Low voltage landscape lighting design

You spend all that time creating a masterpiece garden that the neighbors will envy. Ooops. You just realize you forgot to install the landscape lighting. The best time to plan a good landscape lighting design is when you are planning your garden layout. Landscape lighting design can be a simple lighting layout or a work of art blending nature with artificial light, incorporating color, shape and texture. You choose. What looks ordinary and dull during the day can be transformed into rich color during the darker hours of night. The nature of landscape lighting demands versatility. With a wide variety of different surfaces and objects to be illuminated the type of light and its placement needs to be considered very carefully. Gather Your Ideas Go over your garden design and decide on the objects, plants or trees you want to highlight with. If you have one prominent feature in one part of the garden such as a large tree or a sculpture then you can concentrate your lighting on that object and have low level ground lighting surrounding it in the rest of the garden. On the other hand you may decide just to scatter general low level ground lighting in amongst plants of the same height which will create a flat effect but will give you a rainbow of color. Floodlight or Spotlight To help you with your landscape lighting design there are typically two lamp and reflector types. The wide angle lenses are used to flood a surface with a wash of light where a narrow angled lens is used for laser-like accuracy to put a spot of light on an object. Flood lighting works best by positioning it under leafy shrubs and trees. By doing this the floodlight will create shadows within the foliage and spill out onto surrounding plants. If you are trying to light a very large tree you may consider several floodlights to get an even spread of light. Spotlights work best if they are correctly positioned and aimed at the feature you are trying to highlight. A good way to get this right is to temporarily connect the spotlight and move it backwards and forwards until the right amount of light is highlighting the feature. Color Color is an important consideration for any landscape lighting design. The most common source of light is white light. When white light is used it generally brings out the true color of the surrounding plants and objects because it contains all the visible colors. By using colored filters or sleeves attached to the light fitting, colored light can be used to emphasize the natural color of the surrounding plant foliage. Colors such as yellow are useful to use as it is a warm color and brings out the best in the wood of trunks and branches. Reds and Blues are also very popular colors to use. Textures with Water. Nothing in nature is smooth or symmetrical. With this fact in mind, light that is aimed at an angle onto rough textured surfaces can play an important part to your landscape lighting design. With the added element of moving water such as a fountain or waterfall, flickering shadows and reflections can be created. These are very soothing to the viewer. Glare. To See and not be seen. When locating the in ground light fittings in your garden try and hide them away from view by using rocks or other features. There is nothing worse than ruining a perfectly good landscape lighting design by having all of your light fittings visible. Normally the light source or lamp of the fitting is not guarded and will create glare. Avoid this at all cost.

Outdoor furniture

Getting into the Great Outdoors has never been easier or more relaxing than with outdoor furniture and accessories! Outdoor furniture and outdoor accessories personalize your space; relaxing touches allow you to laze in your outdoor environment, knowing that you are truly 'home'. Finding out about Outdoor Furniture Perfect in the garden; as a gathering and sitting area at BBQs, pool parties and get-together; or as your own little oasis in the middle of your backyard, outdoor furniture is social, sophisticated and multi-functional. Available in aluminum, wrought iron, the highest quality teak, bamboo and other woods, you can find outdoor furniture to complete any outdoor living space. The range of outdoor accessories is staggering. These are often designed to complement your outdoor furnishings. Consider solar-power or electric lights to line a pathway or any number of awnings or other shelter structures on your property. Add candleholders atop your outdoor tables. Pick up picnic accessories, chair cushions, outdoor games – no matter what type of luxuries you enjoy indoors, you can enjoy them outdoors, too, with outdoor accessories to fit every taste and style. Outdoor Sets In general, there are three types of outdoor sets. All three are made up of tables and chairs, although the types of chairs and size of the tables vary greatly. Patio dining sets are ideal for larger outdoor spaces, such as large patios or back porches. Bistro sets are designed for smaller spaces, such as an apartment balcony. The third type of outdoor set you will find is called a conversation set. Conversation sets often include an outdoor sofa and a few chairs accompanying a coffee table. Conversation sets tend to be larger pieces of furniture and fit most comfortably in big spaces. Outdoor Lounge Chairs Outdoor lounge chairs are typically fashioned from metal – often wrought iron – although synthetic materials are on the rise and offer the sophistication of metal and iron at a reduced cost. Outdoor lounge chairs are also available in hardwood and teak. Outdoor Benches Outdoor benches offer seating for 2 or more, depending on the style. Available with and without backs, outdoor benches are designed to accent and blend, and are the perfect accompaniment to furniture already decorating the space. Some people choose not to use benches for seating at all, but instead place an outdoor bench in the garden as a showpiece and setting for their prized plants. Outdoor benches are available in a variety of materials including concrete, wrought iron, teak and other metals and woods. Some benches offer the added benefit of extra storage. These benches are usually all-weather safe, and come in neutral-colored plastics designed to camouflage into the background. These benches are great for the garden and pool area, as they provide extra seating and a lovely place to store your stuff. Final Considerations for Outdoor Furniture When shopping for your outdoor furniture, think about the space you will be filling and the people who will be enjoying it. Also consider the weather conditions where you live. Outdoor furnishings should fit comfortably into the space, so if you are in the market for something to go on a patio or balcony, be sure to measure the area you want to fill. Is this furniture for BBQs and pool parties, or quiet coffee conversations with intimate friends? Do you experience long, harsh winters where you live, or are conditions generally mild all year long? Answering these questions will give you the information you need to pick the best outdoor furniture to fit your life and your style.

