Lighting Tips From Nashville Interior designer AMANDA BURDGE

For those of you who follow this blog, or for those who know of this blog (thanks to the tens of you that actually read it) you know that I don't claim to be the brightest bulb in the lighting department. Im EASILY distracted by shiny, sparkly things (like light bulbs) that put a twinkle in my eye and a wink of joy in my step. Sprinkle in a basket full of crayons, spongebob stickers, a little candy, and a 1.75 bottle of flavored vodka and Im destined to lead a charmed life. Yes this may seem a bit unvarnished to most people, but frankly I find the basics in life to be THE most rewarding. Take the lightbulb for example. Edison invented the first lightbulb in 1879. A man after my own heart, he started his first entrepreneurial ventures selling CANDY!!(it has sugar in it!) We take for granted this simple but revolutionary invention, that is still used today.



Lighting has come a long way since it's original start in1879. Today many lighting engineers and designers manipulate lighting to create a spirit, or state of mind. Lighting can add drama, excitement and create all sorts of fun sensations (without alcohol, or overdose binges of sugar)

Lighting can dramatically affect a space's atmosphere and comfort level, so it is very important to consider it when remodeling or building a home. There are three types of lighting:


Task lighting-this is used to read guilty pleasures, dial 411 for take out, so we can pretend we actually  cook food, and many other visual tasks that we will profess we can do like sewing, and doing office work (is that really necessary?) Task lighting is generally lighting that is focused directly onto a work surface.

Accent lighting-Similar to task lighting, due in part to its directional purposes, but it's used primarily for decorative stuff. Like artwork, architectural features, and sets "moods"(dammit I left my mood ring at home!)

Ambient lighting-This is the most common of terms in our industry. Everyone throws this word around like it's a politician at a bunny ranch caught on tape. This light is appropriate for hall ways, entertaining, watching TV and any other areas needing privacy control for unmarked cars. (a-hem.. bunny ranches) It is a soft level of light that diffuses the spread of illumination with a soft wash or kiss of light to the point of velvety darkness: 

As a big "D" (DESIGNER for you laymen's) I often have the opportunity to work on homes that start in the blueprint stages. This allows me to draw in a beautiful lighting plan (note the need for crayons, preferably the 96 pack with built-in sharpener) that takes advantage of all the lighting discussed above and take in to consideration all the homeowners good loot, I mean VERY expensive art. Some of the more common fixtures are:


1) Wall washers: ( no these won't be doing ANY of your dirty work!)

 Wall washers are an incredible work horse. They create fantastic, dazzling patterns on the wall, (remember shiny, sparkly things excite me) and they are the best at accenting and highlighting surfaces and artwork. Generally they are placed on the ceiling 12"-24" from the wall. BUT a word of caution, if you have high ceilings you may have to place these suckers as far as 8 feet out to get the correct angled direction for the wall, or art you are trying to highlight. 

Here is an example of wall washing:

P-R-E-T-T-Y!

2) Standard recessed can. 


Another work horse, this standard fixture can be found in every home. What makes them different and perform different are the trim's. They are available with reflector trims, black alzak, black or white baffle and various others. Black and white baffle are by far THE most common recessed fixture in America, in a good Ol standard 6" size. I do not recommend these BIG OL' honking things. Here is one example (they are few and far between) where GO BIG OR GO HOME, does not apply!! The smaller the fixture (3"-5") the better.


Standard recessed can with reflector trim:(shiny and sparkly)

This is a great example of Standard recessed can lighting, in combination with accent and wall washers. This also shows why smaller cans are better. Lighting puts a lot of holes in the ceiling. Smaller less obtrusive is better.

3) Pinhole aperture

Pinholes trims are great for direct down light. These can be used to highlight art or create a dramatic lighting effect in a niche, or corner. This pic is a great example of genral down lighitng and pinhole niche lighting.

