Author Archives: Bev Martin

Your home office should be a place where you feel productive, yet comfortable. If you work from home, don’t you want to look forward to “going to work” each day? Your choice of lighting can make the difference between creating a welcoming environment and being stuck with one representing the drudgery of performing dull work.

When possible, try to take advantage of the availability of natural light. Do you work at your desk all day? Does bright light help  you work more efficiently? If so, consider installing overhead track lighting or choosing a bright desk lamp.

For more of a “homey” atmosphere, however, try recessed lighting or a table lamp. You want a calming environment, but not one so calm that you’re tempted to nap at your desk.

What are your main daily tasks? If you read or write a lot, you need lighting that is bright enough to avoid eye strain, but still pleasant to work with (as opposed to the unpleasant overhead fluorescent lighting in many traditional workplaces).

Some great alternatives for your home office include:

• Recessed lighting. Brighten the whole room, but in a warmer fashion.
• Floor lamps. You can move these around to create a certain look and purpose.
• Table and desk lamps. Try a swing-arm model for specific tasks or hobbies.

Don’t forget to consider “green” lighting, such as LED lighting and CFLs, to save money on your energy bill.

Speaking of conserving energy, consider adding a ceiling fan in your home office. In addition to having a main overhead lighting source, you’ll have an energy-efficient temperature regulator. For the fall and winter months, make sure the blades turn clockwise. To cool your office during hot weather, switch the fan’s direction to counterclockwise.

Contact us online or visit one of our three showrooms to explore more home office lighting options.

If you are in the market for new kitchen lighting, odds are you’ve probably arrived at this decision for a specific reason. Maybe things just aren’t bright enough in general, or maybe you’re having a hard time seeing in certain areas of the room. Whatever the case, we can help you find the perfect lighting for your very own kitchen.

Consider Your Safety

Some areas of the kitchen need extra lights, or at least brighter ones. Consider, for example, the area where you prepare your food. Is it properly illuminated? If not, the simple act of cutting ingredients for a recipe could become more dangerous than necessary.

The same is true for areas near cabinets and draws. In dimmer lit situations, it’s possible to pull things from an overhead cabinet and actually bring out more than you intended to. Reaching into an area used to store sharps becomes a whole lot harder to maneuver as well.

When safety is as easy to rectify as adding the appropriate lighting and placement, why not go ahead and take the plunge? It will never be a decision you’ll regret making, as we’ve rarely heard complaints stemming from “too much lighting”.

Consider Special Occasions

Lots of families celebrate certain occasions right from the heart of the home. The kitchen. And why not? In many areas of the country, family get-togethers revolve around good food and good conversation while sitting around the dinner table. For special events like these, you de  finitely want to make sure your lighting is appropriate, not too dim or bright and not in the way of those relatives who might be taller than your average Joe.

Work with the Natural Light

If you have several windows in your kitchen, odds are you won’t need as much lighting during the day. But don’t forget evening and nighttime hours. Most people don’t stop using the kitchen simply because the sun goes down. In fact, midnight snacks have been wooing homeowners into their kitchens after hours for years. Don’t let the late-night cravings catch you in the dark.

If you’d like more information about kitchen lighting, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. We look forward to helping you find the best kitchen lighting possible for your home.

There is no shortage of people across the country these days that complain that they don’t get enough sleep. Another common complaint is that once they go to sleep, they wake up too often and can’t reach a state of deep sleep. There is plenty of research showing how light affects sleep so it’s definitely a big deal for many people. We aren’t the only ones that think bedroom lighting can play a big part in a good night’s sleep.

A Different Kind of Room

When we think about lighting specific rooms, we think about all that goes on in that room and work from there. Bedrooms, however, are a little different. Some people allow their bedrooms to double as offices or an extension of the living area, but some people maintain one single relationship with that room: sleep.

Artificial lighting can greatly affect the way our body prepares for sleep and the brighter it is, the harder it can be to fall asleep. That’s why you can easily turn to lower wattage or incandescent sources for your bedroom lighting. Another great option would be lamps with shades or flush mount wall fixtures, as they provide a much more diffused illumination.

Colored Lighting Affects Sleep

Other studies have been conducted that show certain colored lights can often cause people to fall asleep faster than white light or dark rooms. This is especially the case with blue and dark purple lights. Finding a great night’s sleep, then, could be as simple as changing out the bulbs or shades in your room for colors that initiate sleep much faster.

