Author Archives: Bev Martin

Halloween and daylight savings are coming and this means that your lighting needs have changed. There are no more long

summer twilights to read through. It’s now dark when you get up for work. How do you adjust to this?

Install LED Lighting In Your Front Yard

Make it a safer Halloween by putting lights along the path to your front door so all the little trick-or-treaters don’t trip as they come to your door. It will also discourage the more adventurous ones from walking on your lawn or egging your house, as they won’t want to do it where they can be seen.

This isn’t just a Halloween issue either. With the sun setting earlier, there will inevitably be more driving at night. The increased visibility of your front yard will help prevent accidents.

Track Lights In Your Living Room

People move their parties inside when it gets cooler, and nothing will impress your guests like the warm glow of new lights. You can make everyone’s favorite party space more comfortable with track lights. It will open up the room and give you more space for decorations.

Dimmers

Dimmers are really for all seasons, but this is when they will truly come into their own. Dimmers allow you to match your lighting needs exactly, whether you are an early riser who needs to turn the lights down as the sun comes up or a night owl who needs to turn the lights up as the evening progresses. They also let you read comfortably when it is raining out and the sunlight that gets through the clouds need a little help.

This ability to use only as much light as is required gives you some control over your electricity bill, and that is especially important as we enter cooler weather and find ourselves cranking up the heat. Fall and winter can see power bills spike for the unwary.

Fall is a great time, but it does require different lighting. If you want to adjust your lighting for the season, contact us. We have everything you need to make your fall excellent.

These days, everyone likes to pretend that they are Julia Child. Not only is the art of cooking a fun thing to share with friends and family, but everyone loves the results. Cooking is even more fun in a kitchen with pretty lighting, so if you find yourself spending hours over your stove, consider the following lighting ideas.

Pendant Lighting

These beautiful hanging lamps are like chandeliers, only more concentrated. They are good for getting a lot of light over your work areas without waking up people in the next room. Their lamp coverings can come with any look from Art Deco designs to industrially-inspired cut glass, so they can give a traditional glow to most types of interior decoration.

Mini-pendants can decorate dining spaces or illuminate your kitchen island for a particularly rustic feel. You can hang them in whatever corner that your kitchen needs light to keep it comfortable when you have many helpers, too.

Island Lights

These are perfect for your breakfast nook or your kitchen island. They are chandeliers of only 4 lights in a row. You get the magnificent concentrated light where you need it with the charming touch only a chandelier can provide.

Recessed Lighting

If your tastes run to the post-modern, recessed lighting will give your kitchen a futuristic vibe. It is a very discreet way of getting a lot of light on your kitchen, too, so if you would rather have guests marvel at your furniture instead of the lamp covers, or simply feel that your kitchen is big, recessed lighting may be your preferred option.

Under Cabinet Lights

Want to show off your fancy spice rack or china? A light under the cabinets lets you illuminate your favorite things for good effect. A light under the cabinet that is over your counter also gives you plenty of light to chop by on dreary days when you don’t want to turn on the bigger lights. You won’t have shadows hiding your favorite utensils in cracks with these either. Face it, your cabinets can block the light from the windows and other sources. Why let the shadows win?

If you have taken up gourmet cooking in a big way, why not make your kitchen a fun place to pursue your hobby? Yale Lighting Concepts can help you burnish your kitchen’s lighting, so feel free to cook up some dramatic lighting in your kitchen anytime.

The foyer is the most public room of any building, and, as a room near the entrance, it makes the all important first impression on people. This makes lighting the foyer a very important act. There are a few points to consider when you do:

Brightness

This is where people congregate, so you don’t want to make the place dim. When you pick your lighting scheme, you will want to make sure that you don’t have shadowy areas where people can trip and that the corners are properly lit.

You don’t want to wash out the paint scheme or blind anyone, either. This is the room where some cute wall lights, sconces, or wall torchieres could give it an elegant ambiance, combining the right brightness with perfect placement to make your foyer a fun place to gather before heading out for the night.

