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.

I was at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, for the much anticipated U2 concert. While I’m not a raving fanatic of the group, I do own about four of their records, and have followed their career over the last 30 years, since the first time I saw them on European TV in 1979.

The Black Eyed peas were the opener, and I was pleasantly surprised with them, because point in fact, I am not a fan of them, and yet they engaged me, both musically, and just a pure entertainment. During one tune, and incident occurred that put a damper on the evening, as a woman two rows in front of me started to regurgitate violently. The Police and paramedics had to be called in, and after an argument with her friend who did not want them to leave, the authorities insisted, and took the lady away in a stretcher.

Later on, I witnessed at least six people who were forcibly ejected from the show, for aggressive behaviors, and that put a chill over my mood during what was an historic event, as this concert was being simulcast worldwide to every continent on the planet.

All it takes is a few morons to ruin an event for the rest of us.

So, how was U2, you ask?  Musically, first rate, and the spaceship designed stage prop used a 360 degree screen / scrim that would drop down and project the digital images of the band for all to see at the 100,000 capacity filled Rose Bowl. Where we were, in section 12, we had a central location view for the sound and the stage, so although we were in the back section of the Bowl, I was pleased with the sound mix.

But the design of the “spaceship” kept bothering me, as it looked like an end table with contemporary style modern pendant fixture sticking out from it. It was said that the inspiration for this was the LAX terminal structure (go figure). While the contraption worked as a massive projector of lights and images, aesthetically it looked awkward.

But what the heck, someone out there will probably make table lamp out of the thing anyway, for the die hard fans, and I’ll probably end up writing a blog about it next year on www.affordablelamps.com.

In my last blog entry, I savagely criticized an Elk Lighting fixture. I make no apologies about it. I call them as I see them. So here we are again, with Elk lighting, featuring one of their new chandeliers, the Alexis Contemporary Three Light Chandelier (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/elk-20008-3.html). Now this is more like it, but I still don’t consider this contemporary. Shaped like a candle stick, this three light chandelier uses the four blown glass crackled spheres as the core, supporting three translucent shades, for a Barbarella design effect that is quite lovely. This fixtures uses three 60 watt medium base bulbs, or the CFL equivalent, and measures 25” in diameter by 26” in height, and there is a five light version out there, for the over achievers. I really like this fixtures, and give it thumbs up. Am I forgiven, ELK? I really want that free lunch on Halloween.

There are flush mounts, and then there are FLUSH MOUNTS. The Leaf Flush-Mount Ceiling Light is one of the latter, with Hubbardton Forge classic hand forged stems and leaf design adorning a classic 13″ by 4.75″ bowl shaped glass shade. Using two 60 watt type A bulbs or the CFL equivalent, the Leaf Flush mount will work for any apartment, condo, town home or house. With your choice of mahogany, dark smoke, bronze or black, and choice of opal or stone glass, you can find the exact combo that will fit your décor. Hubbardton Forge features a limited lifetime warranty on their fixtures, and in the case of wrought iron ceiling lights like this one, that’s a good thing, because you generally do not want to replace these too often. Built to order, and always built to last, this Leaf will not end up as compost.

Now we are talking. I sold one of these last week. I think the Diamente Twelve Lamp Ceiling Light Fixture is the ultimate in new contemporary ceiling lights from PLC Lighting. Using handcut Asfour crystals, measuring 27″ in diameter and utilizing twelve 40 watt bulbs, finally there is a semi flush fixture large enough to light a medium large room, without looking like an oil drum. The Diamente is elegant but not feminine, and is suitable for any modern apartment, town home, condominium, or executive office suite. With 480 watts output, it is bright enough that you may want to use a room dimmer, but then again, this fixture is not designed for a small bedroom, but rather a large den or master bedroom. This is a bright, gleaming semi flush mount lighting fixture, and reminds one of Milan style architecture.

Defined as a whirling or spinning, or a sense of dizziness, when we hear the word Vertigo, most everyone thinks of Alfred Hitchcock, and the movie of the same name. A fear of heights, and sense of losing control. These are not qualities one would associate with lighting design, unless you are at a rave or a rock show. Now speaking of modern, contemporary pendant lighting, The Corbett Lighting 113-44 VERTIGO Four Light Pendant defies that description, with its swirling and spinning bands of hand forged iron, wrapped around a tube of light containing four 60 watt bulbs. The Vertigo pendant measures 32.75″ by 30″, and features a bronze or gold leaf finish with caramel ice glass. Included are 6″, 12″ and 18″ rods, for adjustable heights. It is designed for dry locations, and of course, UL® listed. So let us recap: Adjustable heights, swirling and spinning, a price that will make you a bit dizzy, named Vertigo…

Oh, oh!

Well, I bet Alfred would buy one!