Kindle devices even utilize this technology, giving you the option to use a different colored lighting scheme for your device in the late evening hours. This is said to help get your mind ready for a better night’s sleep by limiting the input of brighter light in the hours leading up to bedtime.

If you need more information about bedroom lighting, or ideas on how to change the lighting in that particular room, be sure to contact us soon. We look forward to assisting you.

No matter what kind of home you live in, ceiling fans can make a great addition to the overall quality of a room. Not only do they provide temperature control, they can also save energy and add additional style. Virtually any room can benefit from a ceiling fan, whether it’s a living room, bedroom, kitchen or office. With as many styles and designs as there are to choose from, you’re likely to find something that matches the over  all aesthetic you’re looking for.

To start with, ceiling fans save a lot of energy compared to air conditioning and other kinds of plugin fans. They provide circulation to help you feel more comfortable and breathe easier without wasting excessive amounts of electricity. They can also be used when it’s cold to redistribute warm air throughout the room. Ceiling fans are a practical and functional way of keeping the temperature where you want it. They can save you money in the long run by reducing your use of gas heating and other types of temperature control.

At Yale Lighting, we have a huge selection of ceiling fans in a wide array of styles and sizes. Many of our fans also come with some pretty convenient features such as remote or wall controls. Lighting for your new ceiling fan is also an option. Choose from many of today’s most popular brands including Emerson, Craftmade, Casablanca, Kichler, and more. Compliment your room with a brilliant finish like satin chrome or ornate bronze. We even offer fan blades in rattan, bamboo, wicker, and other materials to add a custom touch to match whatever style you’re most suited for.

Visit our online catalog to learn more about our fans and everything else we have to offer. Also, feel free to visit any of our three lighting showrooms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Autumn is a time to sip hot apple cider, while you sit adorned in a big, woolly sweater tucked away in the comfort of your cozy home. And what could possibly set the mood for a cozy home better than the right lighting? In this post, we’ll look at three fall lighting concepts that will both brighten up your home and get you in a festive fall mood.

1. Light it up With Lanterns: Lanterns make wonderful lighting fixtures because they are so versatile and can be used both inside and outside the home. Whether you just want one to have sitting on your fireplace mantle in the den or several to light up your outdoor walkway, lanterns set the tone for warm lighting on a crisp autumn evening. Although traditionally candles were used in lanterns, you can always use LED candles for a safer option.
2. Make it Vintage With Antique Lamps: Whether you are a business owner such as a boutique shop or restaurant or just a homeowner who loves to decorate, antique lamps are a great way to make a space feel right at home in the fall season. Thanks to the orange light that comes from the bulb, antique lamps coordinate well with a fall-themed home. You can add a lot of texture to this lighting concept due to the many shapes and sizes the bulbs come in.
3. Get Spooky With Flicker-Flame Lights: Flicker-flame lights are particularly festive for the month of October, just before Halloween. Keep in mind, you shouldn’t use flicker-flame bulbs in all of your lighting fixtures since they are too dim to properly light areas. Use them sparingly in chandeliers, electric candles, and wall sconces. The flickering light will give off a warm, cozy vibe throughout the entire home.

Looking for other lighting concepts to use this fall? Contact us today with any questions you have!

Traditionally, dining rooms were separate rooms closed off from the rest of the home, where families only gathered to share meals.  Toda  y, many home designs are trending toward open floor plans where the dining room is part of an open floor living plan, including both the living room and kitchen area.  The dining room may serve a variety of functions including providing a space where children gather to do their homework or as a safe, supervised space for toddlers when their parents are cooking meals.  Many homeowners also use the area as a casual office for computer work or simply as a general gathering space to talk about everyone’s day after school and work.  With a room that serves so many functions, it is important to consider which lighting options can provide the proper illumination for a variety of tasks, while still providing beauty and style to such an important area of the home.

Function

Whenever a homeowner decides to upgrade the lighting features of their dining room, consider all the functions the room serves.  It might be tempting to select a single grand chandelier, but that doesn’t serve a dining area very well if it doesn’t provide adequate illumination to clean up messes made by small toddlers.  When a room serves several functions, a better approach is to have multiple sources of lighting options.  Recessed lighting is a great choice for the dining room as it provides illumination to all the nooks and crannies that a single overhead light would miss.  Wall sconces are another good choice for the dining area to help add style and ambiance for meals and family gatherings.  Track lighting can highlight an important feature of the dining area such as a china cabinet or breakfast nook.  Lastly, chandeliers or pendant lighting can still offer an important purpose by adding that “wow” factor in the dining area when homeowners want to impress guests or they simply want to add a sense of warmth to family meals.

