Style Illuminated

Designer Babette Holland has added new, hand-spun aluminum mirrors to her collection of lighting and home decor. Some feature a two-tone pattern, like this cool black and silver number. Babette Holland wall mirrors. Babette Holland lighting.

The Venice cottage of a famous muralist is the subject this unique Home Tour from the LA Times. The resident is an artist whose work can be seen above. This bedroom is actually a converted garage where the walls have been painted to resemble fake wood paneling.

The result is doubly romantic because the couple that lives there met in an Aspen cabin. Finally a storybook ending!

There really is nothing like the rustic lodge style for creating warmth and cozyness. To recreate the log-cabin ambiance check out our selection or see this style guide on the origins of this all-American style. To see more inspirational rustic interiors, check out our collection of rustic/lodge room scenes.  

Photo thanks to The Los Angeles Times.

A hammered iron base is topped by a beautiful Tiffany style glass shade in this new lamp design: Earthtones Mission Table Lamp. Part of the Robert Louis Tiffany lighting collection, it features over 100 pieces of Tiffany style glass. Tiffany lamps never looked so good!

WomansDay.com has posted a Home Makeover Cheat Sheet of low-cost, big impact home updates. Among the ideas: update your dining room lighting.

Designer Angelo Surmelis is quoted in the article. His idea is to choose a light fixture different from the room's style.

He picked this Stacy Garcia Harvest Dahlia pendant light and said, "It will add personal expression, rather than appear as though the look came out of a catalog.”

Aside from contemporary pendant lights, other ideas include oversized bathroom mirrors, cabinet hardware, and tableside lamps.

We've added a number of beautiful new wall mirror designs over the last few weeks. My personal favorite? This big sunburst mirror design that would be perfect over a couch or to brighten an entry area.

And in case you missed it, we're now offering all mirrors on LampsPlus.com with free shipping. So now you can see your reflection for less!

Sunset Magazine has posted a photo gallery of their Sunset-AIA Western Home Awards winners.

Among the things they share is a blurring of the boundries between the indoor and outdoor spaces, and energy efficient lighting and design.

Photo is of the Opie-Burleigh itHouse, in Three Rivers, California, thanks to Sunset Magazine.

Take a look at this pictorial series of a home listed in the San Francisco area (Photo courtesy of Openhomesphotography.com/bs) .

The house was designed in joint effort by an architect and a zen priest. I'm not sure what a "zen priest" is but his involvement did make me curious to see the house. You can find out more about the zen priest here.

The lighting seems to be mainly indirect, like the undercabinet lighting in the kitchen pictored above. If you want to try this in other parts of the house you could place spot lights behind architectural features and direct them at empty walls.

If the interior design resonates with you then look for natural materials and refined, utility-focused designs. Check out our selection of Asian-style wood home furnishings for a similar look.

Is your decor dripping with style? (Don't worry--this isn't going to be an idiom/pun assault.) A new line of barstools ups the ante with a liquidy look that recalls CGI effects in movies like T3 and The Matrix.

Before, it was cool to have computer animation that looked real; these days it's cool to have real things that look like computer animation. Who knew?

But it's not all eye candy; the practical advantages here are many:

There are no sharp edges to bonk elbows.

A convenient gas lift allows easy custom-tuning to your bar or counter height.

A built-in swivel lets you sit and spin. And a shiny chrome footrest lets you sit up high without risking foot-dangle.

Get them in a range of colors: white, black, silver, and blue (pictured).

Smooth move!

Tech Lighting is known for their beautiful, contemporary style picture lights and art glass pendants. Most of their pendants are also available for  track systems as well. You can find them here: Tech Lighting track lights.

We've added a number of new designs from them over the last couple of days, so be sure to take a look.

My favorite? This Kiev brown pendant design with frosted glass, perfect for a kitchen or bar area.

The Encore collection of ceiling fans from Possini Euro Design has been one of our most popular sellers. As an encore (heh), they've added a sleek and contemporary new design, the Possini Euro Design 44" Encore™ Brushed Nickel Ceiling Fan.