What I learned about lighting

I found a great article today about common household lighting mistakes.  Here it is if you want to read it yourself.  I copied the tips I found most useful.
Common Lighting Mistakes

• By dimming a light, we decrease energy and heat output, and lengthen lamp life.
• Lighting in the bathroom: Standing directly under a downlight, without any light at the sides of the face, creates exaggerated and unflattering shadows. In the bathroom, using a downlight over the sink is fine to accent the expensive polished nickel faucet you've specified, but it's insufficient for tasks like shaving, tweezing, and applying makeup. For this, we need light at the sides of the mirror at eye level to minimize shadows and provide even distribution. This can be achieved with sconces flanking the mirror.

And what's a post without a picture?

 

I love that table lamp... and the rug, and the mirror, and the ottoman, and the tulips, and the desk, and the pillow.  Okay, there's a lot I like about this picture.  I wish it was in my house.

Foyer Inspiration

This chandelier is really nice. Might look nice in the foyer.

I really like this light.  I don't think it would be right for the foyer, but I needed to share it.  They're designed by Amanda Nisbet.

I really like this light too.  It's different & interesting.  I wonder though, how it would be looking up at it from below?

Design by boston general contractor FBN Construction
This chandelier is gorgeous!  I think it would be too fancy for our foyer though ):

I think I'm going to attempt to make a sunburst mirror like this.  I think it would look great in the foyer.

eclectic mirrors design by moderndose.com
Speaking of mirrors... check out this one.  Ooohhhh!  Unfortunately, it's $695.00!!!  Too bad, so sad.

Kitchen Inspiration

The color we chose for the kitchen is called Pale Smoke.  That's the wall color in this picture.

According to http://www.decorpad.com/, where I found this picture, this wall color is also Pale Smoke.  Maybe this is what it'll look like with little natural light.

I'm so into gray right now. I love this!  The backsplash is a bit much though.

I like the gray floors & white cabinets here.  Although, I think the flooring may be a little too dark for our space.  I still like it.

This backsplash is nice.

I really like the way this backsplash was done.

I like the colors going on in this picture (if it was just a little lighter), although it's hard to picture in my kitchen since it looks so different from this.

This is just the look I imagined for our kitchen.  I love the counter tops & floor tile especially.

I keep gravitating to this flooring.  I really like the slate look, but I don't think this floor is slate.  Hmmm...  And the kitchen is almost identical to the picture above it.

These are travertine floors.  This is the shade of gray I think we need.  I also like the layout of the tile.  I like the look, but I guess it's not good for kitchens & food spills.  Boo.

I want this.  I saw it online at Lowe's for $174.

This one is also from Lowe's for $182.

This would look nice too.  Also from Lowe's for $129.

This is pretty cool too.  Notice the inside of the shade?  And it's only $99 at Lowes.

What a beautiful kitchen.  There's so many things about this kitchen that I like but I especially love the lights over the island.

I really like the tile & the lighting in this kitchen.  The wall color is similar to our kitchen.  The sink's pretty nice too, although I don't want a porcelain sink.

This is soapstone.  I like this with the little diamond shape in the middle.  That would look nice with a glass tile.

Look at the storage/organization in these cabinets.  Wow!  There's even drawers in the toe kicks!  Drool.