Wooden vs. steel furniture. which one should i choose

Furniture is an inseparable element in home decorating. It is furniture that makes the rooms in a home habitable/usable. Depending upon the use of the room, the quanity of furniture changes. In early ages a lot of emphasis was given on the size of the furniture. for example the king was give a "throne" which clearly stated his status within the society. From then furniture has become a fashion trend with furniture design as a complete profession in itself. Primarily furniture comes in two main body frames, wooden and steel. The wooden furniture then gets divided into many types of woods depending upon the type of furniture required. for example teak wood, cedar wood, cane furniture etc... The steel furniture also has varieties such as stainless steel, wrought iron furniture, etc... Very basic difference between the two types of furniture is the method of manufacturing them. Lets take a look at some of the basic pros and cons for these two types of fornuture body materials. 1) Wooden Furniture Wooden furniture is the most widely used and opted for type of material for furniture. The main reason is ease of use. Since wood is a soft material to work with (as compared to steel), manufacturing furniture with wood requires less amount of initial investment in terms of money. Carpentry skills required to carry of furniture jobs can also be easily learned, hence it is a popular type of furniture type. From users point of view, wooden furniture looks very aesthetic and because of its soft nature decoration can be easily made on wooden surfaces. 2) Steel Furniture Steel furniture has gained much popularity after the advances in technology in the metallurgy field. Manufacturing of steel furniture does require special tools and skills. The greatest advantage of steel furniture is its strength and lifespan. Steel furniture can be put under the category of "contemporary furniture". Because of the flexible manufacturing process, furniture with any size and shape can be easily designed and manufactured today. Wooden furniture does have certain limitations when it comes to shapes. But our main question remains unanswered! which one should you go for, wooden or the steel furniture? Of course there is not a straight forward answer for this question. You can go for a wooden theme or a complete steel theme design or a combination of both. But there is a different point of view for looking at it and that's visual quality.. Both wooden and steel furniture has got their own visual impacts on our mind. This visual impact will differ depending upon final finish of the furniture piece. So it's not just use of the furniture piece, but aesthetic features also matter a lot. If you go for "all steel" furniture theme your interior space might look like a modern and contemporary styles, which might not be acceptable at times. On the other hand the "all wooden" furniture theme might give your space a country type of look. Because furniture pieces are the first things which are visible when we enter any room, their selection greatly affects visual qualities of spaces. There is one more point to consider here. If you are the kind of person who likes to shift the furniture layout more often, go for steel furniture. Of course this is not the ultimate rule of the world. I am saying this simply because it is easy to transfer the steel furniture from place to place with the help of wheels. Thus whatever type of furniture you choose you must consider that it's not just usability but visual factors are equally responsible for the beauty of interior spaces. I hope you have enjoyed this text... Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

