ this is meant to be a teaser so you come in and grab a copy!  If you can't make it into one of our stores, you can also order the magazine online from the American Lighting Association (ALA) here:
http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/Free-Magazine.aspx

The showroom locations for Dominion Electric Supply are:
14605 Lee Jackson Hwy., Chantilly, VA 20151
5053 Lee Hwy., Arlington, VA  22207
8610 Cherry Lane, Laurel, MD  20707

But don't come in tomorrow ~ we'll all be closed for the 4th of July!