Mr electric

Rosemary Bellinger

In this entry, Rosemary placed a beautiful sculpture at the base of the stairs. The mood and drama of this space is created with the help of a spot downlight on the sculpture art, making the piece come to life with lighting high's and lows. (and after two shots of vodka, and a bag of M&M's, you can move the sculpture and pretend you are trying out for American Idol!)

4) Slot aperture

These fixtures are ideal for controlled lighting. They not only create a spot, they give you flexibility. The trim has a 35 degree rotator inside the trim that allows precise placement of light.( we designers like OPTIONS!) They are typically used for art and places that movement and correction are needed, but are typically found in dining rooms on either side of the chandelier and hallways.

Decor Pad

Lighting can make or break a space. I don't care if your furniture is made of cardboard or candy (do you mind if I gnaw on your furniture, I LOVE candy!) Lighting can make EVERYTHING beautiful. Of course the booze can accomplish this too, but it requires unlimited consumption. At some point you have to show up to the office and pretend to work!

The BEST Home lighting book for layman's by far is Sunset's Home lighting book

It is very easy to read and understand, and it is an inexpensive introduction to the basics of lighting! Shiny, sparkly things!

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Additional images courtesy of homehues, woova, autojogja.com, and kabmurungraya.net

Nashville's designer ~ Scale and Proportion-Does it matter?

In the design community you will typically here us throw around very snazzy words such as SCALE and PROPORTION. Being a designer is a very big responsibility and we find that putting a strong vernacular to our talents makes us appear methodical, cautious and NORMAL. You see, we are DESIGNERS, (mythical creative creatures of imaginary folklore!) that tangle themselves in IMPORTANT tasks, and enlist themselves in crazy ideas as if it were a timeshare of decorating enterprise! We have enthusiastic imaginations that intimidates ordinary folks, but as long as you keep us focused and keep us away from the candy and vodka, our aptitude in resourcefulness can be quite genius!

So what the heck do these decorative words of garnish mean? Scale, as you will often here us say, is not a word to be taken lightly. Oh No! It is one of THE most important and FANCY tools a designer has in their back pocket. (next to the skittles, and melted abba zaba bar. YUM!)

So what is it? (it is a delightful and yummy taffy with peanut butter filling and.....OH! you were referring to the topic of scale, of course, ..FOCUS)

Scale and proportion are in comparative relation to a WHOLE. It is the relationship of one thing to another.

Scale is an interiors biggest arsenal. The KEY ingrediant to what makes a space work, or fall flat on it's butt! Here are some examples:

Pic 1

Here you can see a great example of poor scale. This is a beautiful room with great color, however the rug and lamps are lacking severely in scale. They are too small for the room. To make matters worse these items are paired against a large sofa. I don't know about you, but I could see myself TRIPPING a thousand times on that rug and holding the lamp in the air while I tried to drink out of my sippy cup, I mean read an important novel. This room has potential and could easily be fixed, but as shown, gets a grade F, from AB HOME.

Pic 2.
Another great room at first glance, however the sofa is a bit short for the high ceilings, and the beautiful egg chair is dwarfing it; especially by putting it in Black, a strong bold choice, compared to the rest of the room. This room looks unbalanced to me, (hey whats in this sippy cup anyways?) 

Pic 3.
This room is lacking a lot. It definitely needs a designers touch! This is a great example of single width draperies gone wrong! They have installed the rods on the trim ( no, no, no) and the panels are too skinny (GO BIG or GO HOME) for the size of the room and furniture. The sofas are large and over stuffed so to pair them with wimpy draperies is incorrect scale and proportion. This room has potential, but also fails by AB HOME standards (it's the GOLD standard of opinions that matter!).

Pic 4.
This room gets a C-. Overall I think the design concept is strong. The mirror helps expand the space and the sofa and side table mix well together. Where this room falls off the train (hehe, I crack myself up) is the train car coffee table. It is WAY too low to the ground. This sucker will bite you in the shin right where it H-U-R-T-S! To have something this low, with pointy glass corners, ALL WRONG, and screams ouchy! 

