Tag / interior design

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: Exterior

When designing your house, it is important to consider how to light the outside just as much as the inside, and there are several different options to consider when deciding the best for your home. Some options are garden spike lights, flood lights, wall lights, security lights and post lights to name a few that are available to you. Like bathroom lighting there is an IP chart to consider, with the lights being outside and exposed to rain they will need to be waterproof. As well as this there are lights which are splash proof and fully submersible if you are looking at buying lighting for a pool.

Lighting your exterior is vital especially when you are coming home at night, it keeps your pathways lit up and makes it able to see what you are doing in the morning. Security lights are also useful for this as they turn on based on proximity due to an internal sensor. Floodlights can also come outside, and certain models are included with PIR units to light up a large section of your exterior space when activated. Spike lights, however, allow you to light up specific areas of your garden if you wanted to highlight a certain feature in your garden. Pedestals are ideal for general lighting and letting people visiting know where they are going.

PIR and dusk to dawn motion sensors are usually available separately though can be found built on in some fittings. A PIR triggers by heat movement, which will then activate the light for an allotted time which can be set on the PIR unit. Dusk to dawn sensors work differentl, turning on at night and turning off in daytime.

Exterior lighting is great to have in summer especially for those who host a lot of barbeques or parties to allow the party to go on late at night. If you want to turn on your outdoor lights from inside waterproof sockets available with remote control to allow you to activate them remotely.

by sherwoodlights

Top Interior Lighting Trends for 2019

When searching for the best interior lights for your house, it is good to look at the currently trending pieces to get the best idea on what will truly give a modern and trendy look to the home, look at some of the suggestions we have for you below!

MID-CENTURY MODERN

Mid-century modern covers several decades of simple yet elegant style. It is a trend that is not going to go away anytime soon.

The mid 20th century was an iconic style era for interiors. Whether you want to fully immerse yourself in the style with furniture and decor or just dip your toe in, our lighting designs can help you achieve the desired effect.

With ways to add a pop of colour to your industrial style living space or a piece of art in the form of a fabulous floor lamp, this trend is certainly one that can suit all tastes. 

Clean curves, bold designs or natural shapes are all part of this style. Whether you want to incorporate your light into the design of the room and have it blend in or add a pop of colour to make it stand out, our pendant lights are the perfect solution. A bold single pendant light may be what you want or if you have the space, maybe consider adding a row of suspension pendant lights.

Arc floor lamps make a beautiful feature in the corner of a living room to create an ambient reading area. Whereas a tripod floor lamp may fill a space in a hallway creating a great artistic piece.

A bedroom may benefit from the organic curved table lamp placed on a bedside table to create a luxurious hotel boudoir feel.

ART DECO

Although part of the mid-century design period, the art deco designs are more angular and sharp than the ergonomic curves of the rest of the era.

A strong geometric pendant light would make a great centrepiece for any room in the house where you want to add that art deco feel.

What 2018 has brought forth from all designs, however, is a more fun and relaxed aspect to the design. The lighting is more of a piece of functional art creating a focal point in the room.

RETRO URBAN INDUSTRIAL STYLE

The modern twist on industrial lighting may still incorporate the rustic finishes and neutral colours of the original designs but are now much more sleek.

Metals are more rich and varied in their tones, think about the finish being more smooth and stylish than the original industrial styles, having undergone a makeover to make it less harsh.

The fixtures themselves are now considered more of a piece of art bringing a room together. Whether this is through unique designed wall lights or a decorative centrepiece above your dining area, there are lighting solutions to suit all areas.

This mid-century modern updated industrial style suits the 21 st century home interior design beautifully. 

SOFT METALLICS

In contrast to the bright colours and polished metals of the mid-century designs, another interior lighting trend we see this year is soft gold fittings.

With a move towards various gentle toned colours as a trend for decor, these soft metallic finished lights are a way to perfectly bring a room together.

Using warm pendant lights for a natural glow or lighting a dark corner with a floor or table lamp with the matte finish of this soft gold is going to help finish off the mellow feel of your room.

Whatever design you choose, it is important to think of the function of the lighting as well as the feel of the atmosphere you are trying to create. A kitchen will require quite different lighting, for example, to a bedroom. We are sure that you will find the lighting solution to suit your design and taste within our range.

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: Bathroom

 Hi Light readers! Next for our lighting guide series, we are moving onto the Bathroom!

