Style Illuminated

Our new friend Lynda got our attention recently by posting pictures on our Facebook page. Lynda owns Focal Point, a growing interior design firm in Florida.

The pictures are from a recent project where Lynda completely refurbished the common areas of a small townhouse. As you can see above, our Moonlight wall mirror takes center stage in the living room. Thanks for uploading the pics, Lynda!

Read more about this project including lots of before and after pictures at Lynda's blog: Focal Point: Client Project.

We love seeing our products "in the wild." Upload your pictures to Facebook.com/LampsPlus or email them to community@lampsplus.com and we'll do our best to feature them!

Here's another look at our Moonlight mirror:

LAMPS PLUS Facebook reader Wanda recently asked us the following: "Please give me some advice about hanging wall sconces above an electrical outlet. Do I have to knock a hole in the wall to attach electricity between the sconce and the outlet?"

The short answer is, "yes". If you have a wall sconce that requires hardwire installation, and there's not junction box around, you are going to have to have an electrician install a box and wire it for you. If you are an advanced DIY type, you could do this yourself.

However, if the spot you want to install the sconce is directly above an existing electrical outlet, then I'd suggest using a plug-in wall sconce. These are super easy to install; if you can hang a picture you can install a plug-in sconce!

All you do is attach them to the wall, much as you would hang a photo or art piece, and plug them in. That's it! You can dress the hanging cord up with a cord cover for a fancier look, but there's no electrical work needed.

The hardwired sconces offer a more finished look, but for seating areas or around a bed, the plug-in wall sconces look great and offer an easy style fix.

They come in a wide range of looks. The Jonathan Adler Havana Sconce (above) and the Wakefield Daisies Plug-In Sconce (at the top of the post) are among my current favorites. 

Hope this info helps! 

We loved our Cylinder Glass Table Lamp so much that we made a square block version of it!

Like the cylinder lamp, this version can be filled with whatever you like - shells, stones, colored knicknaks, you name it.

Bored with the look? Swap it out for something else or leave it "au naturel".

Here it is with some pretty glass fish for a coastal decor look.

Or give it a Thanksgiving, holiday theme with seasonal items.

It's fun to try different looks by combining different items!

Get all the details here: Fillable Glass Block Table Lamp, or view more glass table lamps.

Post Update 1-30-12 - As Joe noticed below, this item has sold out and is no longer in stock. We still have the taller cylinder version available, however. Click the link at the top of the post to view.

With the new season of the hit TV show Glee in full swing, I thought it would be fun to re-post about the show's use of our Purple Bijoux Floor Lamp.

The lamp can be seen prominately in lead character Rachel's bedroom (see photo above) in a scene from last season.

We also have a matching table lamp and swag chandelier, if you want to get the full bijoux effect.

Flipping through the Glee photo galleries, I also spotted another one of our designs in a school office scene.

The pair of Orbital Brushed Steel and Wood Table Lamp designs looks very stylish used as desk lamps.

This design has a brushed steel finish base with cherry walnut wood accents and frosted glass.

With the on-off pulls this would also make a great bedside lamp. Take a look: Orbital Table Lamp. 

Hope these lighting choices help you Gleek out!

Glee photos thanks to Fox.com.

Today's Apartment Therapy L.A. House Tour is of a 1912 restored Craftsman home in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Among the beautiful details, I noticed that the owners used our Crystal and Chrome Pendant Chandelier to add style to their kitchen space.

The pendant has a chrome frame with hanging crystal accents. Around the frame is a black fabric shade with a subtle pleat. It's a great mix of old and new, the classic and the bling.  

You can hang this design as a pendant chandelier, but here they've shortened the cables to a semi-flushmount height to fit in the kitchen. You can see how it looks hung at pendant height in the photo above. Either way, I think it looks great!

Top photo thanks to Apartment Therapy.

The Fall season is here, with rain (in Los Angeles of all places!) and cooler temperatures. If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace to cozy up to, here are three ways to give it a whole new look for the season. 

Start with the fireplace tool set. These come in a wide range of styles, from ornate to rustic.

Most feature a brush, tongs and ashes scoop. Fancier designs, like the one above, give you storage for logs and kindling.

Next, you'll want to accent the mantel.

If you have just one large painting or photo above the fireplace on a mantel, try adding additional wall decor pieces.

Odd numbers of framed prints or wall decor items always look best, say 3 or 5. Matching prints, like those above, are a great way to add multiple items.

And you don't have to get fancy and hang them; just lean them against the wall for a more casual look that can be easily switched around. 

If you are stuck on using just one painting or wall decor accent above the fireplace, here's another approach to try.

Add decorative objects below the painting on the fireplace mantel to create a sense of depth and dimension.

The objects can be prized collectables from around your home or seasonal accents like pine cones and pumpkins. Candleholders, like the twig and branch-themed design above, are always a classic touch. 

Got an idea of your own? Let us know and we'll blog about it!

As Yoda would say, "For your patio buy these you should!" Ten Star Wars-themed party lights come on each twelve-foot-long strand. They’re incredibly cute!

There's a Clone Wars Yoda string light, Star Wars Yoda lights, a strand of Star Wars Storm Troopers lights and R2D2 string lights.

Use 'em inside or out to decorate your office cube, holiday tree, patio, or Podracer.

For that evening when things go bump in the night (mainly your kids zooming around on a sugar high), we present our Three for Thursday Halloween lighting accents. 

Set a spooky mood indoors with the Skull and Bones Night Light. It has a porcelain construction and a cool, eerie glow when illuminated.

More ghoulish skulls and bones, this time for the yard. The Black Skeleton Lighted Lawn Stakes are perfect for accenting porche areas, front walkways and gardens. The black metal skeletons feature glowing orange eyes. 

Finally, some witchy power. These Witch Party Lights look great around windows and doorways. They can be used indoors or out and have ten lights on a string.

Have a safe and happy trick-or-treating!

The Obama Oval Office got an official makeover recently, including a new rug, new sofas and a pair of Presidential blue table lamps by designer Christopher Spitzmiller. The blue is just about the only color in the otherwise neutral tone room.

I went looking for similar ideas in our table lamp section and came up with a couple of close matches.

The Haeger Potteries Blue Ceramic Table Lamp has the right tone of blue and the same rectangular lamp body shape as the Oval Office lamps, but the shade's not as tapered.

Haeger Potteries has been located on the Fox River, northwest of Chicago, for over 130 years, a fact that Chicagoan Obama might like! This blue ceramic is just another example of their beautiful designs.

For a slimmer look, the Prez could go with this Robert Abbey Blue Glass Table Lamp. It has a more formal look than the Haeger lamp, with an antique brass finish and a stacked pedestal base. 

AP News photo thanks to the Wall Street Journal.

Here's a bumper crop of good reads links for early fall. Enjoy!

The Arizona Daily Star wrote about decorating your front door with new outdoor lighting and door accessories.

Blogger Marty at A Stroll Through Life wrote about using one of our lamp shades and photo frames to create a classic table vignette.

The L.A. At Home blog in the L.A. Times had a nice post about the set design of the TV show Parenthood using some of our lighting designs.

I like the pinecone and twig natural accent wreath shown above. It's the perfect way to welcome in the fall season!