Style Illuminated

Need some sunny inspiration on a cold winter's day? Check out this Venice beach bungalow renovation project recently profiled in the L.A. Times.

We love the open space, the warm colors, and the unobtrusive recessed lighting. The contemporary pendant light adds some visual pop to the area and is scaled nicely to the room dimensions.

Check out the article, Beach bungalow sprouts a modern addition, and the wonderful photo gallery of the entire project.

Photo thanks to the L.A. Times.

On Wednesday, Apple announced its "next big thing", the iPad. Even casual gadget fans here in the office were keeping tabs on Gizmodo's live coverage of the press conference.

This morning, I'm picturing thousands of excited iPad owners hunched over their shiny new toys. And I can't help but think, with all these new gadgets to play with, we need to keep an eye on ergonomics.

Most of us spend lots of time in front of the computer, and here are a couple things you can do to help reduce strain on your eyes and your body.

Advancements in screen lighting have certainly made things easier on our eyes. Flat-panel screens are better than older CRT monitors, and the iPad has IPS screen technology which offers better off-angle viewing. But, there are still things we should do to protect our vision.

At your desk, be sure interior and exterior light doesn't reflect off the screen back into your eyes. Glare is fatiguing for the eye, so pull the curtains and make sure desk lamps focus down on paperwork or the keyboard. Don't get too close to that monitor ... experts say a distance of 20-24" is ideal.

Now, don't forget the rest of your body. The iPad seems to fit naturally in your lap, so make sure you've got a comfortable chair that keeps your back and neck supported. We have some excellent office chairs, and check out these desks, many of which are portable and perfect for laptops or your new iPad.

For more tips on reading lighting, see our article Page Turners: Lighting to Read By. Next, head over to this article at allaboutvision.com written by two Doctors of Optometry: Computer Eye Strain: 10 Steps for Relief.

photo courtesy of Apple

The Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is going on right now in northern China. The festival is, in a word, breathtaking. Amazing structures are created from ice and lit up with brilliant, colorful LED lights.

See Boston.com's fabulous pictorial, and start planning your trip for next year.

This post on Apartment Therapy got me thinking. The author, Lindsay Roberts, moved from the Pacific Northwest to the DC area and found herself inspired to add traditional/colonial accents. 

Should our interiors try recreate the time period in which our homes and neighborhoods were originally constructed? In the Southwest many homes are built to emulate a different time period than the modern age they were constructed in. What do we do then?

In any case, I found the items below for all of our East Coasters at heart. You can also check out our selection of traditional designs in almost every category. 

Robin, a LAMPS PLUS customer from Florida, was a grand prize winner in our recent photo contest. So, what did she buy with her winnings?

To put the finishing touches on her daughter's nursery, Robin brought home the Casa Deville Pretty in Pink Ceiling Fan. Using the Build-Your-Own-Ceiling-Fan feature at LampsPlus.com, Robin customized hers to perfectly fit little Lacey's nursery.

It looks fantastic ... congrats to Robin and Lacey!

Here is a "before" picture ...

... and two "after" shots:

The romance of Paris has been the subject of much wistful contemplation by design bloggers in the past few years. You can find multiple examples of Paris induced swoon on Elements of Style. And if you don't believe me, check out a Paris photo montage from This is Glamorous.

With this in mind, I present one of my favorite Lighting Collections, The Paris Flea Market ceiling and wall lights. May lighting-induced Paris daydreaming become a treasured part of your every day routine!

Try searching by collection for other inspiring designs if you want to redecorate an entire room or house at once. 

The popularity of sectional seating and sectional sofas has had an interesting impact: a rise in the popularity of arc style floor lamps.

Sectional sofas and arc lamps are a perfect match. The sofas tend to be low and spread-out, so lighting overhead from the arc lamp works well. The modern look of the arc lamp also fits the sectional style.

You can tuck an arc lamp base into a corner created by the sectional and get great lighting for the entire seating area. Check out our selection: arc floor lamps.

This vintage spirograph commercial brought back a flood of childhood memories. Cold winter afternoons spent pressing pens and pencils into small, toothed disks and then lamenting the loss of said disks...

To enjoy the nostalgia on a more permanent basis, consider our Spring Buds Handmade Rug. The color palette is very modern and versatile while the design is sweetly familiar.

Check out our selection of childrens' room decor for more ideas.

Our collection of giclee lighting and wall art features 1000's of exclusive patterns. In other words, there is a lot to choose from. I've narrowed it down (a little) to my top ten favorite giclee patterns. These patterns are available on table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, ceiling lights and more.

So, without further ado ... From cool to colorful, these are the designs that float my boat:

We've added a new version of our popular LED Light Show Ceiling Light.

The new design has a rectangular shape, so it's perfect for use as a wall sconce in hallways or media rooms. You can also install it on the horizontal for use as a bath bar.

It comes with halogen bulbs as well as LEDs. Use the included remote to make any number of mood-setting light effects at the touch of a button.

This type of LED lighting is going to be seen more and more in the future. Check it out now: Possini Euro LED Light Show Wall or Ceiling Light Fixture