Design Elements

You are setting the tone for your whole building when you decorate a foyer. Is this a sophisticated place, a home-like place, or something in between? You can answer this question with lighting accessories, such as lamp shades, and the types of lights you install. You can increase the sophistication with picture lights under your lovely watercolors, or you can make a bold statement with colorful lamps. You can go discrete and refined with LED fixtures, or ornate with wall lights. The choice is yours, so pick with care.

Utility

Foyers tend be lit up all the time. They have people hanging around, and they need the lights on for most of the time. For this reason, you need to think about efficiency and utility. LED lights, for instance, will save energy in this overused room. You will also want to consider how your lighting controls are placed and if they are the most suitable for the people who visit you. Do you need to turn lights on and off a lot? Do you need to be able to dim the lights for special events or during certain times of day? You will want to look at all these points when installing lights.

Ceiling fans could also be necessary: they keep warm air out on hot days and make visitors comfortable.

Here at Yale Lighting, we want your foyer to make a great impression on people. Check us out for the lighting and accessories that will make your first room shine.

Lighting is a powerful tool for setting a mood in any room. Bright lighting can make a room feel bigger. Dimmer lighting can make a room feel cozier and more comfortable. Since your bedroom is where you sleep and sometimes work, you want to set the right mood for it. There are a few ideas that can give you total control over the bedroom’s atmosphere.

Dimmers To Adjust The Mood

Dimmers don’t just save energy. They give you control over the level of lighting, which lets you decide if you want something easy on the eyes while you doze off or something bright to let you read. If you want to make your room feel cozier, you can direct the dimmed lights to the middle of the room. This will make your room feel smaller. It will also let you create a romantic mood with the shadows. With the number of things that you do in your bedroom, you want that versatility, and dimmers let you match any atmosphere you need without changing the furniture.

Lamp Placement For Drama

Where you put your lights can be key to creating the mood. Putting hanging lamps in your room effectively lowers the ceiling. You can position them over the furniture that you want to highlight for dramatic effect or practical use. You can also put them in a line to cast a soft glow on your favorite wall  (the one with your favorite art.) You can put a chandelier in the middle of the room for a brighter feeling in the room.

Hanging Lamp Covers That Match Or Contrast With The Walls

Pick the light covers with care. The material’s effect on the light will dramatically change how it effects the room. Plus, the materials themselves can provide a contrast to the wall and ceiling or blend in to the background for any number of effects. Mini shades and decorative lamp covers can bring a fun element to your decor, and they can add an elegant touch as well. Light covers can be the ultimate in mood creation if you pick the right ones.

If you need help creating the right mood for your bedroom, contact us. We have a wide array of styles and accessories for you to choose from. You are sure to find something that is perfect for your bedroom.

When it comes to injecting drama and beauty into your exterior spaces, nothing quite beats the glow and sparkle of thoughtfully planned outdoor lighting.

To give your home an instant ambience upgrade that will boost curb appeal and extend the use of your outdoor spaces, consider these five, high-impact ideas from our lighting designers:

1. A warm welcome. Path lights – available in a variety of styles – create a welcoming glow and help guests navigate walkways safely. Bring a sense of balance to your lighting plan by staggering the arrangement of your lights and consider low-voltage options for optimal energy savings.
2. Natural drama. Accent the natural beauty of your property and your home’s unique architectural details with landscape lighting. Place up-lights under a beloved tree to create dramatic shadows and highlights its green foliage. Or install low voltage accent lights to highlight shrubs and other garden features.
3. All decked out. When the sun goes down, the party can go on with LED deck rail, recessed step and post-cap lights. For added ambience, consider outdoor-rated table and floor lamps to bring a cozy feel to your outdoor living spaces.
4. Water feature illumination. Add a little shimmer to your pond with an LED pond light kit. LEDs offer superior protection against water corrosion and have an extra-long lifespan.
5. Timing and controls. Automation is the easy way to ensure your home’s exterior is illuminated in the evening hours. Easy-to-install timers automatically turn outdoor lighting on and off during designated ties of the day and many feature dimmer controls for added energy savings.

Ready for a fresh, new take on exterior lighting? Stop by one of Yale Lighting Concepts & Design’s showrooms or browse our huge selection of outdoor lighting including wall-mount fixtures, path lights, landscape lighting and more at YaleLightingConcepts.com.