You may have heard the terms “industrial chic”, “industrial rustic” and “new rustic”. What does this mean?

Instead of tracks on the ceiling, golden windows and reflective floors like Architect Gary Chang’s 344 square foot “Domestic Transformer” home in Hong Kong, this look uses oxidized bronze and worn-looking natural materials.

Instead of creating a technological marvel with refrigeration, electricity and running water built-in moveable walls, industrial chic is about upcycling for green design. The “Domestic Transformer” looks like the futuristic taxi driver’s apartment in the movie “Fifth Element”.

In contrast, this modern rustic style mixes contemporary staircases with vintage agricultural tools. You can view Chang’s “Domestic Transformer” on YouTube.

Industrial Chic Giaveno Drum Pendant Lighting by Uttermost Lighting

For example you are likely to see wood crates re-imagined as bookshelves and re-purposed farm equipment as lighting instead of wheels, tracks and shiny chrome. Giaveno by Uttermost Lighting fits right into this idea of new rustic. Pair this large oxidized bronze drum pendant lighting fixture with industrial barstools and you have a new rustic eating area. You can read more creating this look in your own home. Visit Centsational Girl and read her post about “The New Rustic”. Caroline Boneham also writes about “Industrial Rustic Chic”. The interior design blog, Live Breathe Decor also writes about “Rustic Industrial.” The blog, A Furnished Life, also features rustic decor in the modern city.

Trans Globe Lighting

The picture above simply shows a contemporary living room with a crystal chandelier. This is not industrial modern decor.

What would transform this decor into industrial chic? Remove the carpeting and expose bare wood floors. Switch out glass coffee table with a low table made of reclaimed wood from a farm auction. You can choose to keep the airy chandelier to contrast the heavy woods with light crystal. If you prefer rustic table lighting on a modern clear acrylic table, consider table lamps with carved reclaimed wooden bodies.

Trans Globe Lighting

You may have heard that home decor trends with names like “Process”, “Enlightenment”, “Protection” and “Heritage”. What are three affordable ways to incorporate some of the trendiest ideas for 2012?

First, you can select a subtle version of turquoise or teal for “Enlightenment” to your walls. Why not choose an eco-friendly material such as reclaimed wood for your walls? You can consult ApartmentTherapy.com for advice how to care for salvaged wood from farm auctions and craft fairs. Notice that the wood paneling used in the Trans Globe Lighting room setting above is a subtle teal-gray? You can also set out a homemade fabric covered tray of turquoise rocks for visual interest. Learn how to upcycle a cookie sheet into a decorative tray through a tutorial by FreeStylin’. For the new year, dare to use orange  accent pillows or a dark red Southwestern rug in a room with teal. Choose a lovely worn-looking handmade rug and you’ve adopted a piece of the “Heritage” trend too.

Aladdin Light Lifts

In the trend called “Process”, you are encouraged to decorate rooms by layering the color green. You can manage this without making your house look like a year-round St. Patty’s Day celebration by selecting different textures for your green accents. So second, you can concentrate on green to update your home. For instance, you can vary the depth of green in wools, silks, gauzes and lace. You can also mimic the use of faux greenery like Aladdin Light Lifts has done. If you want to avoid the Scarlett O’Hara curtain look from “Gone With the Wind”, avoid green velvet window treatments. Instead upcycle green sweaters into accent pillows. Craftingagreenworld.com shows you how to transform your old sweaters into modern furnishings. eHow also can give you inspiration how to layer green with their “Tinkerbell and Fairies” tutorial. You don’t have to follow each step. Instead think how green furniture might look with a purple ottoman or table lamp. Purple is another color for 2012 and a fun contrast to green. Just avoid purple and green dino references for a sophisticated palette.