A study of furniture elements for smaller bedrooms

When we enter any bedroom the first thing we notice is the furniture. All humans always see interiors and all decorating ideas that are executed in "elevation". This means we always see the face of the furniture. Every object in the bedroom large or small has a direct relation to dimensions of the human body. This relation with our body decides the comfort level in a bedroom. If a double bed is oversized, it will naturally occupy more floor space by reducing the volume of empty space. That's why proportions of every furniture piece are vital to maintain comfort levels. Let's examine some important factors about bedroom furniture units. 1) Double Bed.... This piece of furniture occupies the maximum amount of floor space. A typical double bed measures about 1800mmX1800mmX450mm height. Of course this is a comfortable sized bed but can vary depending upon the requirements at the interior site. Double beds come in steel/wrought iron/wooden frames. The most important point to note here is that 80% of the structural framework gets covered by linen. The mattress, bed sheets, pillows cover most of the part that supports the load of the users. That's why the real beauty of a double bed lies in the linen used. Linen defines the shape of a double bed to some extent. The patterns and decorations used on the linen also ads to the overall design theme of the bedroom. The headboard of the double bed (the part of the double bed which stands behind the head when we lie down on the bed) is a prominent feature and can be used effectively by using semi-circular shapes. One creative use of the headboard is that we can add artificial lighting in it by providing blur glass and the effect of indirect lighting can be created. This is helpful if the master wants to read a book or magazine by relaxing in the bed itself. Most of the time we see that the space below the mattress is used for storing linen. This is done in the form of sliding drawers which slide out from sides. I have seen one more creative way of supporting the platform where the master lies down. By giving an angular slant to the supporting structure of the bed we can save valuable circulation space in a small bedroom. 2) Wardrobe.... A wardrobe is another element in a bedroom that creates a significant impact on the entire interior design theme. We always see a wardrobe in elevation. A typical wardrobe is most of the times measures 2100mm in height. The length and depth of the wardrobe differs from location to location but is typically around 1200mm in length and 600mm in depth for a single person's wardrobe. The internal compartments of a wardrobe are divided keeping in mind the various styles and sizes of clothes we wear. The internal design of a wardrobe also depends upon regional influences. For example in Japan, women wear a typical kind of dress or in Indian, most women wear a dress code called as "Saree" which needs much more space similar to trousers. Depending upon the requirements a wardrobe might also include a small "money safe" with locking arrangements, drawers for keeping smaller sized clothes such as under-garments. 3) Dressing Table.... A dressing table is a place to be happy about. This is the place where we spend a lot of time shaping our faces. A small bedroom may not have enough space for a dressing table. At such times the outer faces of the wardrobe can be used to fix a full height mirror. This also creates a reflection of the rest of the room it and thus creates an illusion of more space. A wardrobe needs special spotlight arrangements to throw light spot on the person in front of the mirror. This will include a flat mirror and small storage spaces for the makeup-kits, perfumes, etc... In a case where the mirror is fixed on the outer surface of the wardrobe shutter,(as mentioned above) the storage space for make-up kit can be arranged inside the wardrobe. 4) Study Table with extra storage desk.... A study table is just a place to do some important daily tasks Sometimes it is useful to keep a computer on it. This study table can be designed to include an elevated storage space for books/files. This combination of a study table and a book shelf is a great way to save space in small bedrooms. If the table top in not occupied by a computer or other objects, it can be made to fold and thus increasing more floor area. This was a very basic study of the most commonly used furniture items in a bedroom. There are hundreds of creative ways to improve the performance and efficiency of furniture items in interior design. This article was just a starting point to trigger the creative genius in you. I hope you have benefited from these words. Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

Saving money with kitchen cabinet refacing

Want to remodel your kitchen but think I would be to costly? Then consider kitchen cabinet refacing. The cost of kitchen cabinet refacing is considerably less than the cost of completely gutting your kitchen and in a much shorter time period. Kitchen cabinet refacing can be a terrific option to consider if you want a whole new look to your kitchen without breaking your budget. Kitchen cabinet refacing usually includes covering the exterior surface of your existing cabinets with a new laminate. The old doors and drawer fronts are then replaced with new custom-made doors and drawer fronts. The types of cabinet front choices are laminate and solid wood. Most homeowners intend to keep the layout of their kitchen the same particularly if the kitchen is well designed, well built and functional. So there is really no reason to tear the cabinets out. A new kitchen project can leave your kitchen unusable for a long as six weeks. Kitchen cabinet refacing can range from simply repainting existing cabinets and drawer fronts and updating hardware to stripping cabinet doors and applying veneer or other decorative elements. Refacing can also include completely replacing cabinet doors in a new style using new materials. By remodeling a kitchen you should expect to see a return on your initial investment of from 75 to 130 percent. You should find that depending on how old they are the existing cabinets are often of better quality construction than those made by today's standards. That is especially true or the quality sturdier cabinets you will find in vintage homes. You can save a substantial amount by updating your existing cabinets since they are already installed, leveled, finished, and operational. By going with a kitchen cabinet refacing instead of replacing the cabinetry you will actually be getting all the advantages of a major custom remodeling job at a much more affordable price. Since new kitchen cabinetry can be expensive, kitchen cabinet refacing can be a viable alternative since it can save you anywhere from 33-60% off the cost of putting in new kitchen cabinets. The cost of kitchen cabinet refacing will depend on the number of cabinets, the cabinet veneer and the hardware choices (hinges door knobs, etc.). The average cost of kitchen cabinet refacing can run about $7,500. Some other advantage of kitchen cabinet refacing includes: the work can be done in a very short time (a day or two). It is a more affordable and faster way of achieving a new fresh look for your kitchen than a complete remodeling job. Provides the kitchen with a whole new and fresh appearance. It also increases the home's value. Also with new kitchen cabinet hardware added to your kitchen cabinet refacing job will the newly refaced cupboards look like brand new custom built cabinets including better functionality with the intallation of roll-out shelves, better drawer slides and storage. In most kitchens the cabinetry provides the most visible area and therefore greatly influences the style and design of the kitchen. If the cabinets are dark the kitchen will feel darker. If the cabinets are scuffed and old looking this will make the kitchen look older and outdated. Kitchen cabinet refacing can do a lot to improve the look of the kitchen. Since only the outside surface of the cabinets are replaced the work can be done in less time and at considerably less expense.