Style

Since the dining area is connected to the kitchen and living rooms in an open floor plan, it is important to consider the overall style of the rooms as a whole.  Whether the kitchen and living areas have a modern, industrial or rustic feel, the dining area lighting should generally be part of an overall theme.  In some cases however, it is possible to blend a couple of different styles together to add visual interest.  For example, some of the smaller crystal chandeliers look amazing in an otherwise industrial setting, offering a touch of softness and warmth particularly inviting for sharing meals together.

If you’d like to know more about how to select both functional and stylish lighting features for your open floor dining area, please contact us.

Your home’s outdoor space is where you relax, entertain, and create summer memories. While you often spend hours lounging or playing in the sunshine, it’s important to consider your yard’s ambiance once the sun goes down. This is where landscape lighting comes in. As you are checking off your list of home improvement projects, be sure to check out these outdoor lighting trends to add some flare to your yard.

1. Trendy Lanterns

This year, lanterns are taking center stage in lighting trends. From your patio tables to your pool  deck, decorative lanterns can add a pop of color and style to any landscape design. Moroccan style and rustic lights are particularly popular this summer.

2. Dreamy Path Lighting

Welcome your guests in style with carefully selected path lights. These whimsical details can pull together your overall backyard aesthetic while also increasing safety. Whether you prefer a subtle or bold look, your lighting retailer can help you select path lighting features to fit your needs.

3. Elegant String Lights

You might associate string lights with kids parties and weddings, but these landscape lighting features can be seamlessly integrated into your overall backyard design. The key is to select a sophisticated, high quality design. By doing so, you can drape these lights in trees or around your patio to set a warm tone for every gathering.

4. Rustic Materials

Worn metals such as copper and antique brass are a popular option for this year’s top landscape designers. Talk to your lighting retailer about which metal pieces can work together for an overall rustic look. Mixing these materials with more polished pieces can also create depth in your design.

5. Statement Lamps

While some of your lighting features are meant to blend in, it can be fun to select pieces to stand out. Artistic pieces in bold colors can add flare to your yard. A modern lamp shade, tall floor light, or large hanging lanterns are all examples of these types of statement pieces.

Remember: The best way to curate your ideal outdoor lighting design is to work with a professional lighting retailer. Yale Lighting Concepts & Design has three impressive showrooms to display your lighting options. Contact us today to learn more about our products.

When it comes to selecting lighting fixtures for staircases, a seemingly obvious choice of adding one or two ceiling lights might seem suitable.  However, using ceiling lights to light up a staircase only works well until one of the light bulbs invariably fails.  In many cases, it can be quite a challenge for a homeowner to safely balance on the stairs, while at the same time reaching overhead to change out a bulb.  There are ladders specially made for staircases, but they are expensive and bulky to store.  One could always go without a light fixture and simply change the bare bulb with one of the newer light bulb changing poles, but an uncovered light bulb is unsightly and produces a harsh lighting environment.  In this post, we wil  l outline some tips on how to provide good lighting for staircases, while still adding beauty and style to a home’s decor.

Wall Sconces

Wall sconces are a great choice for staircases.  They provide excellent lighting along the staircase passage and they are easy to reach when a bulb needs changing.  They are also easy to reach for cleaning and dusting.  A standard staircase would be adequately covered by a sconce located near the base of the stairs, as well as one more located near the top of the stairs.  For larger staircases, a homeowner might want to consider adding one or two more sconces midway up the staircase in order to ensure adequate lighting.

Motorized Lighting

For those who have a large dramatic staircase, motorized lighting that can be raised and lowered by adjusting an easy-to-reach switch is a great choice.  Motorized chandeliers and other types of pendant lighting can provide breathtaking drama to a staircase, while providing homeowners with a easy and safe mechanism for changing bulbs and cleaning the fixture.

Table Lamps

Most homeowners will probably find that using sconces or motorized lighting is enough to provide adequate lighting.  In some cases though, a homeowner might want to set a table lamp on a side table near the bottom or top of a staircase.  This offers another way to introduce light to an otherwise dark area, as well as provide a temporary drop off point for keys, wallets, purses, etc.

If you would like to know more about staircase lighting options, please contact us!