It is not uncommon for anyone to face a few obstacles when choosing lighting for the bathroom, being the wettest room in the house safety is essential and therefore strict guidelines are best to keep to. Making sure the lights stick to an IP rating is the best way to find a suitable fitting that can handle the moisture that will inevitably build up within the room.

Do not be turned away by the regulations however, as there is a lot of different lights to choose from that meet them and not just your usual flush lights! Spotlights, bulkheads, wall lights and chandeliers also come in IP ratings with certain ranges to give a nice selection for you to browse through. Within the above IP ratings chart there is also many different zones that will determine which light you are able to select. Once you have worked out which of these you want, you can then ensure the fitting will provide enough light for its everyday usage such as brushing your teeth, showing and such whilst keeping a relaxing level of light.

Apart from your ceiling lighting you should also take in mind whether there is any wall feature such as a cabinet or a mirror that you wish to light up. When turning on your bathroom lighting it is appropriate to use a pull cord switch for optimal safety, and to ensure the circuits are protected by RCD. As well as this you should make sure the lighting you order is in line with current IP regulations otherwise the electrician will not be able to fit them.

Please like and share this guide this helped you, and we shall see you soon with our next guide!

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: Bedroom

When organising the best lights for the bedroom, you need to make sure that you don’t choose any options that contain a strong or harsh light as it will often be the same from when you wake up till when you go to sleep in the evening. You want a more ambient light to provide a more relaxing tone whilst in the bedroom. The best part about picking bedroom lights is that you don’t need to conform to one type of light, the choice is yours! Whether you want a larger very flashy piece, a simple flush fitting or a wall light there are many options to choose from. You do need to bear in mind however that the choice needs to be something that can fit everyday use.

Table or wall lights can be used to supplement your ceiling lights, allowing an ambient light with reliance on the main ceiling fixture, which you can also save electricity with by using task lights. You can also put your main lights on a dimmer switch if you want the lighting levels to be adapted. Make sure to also take in mind the general colour of your room such as the bed sheets, the metals and the sockets so you can match your fixtures to compliment the rest of your setting, and what light would suit where such as a bedside lamp while reading.

The setting of a room and the way you go about lighting it also depends on the family member you are decorating for, if you are decorating for your child we recommend focusing on bright lighting and if they are in school a good table lamp for homework and other activities. When doing this however, you must also focus on the materials used on the light, we would not suggest a fixture with a glass shade as this can cause damage when broken, having a light that is a bit more sturdier to damage is what should be focused on.

Below we have included some lights we think would suit the bedroom, please like and share with your friends!

by sherwoodlights

Light Deals: Top 10 Lights under Â£150!

Hi Light readers! Today we have some spectacular deals for you at affordable prices! We went through our favorite ranges under £150 for your viewing pleasure. Please take a look at our current top 10!

Rehan 5 Light: This light is a compact modern style ceiling fitting set in a delicate clear ripple glass shade with decorative wire inserts to create a beautiful lighting effect. Ideal for low ceilings this light gives out a great sparkle.

Zeke 6 Light: The twin wall glass shades of this beautiful feature contain a spun glass inner layer which really sparkles in the light. Finished in polished chrome with a height of 390mm which is suitable for most modern low ceiling rooms.

Decima 3 Light: This simple and practical semi-flush fitting features a satin nickel frame and tall satin opal glass.

Tack 5 Light (Retail Only): This pendant has vintage-style prismatic glass teamed with antique chrome metalwork, suiting industrial styling and modern interior looks.

Elise 4 Light (Retail Only): This circular chrome finish fitting has aluminium tubes in a criss-cross and straight lined pattern around the outside. And the centre of the fitting is adorned with clear crystal button drops, which sparkle beautifully when the lights turn on. The wire suspension can be adjusted for different ceiling heights.

Zephyr Easy-Fit Pendant + Suspension Kit: This is a wonderful two piece Featuring coloured ripple glass, this easy-fit pendant is designed to fit directly to existing wire and lamp holder and is easy to install without the need of tools or an electrician. This second part is the suspension kit, coming in multiple finishes also you can find one to fit any easy-fit in this range.

Suri 1 Light: This pendant comes in chrome or brass feature frames and boasts a beautiful sparkling array of faceted beads and drops.

Decade 3 Light: This Pendant has a dichroic glass inner shade and a clear glass outer surround. The fitting is fully height adjustable at point of installation.

Tower Table Lamp (Retail Only): This contemporary table lamp features a graphic frame in matt black with copper detailing.

