Having the right lighting in your kitchen is incredibly important. Especially in a larger kitchen, or one where you do a lot of entertaining, just your standard bank of fluorescent lights probably isn’t going to cut it. Good kitchen lighting comes in layers – that means different types of light different quantities of light, and light in a lot of different areas, not just in the cente

With kitchens trending larger and larger and the move toward more open floor plans, the kitchen is increasingly becoming the center of the home. Large kitchen islands, rather than separate dining areas, allow you to entertain while you cook and clean, enabling your chef to be part of the party… and for the party to offer a helping hand. With that in mind, it only makes sense to show your kit

Choosing the right lighting is incredibly important to giving your home a look and feel that’s all your own. With so many lighting fixtures out there – literally thousands of designer sizes, styles, and types of lights – the lighting fixtures you choose are a chance to showcase your unique personality and style. Nowhere is this more true than with foyer lighting. Whether you have

Earth Day 2012 is upon us, and even if you aren’t the type to take to the streets about environmental issues, there are more than a few reasons to celebrate the day. In big and little ways, making your home environmentally friendly can really do wonders for your bottom line. From more efficient appliances to lower water bills and even government rebates and tax credits, going green can get y

I’m a strong believer that lighting should always always do double duty in your home. Light is a necessity, but filling your home with no-nonsense, forgettable task lighting is doing your dec0r a real disservice. While some generic, bargain bin table lamps or floor lamps, for example, might blend in to the background, that’s exactly the problem. A good table lamp isn’t one that f

Lighting is one of the most important elements of bathroom decor – decadent, layered bathroom lighting can really make the difference between a so-so design and something really stunning, purely by virtue of the warm, inviting feeling of lots of lighting. That said, once you’ve figured out what kind of functional lighting you need, there’s still plenty of room left to find fun, s

There area a lot of elements that go into great bathroom design. From the shade of your tiles to the size of your tub, it’s attention details, big and small, that really make a remodel shine. But it’s all too easy to forget about bathroom lighting – and it can be especially difficult to get it right when you can’t see how any given fixture will illuminate your space until i

Kitchen remodels have always been the strangest ones for me. You see, I really love to cook, but cooking is messy, and splattering spaghetti sauce on a kitchen that otherwise looks like it belongs in a magazine doesn’t quite sit right with me. A few years back, a relative of mine did a whole kitchen remodel – Viking appliances, granite counter tops, and beautiful cherry woodwork. It lo

It used to be that kitchens were places reserved solely for food preparation, off limits to guests and family members alike. Food was served at a set time in a separate room, and whatever magic went into making it was a mystery to the people eating it. But the modern American kitchen is a very different one. With our busy schedules, and a steadily increasing number of homes with both parents wor

Growing up, I remember spending long evenings in the winter camped out around the fireplace at my grandparents house. I’d spend hours curled up by the fire reading, soaking in the heat and just enjoying watching the dancing of flames. But if you don’t already have a fireplace, installing one is all but impossible – at least a traditional one. If you love the look of natural fire,