Uttermost Lighting

If you like the idea of silver accents, birdcages but not lace consider vintage-looking light fixtures. This one by Uttermost Lighting looks like a milk can. Beauty can be found in rusted welding seams and oxidized birdcages. The “Protection” theme plays with the idea that something fragile can still create a shield. Use this third idea, if you like vintage silver. Why not place a delicate flower in a vintage birdcage? The flower can be artificial and you can wrap a cloud of gauze around the cage to soften the lines. You can leave the birdcage rusty or repaint it with pearlized paint. You can balance the room decor with the feminine and masculine. Contrast hefty furniture with floating decorations from the ceiling. Try home accessories salvaged from a real life farm such as washboards and fruit labels. Hang farm implements as wall art and use jugs as vases. Add geometrically shaped mirrors in the room against exposed stone fireplaces. Revive a hutch with mirrored squares and inexpensive vintage silver accessories found while “thrifting”. As HGTV Christopher Lowell says, “Merchandise”. Accessorize your mantels and bathroom counters with found items with mirrored surfaces.

Drum Pendant Lighting Fixture Uttermost Lighting

Make a dramatic statement in your living room with this large drum pendant lighting fixture from Uttermost Lighting. The matte black finish and silken warm beige fabric shade has a floral border.  A warm gold glows from within. Be prepared for compliments. This New Orleans drum pendant light feels richer because of the detailing. Pair this with a sophisticated palette of cobalt blue. Select furniture in authentic of faux dark leather.

Check out Benjamin Moore’s ColorPulse experts on trends for home decor. You’ll discover what draws the eye to architectural details of your room. My favorite topic is practical decor that looks divine. This is it! This affordable home lighting fixture communicates luxury. You may not want all the trappings of a 2012 dream home with marble countertops, gauzy window treatments, pixilated orange and gray wall art, and one- of-a kind acrylic table. However, you can make certain aspects of the hottest trends part of her personal style. For example, if you have a home with Moroccan or Southwestern decor add darker reds. Treat yourself to a purple silk pillow. Experiment with mauve.

If you don’t prefer acrylic as a material, still to natural fibers for your home and save acrylics for accessories rather than large pieces of furniture. This gorgeous drum pendant is the perfect bridge between the Near East and the West for home decor.

What can you learn about home interior design for 2012 from Anjelica Huston? When she asked for her sculptor husband to build their Venice, California home around the idea of an egg she was forward thinking. Believe it or not, one of the four color and design trends for homes in 2012 include the egg or ovoid shape. Why? Because it symbolizes rebirth and the shape lends itself to futuristic interpretations of art, lighting and furniture. PLC Lighting carries a collection called Jewel that has hand-cut crystal and chrome contemporary wall sconces that would fit well with this trend.

What else is coming in 2012? Benjamin Moore Paint held its ColorPulse convention for Color Trend Spotting for the upcoming year. What are some dominant themes? Jewel tones such as amethyst, sapphire and ruby.

Who else agrees with this paint giant? Blogger Susan of YourHomeOnlyBetter and Sabal Homes Realtors.

What are some easy ways to pull off a luxe look without spending too much money? Since texture is big for 2012, you can use tutorials to make cushions out of your wool sweaters and accessories out of your silks. In addition, since leather and wood are in fashion for the upcoming year you can fake it. You can find faux leather ottomans. You can find salvaged wood for tables. In fast, salvaged wood makes beautiful dining tables or exteriors as seen here.

Wilmette Lighting Salvaged Wood Exterior

What if you don’t like the Southwestern look? You may not prefer totems or worn rugs but you may like Southwestern pottery. Why not add Southwestern cookware to your kitchen as a subtle reference? Other choices for what is called the “Heritage” trend allow for upcycling retired suitcases into tables and shelving. Handcrafted lace and fossils are also encouraged. Remember that seashells are a type of fossil. You can also magnify fossilized leaf prints from reference books and create your own paperart. If all else fails, plop a coffetable books about the Southwest or fossils in your living room.

How can you update your home decor further if you already have teal and turquoise accents? Have you integrated your home with navy blue and indigo? These blues are in fashion now and so are darker reds. Imagine what you can do pairing your blues with saturated neutrals such as sandstone or taupe. As seen below, you can even choose dark red walls for your bathroom.

