Both nature and artificial lighting has being played such an important role for the kitchen design in the recent years not just for functionalities but also aesthetic and wellness as well. A well-lit kitchen always appears more pleasant to you no matter how simple it is. There are several ways to bring in more nature light into a kitchen space such as having new windows at the location that can be exposed to the most of the light during a day, enlarging windows and doors, making windows and doors as high as possible to close to the ceilings to bounce back more light, installing sky lights, etc.The lighter and high sheen paints also can reflect more light back to the room. The same rule applies for the countertops. But there is always a catch because the too shining and polished surfaces will create a lot of glares. We just need to be more mindful when we take consider of all of the design elements. There are 5 pillars of kitchen lighting design—task lighting, accent lighting , general lighting and ambient lighting and decorative lighting.Today we are going to focus on one of the pillars of lighting design –ambient lighting.
With most of us staying at home over 7 weeks, we more and more realize how important our home is to us, specially a healthy home. By this coming Friday, some businesses in California will be re-open. But we know it will take a while to go back the normal. And one of the facts of the new normal is that we will still have to spend more time at home. That being said, it may be a good idea to think a little bit deeper on how to create a home environment that makes us feel relaxing, soothing, comfortable and healthy. Rooms that inspire wellness create more comfortable and livable space for our daily routines. So, a healthy home is the foundation for a healthy life.
From today, we are going to talk 7ways to design wellness at home
Since we had a lot of vendors needed to visit in Vegas Winter Market 2020 and we also would like to sit in the seminars to lear about what’s new in the industry, so we can only limit our time to visit couple of big lighting showrooms. Here are 5 take-away on decorative lighting trends in 2020 based on what we saw on the market.
Ready for a tour?
Natural and organic forms and materials. This large-size drum pendant is covered with linen and we like this relaxing, casual organic form. And thanks to its large size, this pendant will make a focal point in any space in an elegant and calm way.
2. Natural quartz crystal is still the queen in decorative lighting industry. We had been to several large LED shows in 2019 and understand how LED transformed the whole lighting industry. But these two rock crystal LED lighting fixtures really play at a different level. They mix old with new by bringing LED technology to luxury design.
3. Yes, not surprisingly, a touch of Pantone Color of the Year 2020—Classic Blue.
4. Exotic influences—they always add so9me interests and surprises.
5. Jewels for home—more sophisticated and more delicate.
These LED wall scones are just like jewels on the wall.
Need some advises to finish your home projects, or look for custom-made product or need the whole interior design service, please contact us at info@khkdesignsinteriors.com . We are here to help.
I am always attracted to neutral rugs such as white and cream since they can complete any sophisticated interiors and add a touch of quiet elegance to these rooms.
White-on-White—the white rug , ceiling and sofa with varied textures together create soothing yet high-style decor.by White Webb. The cream rug is a perfect backdrop for upholstered classical furniture and adds a touch of modernity into this traditional living room.by Margery Wedderburn Interiors, LLCOuld Crispness and Old-world Charmby DH INTERIORS INC. A oversized rug truly make this living room as a get-away paradise.
By Madeline Stuart & Associates This cream rug is just like a canvas for the abstract artwork with pop colors.
Interested in our interior design package, please contact info@khkdesignsinteriors.com
So often, lighting bulbs are what we often ignore. I am wondering if this is mainly because the lighting fixtures always come without bulbs. What really frustrates me sometime is that vendors couldn’t provide a complete specs sheet specially for LED bulbs. Meanwhile, consumers don’t really think that these light bulbs are that important. But in reality, they are. Just think about it, by just flipping a switch, your mood changes immediately. Also, with LED starting to dominate the market , it is a little bit complicated to choose right LED bulbs than the traditional lighting bulbs in terms of color temperatures, dimmability and compatible dimmer options. Today, I am going to share 5 tips to choose right light bulbs.
1. Focus on fixtures and function
Number 1 rule is to always make sure the shape and base of the bulb fits into your fixtures. Also understand the purpose of lights: general /ambient lighting, task lighting, accent lighting, entertains lighting …etc.
2. Understand two terminologies: watts and lumens
Every package has codes on it for the amount of lumens and watts the bulb emits. Lumens are the amount of light emitted from a bulb. The more lumens, the brighter the light. Watts are the amount of energy a bulb uses. In general, the lower the watts, the less energy used.
3. Invest in LEDs
Although I mentioned at the very beginning that choosing right LED bulbs can be little bit complicated than traditional lighting bulbs but LEDS are 70 to 90 percent more efficient than traditional light bulb technologies and last more than a decade. It can be a few dollars a piece, and you can end up saving $80 or more over the life of each bulb in energy costs versus a comparable incandescent. As designer, what important to me is the great design flexibility provided by LED lighting such as indirect lighting, sculpture lighting , back-lit etc.
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4. A simple guide to specify a good LED lighting for residential application
a. Soft white—(2,700k -3,000k)
b. CRI > 90. As a rule, a CRI of 90 or more is considered high and anything below 80 is considered mid-range to low. You can click here to read more
c. Dimmer-ability without flick.
5. Think smart lighting. If you have different layers of lighting and more than 5 lighting fixtures in your home, wouldn’t be nice you can just turn on lights without extra hardwares with an ease. Smart lighting bulbs have a sensor on them and usually require a hub setup. I will talk about this more in a separate blog.
If you are like me and have some hard time to find good chanderlier bulbs, here are my recommendations:
In case you want to get to know a little bit about smart lighting system, here is Lutron’s Caseta bridge system.
Here are some led chandeliers you may be interested in:
A chandelier can actually hangs in any room to create a mood and to have a drama. And yes, besides just being pretty, there are several rules to hang a chandelier in different rooms. Let’s take a look.
Rule 1: In Dining Room
A handy rule of thumb is that a chandelier should be 12 inches narrower than a table. You should leave 12 inches of space between the outside edge of dining room chandeliers and the outer edge of round tables or the width edge of rectangular tables — as long as you have a table properly sized to the room. For example, a 48-inch-diameter table requires a 24-inch-diameter chandelier. To size chandeliers for large rooms and foyers, add the room’s length and width measurements together to determine the chandelier’s dimension in inches. For example, a room that measures 14 feet by 18 feet requires a 32-inch diameter chandelier.
The bottom of a chandelier over a dining table or kitchen island should hang 30 to 32 inches above the top of the table or kitchen island.
Rule 2: For 8′ ceiling height room.
Most rooms call for at least 7 feet of space between the bottom of the chandelier and the floor.
Rule 3: For rooms taller than 9 feet, please consider a two- or three-tier chandelier.
Rule 4: For a two-story foyer, a chandelier would need to hang about 9 feet off the floor, but if your two-story foyer has windows above the ground floor, you should center the chandelier in the windows, so you can see it from the outside. Ensure your ceiling will support the weight of your chandelier wherever you choose to hang it.
Rule 5: By knowing all the rules above and dare to break them once a while to create a little personality and drama. At the end of the day, it is your home.
One of the most exciting elements in the design world is lighting thanks to the fast-growing LED technologies. Only couple of years ago, I still had difficulty to find really cool design-oriented LED chandeliers. But, obviously not now. With advanced LED technologies, we have more freedom to design whatever forms and shapes we want in a non-traditional way. Here are 5 trends for high-end lighting fixtures I summarized after attending several trade shows recently:
LED lighting with different temperature colors.
Sculptural pieces to make a statement;
Large size with multi-materials;
Hand-made;
Details, details, details
Check out the following video to find out what’s cool in high-end lighting by yourself