Frederick Floor Lamp: The floor lamp in the popular Frederick range is a neat space saving floor lamp in soft gloss grey with a cool Nordic look, warmed up with the gorgeous copper metal work and grey braided cable.

We hope you enjoyed the ranges we provided for you, make sure to like and share these choices, and we shall see you in the next post!

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: Kitchen

Great lighting is an essential piece of crafting that vision of your dream kitchen. There are, however, several types of kitchen lighting to think of! Whether recessed spotlights, under cabinet strips or a nice bar pendant it is paramount that you choose something that is perfect for you. The kitchen is an important space in the house for cooking, working or even general socialising so you want to make sure you have the correct light level and style whilst keeping the energy cost at a minimum.

We would recommend using LED lamps in this setting to prevent high energy usage, with the kitchen being used frequently this will lower your usual energy cost by a dramatic amount and stay cool compared to your usual halogen or incandescent alternatives. As mentioned in our previous guide, LED Lamps have a much longer lifespan and come with longer guarantees, as well as offering options for which colourway you wish to adopt as well as options for dimming. For example, for a more modern setting a cool white look would compliment it, with the warm white variant being more apt for traditional settings.

Remember, that a kitchen is a practical space, lighting is key. You need to make sure that there is sufficient lighting within the room so you may work. Sadly, one of the best options are down-lights, dotting a few down-lights around the kitchen will give you a nice even spread of light across the room. Flush Lights will also work well in this setting, these lights will hug the ceiling and will generally give a good spread of light across the kitchen.

Personally, I believe that if you have a larger kitchen area, you should stay clear of spotlights. This is mainly due to shadowing issues; spotlights will provide a cone/beam of light to one area but will not provide light anywhere outside of that set area. If you have a kitchen island/breakfast bar, utilise this space by using pendants. Since this is dead space meaning no one will run into it, you can get away with having something a bit more extravagant. Whether you are having single pendants or a bar pendant, we suggest having an odd number of them, to help provide the spacing across the island.

Another area that is worth looking at is task lighting, these are usually under-cabinet lights and are used for decoration or to generally light the worktop. There is a lot of variety when it comes to this style of light including LED and fluorescent strips, tape or discs just to name a few.

Top Tips for Choosing the best Lighting for your Kitchen:

  • Match your metals in the room, if your room features one particular metal colour match those with ceiling lights.
  • Match the colourway of your pendant to other metals that are in the kitchen. I.E Door handles, plug sockets and decorative features.
  • Make sure all the bulb is in the exact same colour to prevent any clashing in light output.
  • Know your measurements, the key is balance; Not too big and not too small.
  • Layer the lights you have in your kitchen, have a set of lights that are used for function and have a set of lights that are used for decoration and/or mood lighting.

Choosing the perfect light for the kitchen can always be a daunting task due to the amount of choices open to you, although see below for some options we think could start you off! We hope this guide proved helpful! Please like and share these guides to all your friends! And see you next week light-readers!

Flush Lighting

Pendant Lighting

by sherwoodlights

The Old made New again? Vintage LED Bulbs Edison style!

Hi Light readers! Today I am bringing you an info bite on a retro piece that is becoming very popular in the industry lately, I am of course speaking of Vintage LED Bulbs! Very fashionable for both home and commercial use, these bulbs make use of advanced LED technology to have the old-fashioned vintage style and the soft warm glow it gives out without the painful cost of operating a traditional incandescent bulb.

Owing to their retro vibe, these bulbs are an interesting addition to spice up plain walls or basic fixtures. Their warm glow is perfect for showing off the bare bulb, we find its very effective especially in pendants.

These bulbs are heavily reminiscent of the classic Edison style bulbs used in the 20th century. Whilst they were unapologetically inefficient in an incandescent style, the all new LED are perfect for a low cost yet traditional appeal.

With led bulbs increasing in popularity in the last 5 years, ranges of increasingly popular designs have been made available. In the present these retro styled bulbs can be bought in many different shapes and sizes such as; candle, flame tipped and globe, running them is the equivalent of a tenth of the energy it takes to run an incandescent.

We at Sherwood Lighting have a selection for ranges in this ourselves, feel free to take a look!

B22 Rustic LED Vintage

E27 4W LED Vintage

ST64 6W LED Vintage

by sherwoodlights

BANNED BULBS!!

Hi Light-readers! a quick news blast for something that has been in effect for near a year now, but I wanted to fill you readers in on the fact that both incandescent and halogen bulbs are now ILLEGAL to manufacture and due to that it is rare that you will find them being sold.