Wilmette Lighting Wall Sconces

If your favorite color is purple, you are in luck. For the trend called “Enlightenment”, grape purple, colbalt blue and silver is highly encouraged. Envision water blue, vapor-like clouds and futuristic design. Create mystery with gauze. Consider gauzy, vapor-like window treatments in a home that uses solar power. Check out new functional acrylic sculptures like Emmanuelle Moureaux’s Shibafu stick table. Be prepared to be amazed by playful designs in acrylic for the home. Lite Source Lighting, among other lighting manufacturers we carry, makes clear acrylic body contemporary table lamps. The off-white pleated shade is the deep cream that is on trend.

What if you are more of a geek? Tech lovers can rejoice. “Process” trend will feature 3D art that makes use of soundwaves. You’ll use digitally pixilated wall art in red, orange and gray to decorate your home. You’ll grow food in portable greenhouses. You’ll show off mazes and maps as home accessories. If you don’t like jewel tones or purple, that’s fine. Layer green upon green and you’ve updated your home.

Wall Light by Wilmette Lighting

What if you prefer vintage? Some of you may collect vintage shirtdresses and feel reluctant to make you home look futuristic. The trend called “Protection” is for you. In 2012, you can decorate your home with bird cages and blown glass. The theme is to showcase the fragile yet strong. We are all strong and vulnerable, right? Select gray for your walls and slate for your table lamps. Adorn your home with bronze, silver and lace. Communicate an inviting home with quilts. Think of pearlized paints, black and gold. Fredrick Ramond Lighting includes pendant lights, like the one below, with hand blown glass ornaments. Allow yourself to experiment with purple, mauve and fig accents.

Table Lighting Marco Collection by Murray Feiss Lighting

Winter greetings from Affordable Lamps! Today is the first of December.

Nothing makes me laugh harder this winter holiday season than funny police blotters. Why? Because I like hearing about thwarted criminals doing dumb stuff. You can read about the “19 of Funniest Police Blotters Ever” through the Huffington Post. My favorite blotter is the one with the criminal replying “Polo” to the policeman’s “Marco”. Speaking of Marco, Murray Feiss Lighting has come out with transitional table lamps with that name. Why not do some holiday shopping online to reduce holiday stress?

The Marco 1-light table lamp has a tall thin base much like a buffet table lamp. The table lighting base has triangles and spheres and can pass for contemporary art. However its coppery bronze finish would help it blend also among traditional home accessories. What do you think of the sepia brown linen shade? Since it’s 37″ high the tall, lean lines work well in a traditional home library or contemporary home office. I am also a big fan of DwellingGawker. It’s another virtual bulletin board of images except with photos of home interiors. What will be a great context for transitional table lamps? Look there for inspiration.

Right now I am also following bloggers of CraftaholicsAnonymous, The Weathered Bungalow and Freestylin’ for winter gift exchange and decor ideas. What do you read for home decor tips? I’d like to hear from you. You can comment on our Affordable Lamps Facebook or Twitter account. We’d love to receive images of your light fixtures and home decor for the holidays.

Currently, I am fascinated by the holiday food trend of edible mini gingerbread houses that sit on the lip of mugs.  You can find a tutorial for this on NotMartha.org. I have also been baking low-carb zucchini latkes from a Jewish cookbook given to me by my husband. What are some holiday food and home decor projects that you will tackle before the new year? I hope you’ll contact us to share. For example, I’ve been in contact with Bloggers from ThisMessyBusiness and PB&JStories and they are both tackling kitchen renovations this season.

I admire these women because they don’t let the holiday baking season intimidate them. They are shopping for new kitchen faucets and inspecting new pendant lighting for their kitchen bar. I have a friend who is an expert in Christmas Spritz cookies who borrowed a friend’s oven for the baking season when her kitchen was under construction. Nothing stops creative women!