Consumers have mostly been left in the dark on this change, with a survey commissioned by LED manufacturer LEDvance showing that 64% of consumers were unaware of the pending ban, which is crazy! So i hope that this newsbite hits you all and gives a bit more awareness that our industry is moving towards more energy efficient and longer lasting alternatives.

Why was it banned you say? Let me tell you! This is the final stage of a European Union directive (EC 244/2009) that has progressively banned less efficient light sources, with the aim of improving energy efficiency and cutting carbon emissions across the EU, starting with traditional incandescent light bulbs in 2009.

The directive is part of an ambitious Ecodesign project to improve energy efficiency across a range of domestic appliances from light bulbs to washing machines.

Halogen light bulbs fall foul of the regulations as they use much more energy than alternatives such as LEDs or compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. They also have a relatively short lifespan of around 2,000 hours – approximately two years when used for around three hours per day.

Don’t fret though! LED bulbs might be a tad more expensive than your usual bulb purchases, but they can last up to 25x more than a standard halogen or incandescent, and also give the same amount of light as any halogen whilst using less energy.

We have LED bulbs available in our very own store! if you are interested please check out our own ranges here

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: Living Room

Considered to be one of the most used rooms in your household, the lounge/living room is the ideal first step on the journey to fabulous lighting. The key to mastering the living room lies within balance and layering. Ensure that your light is of perfect size to balance with the room, a light that is too big will hog the room space and draw too much attention away from the rest of the décor. Additionally, a light too small will not bring enough attention to the room, you need something that is just right to perfectly compliment the effect you wish to bring to your setting.

Second step is to consider layering, once you have got a good ceiling light think about layering up with matching wall lights, table lamps and/or floor lamps to not only add to the rooms décor but to add to the versatility of the lights in your room.

Make sure to look for ranges that have matching table and floor lamps in their ranges.

Consider any existing metal that is in the room already; such as door handles, wall sockets or fireplaces, if you are not planning on changing them, then match with the lighting. Don’t worry about matching too closely to any existing metal colours as quite often a two-tone metal colour works very well anyway (I.E Polished chrome and satin chrome).

Make a relaxing tone by using soft coloured metals and implementing opal glass and/or silks and fabrics. This will help diffuse the light meaning a softer tone throughout the room which isn’t as harsh and piercing on your eyes. Ultimately this gives a much softer and relaxed tone to the living space.

Match Ceiling Lights to table and floor lamps.

Consider the natural light that is coming into the room, anything like windows, doors or conservatories can provide an abundance of natural light and will play a key role in selecting how much light you want from your fittings. A final point to consider, if your using this light frequently it is worth investing in LED bulbs, with up to 90% energy saving and lasting up to 25 times longer than your usual incandescent or halogen light bulb these will maximise the efficiency of the lights.

I hope you enjoyed our first lighting guide! Please make sure to comment, like and share as well as telling us if there is any specific room you want us to touch upon next!

by sherwoodlights

Lighting Guide: An introduction

All too often a stunning interior is left lacking in one department; the answer is lighting.

But why? Well, lighting is often one of the last things that people think of when decorating, and it’s a shame because it can really make or break the room. The key is balance, whether the light is too bright, too dark, big, small or even matching to the room’s décor; this can negatively impact the statement that people try to make in their room.

There are three main types of lighting within a domestic setting; ambient, task and accent. Applying all three (known as layering) to a room will not only give you, the user/owner more versatility but may even boost the décor of the room. So, lets breakdown what these various terms mean:

Ambient- also known as general lighting, this form of lighting will provide you with your main source of light throughout the room, most commonly seen as your ceiling light and in certain environments, even wall lights.

Task- yes you have guessed it, task lighting is to provide much needed light to a task. Intended to assist in completing a task such as reading and writing, crafts and hobbies and cooking. Effectively using this form can help prevent eye strain and glare, so make sure to use one of our high output led bulbs. Not only will these provide plenty of light but will have a low wattage and will last many years.

Accent- otherwise known as mood lighting, highlight key objects or features to further bring attention to them; examples such as, artwork, cabinets, sculptures or architectural feature.

Master the lighting in each room by installing separate switches or dimmers and ‘layer’ your lights.

Make sure to keep up to date with our lighting guide posts and we shall expertly go over from room to room, function to function and explain the do’s and don’ts and give helpful tips and tricks to make even the most basic rooms a quality setting by the time we are done.