Phew! That was rough. So now you have been lectured 4 ways to Sunday on what NOT TO do. Here are a few examples of spaces that got it right, and show what 

TO do:

Vicente Wolfe
Simple four poster bed brings the eye up and high lights the high ceiling. The draperies are proportionate to the room size and interiors (remember pic #3?). The wing back chair has a generous height, and the texture of fabrics, wood and stone mix well to create an ascetically pleasing room. Your eye gracefully bounces around the room with effortlessness (notice the louis XV headboard mixed with streamlined four poster bed. Genius!) 

The Ludlow
Keeping the wall color a soft white allows the beige sofa to coordinate nicely with the white leather chairs, and beige rug. The clear glass table tricks the eye in thinking there is more space and makes it feel more open. The pictures elongate the room and over all the interior is soft and easy to read. (also notice that the chairs and sofa are similar in height.)

This is a good alternative to Pic number 4 above. This table is very similar but the scale and proportion are correct for the room. This would be easy to set a drink on, and if you happen to bump into it the knee won't cry nearly as much as the shin. Although if you hit a bright yellow table you may want to get glasses, and put down the sippy cup! Pic courtesy of country living.

Country Living

Everything about this room is balanced and perfect. The draperies are the correct widths, the chairs and sofa are an excellent size for the ceiling height and the fireplace and armoire balance the left and right side of the room. Just Beautiful.

Those last four pictures are superb examples of excellent scale and proportion. The rooms are easy on the eyes, easy to read, and they don't feel "off". The Vicente Wolfe photo and the Country living photo are great examples of  drapery widths in proportion to the other items in the room (especially compared to Pic 3.) Magnificent! Want to explode your brain on the mathematical elements of proportion and symmetry? Read this book (shown above). There is a reason why things feel "off" if Scale is out of proportion 

(a mathematical mad scientist reason!!!)

In the Pink is a beautiful collection of Dorthy Draper projects. One of the most iconic figures of the 20th century,  Dorthy Draper was a HUGE advocate of scale and ALWAYS used it in her commercial interiors. She hated and almost refused to work on residential projects because she not only wanted FULL control of her projects but she wanted things larger than life! Bravo! The BEST part, she didn't start her momentous career until she was 40! With no education and three children she set out to change the world, and we are still talking about her 30 years after her death! A true mythical, creative creature, of imaginary folklore!


You will notice I have added a sidebar of my Top Twenty Interior design books from Amazon! These books will inspire, teach, and recommend some of the best solutions to all your interior design quandaries and help you crusade through one of the BEST industries on the planet!


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Additional images provided by:

http://roomenvy.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/mirror-mirror/

homedesigninterior.com/ category/livingroom/

Nashville decorator on How to design a room-Where do you start?

Along with the constant doe eyed question of "give us your loot-I mean design tips" I always get the question-Where do I start? Clients often get so overwhelmed with the design process they give up before they even step foot in a furniture store. Just like buying a car, there is a P-R-O-C-E-S-S. Too often consumers see a show, flip through a magazine, (or worse, Betty Sue across the street just had her house done!) and that sparks the urgency of redoing a room, NOW. They run out to the nearest hardware store animated and thrilled like a three year old, only to get engulfed into an overwhelming color quandary of decisions. Which blue is the right blue? Do I like blue? Maybe green is better. Maybe I should pick furniture first? Do I need to repaint the trim? Do I even have trim? And the whirlwind of terror begins! Before they even start they get stuck in a paradox, close the book on any conclusions, and find that getting lunch and a martini is much easier. (nothing a little vodka can't solve!)

My first tip, call a designer. They are worth their weight in gold. Too often consumers think they can not afford a designer. But more often than not, you can't afford not to. Wouldn't it be easier to have a designer select those colors, build you a space plan, and help you select furniture that will work for the next TEN years instead of two? I cannot tell you how many times I go into a home of "recent purchases" that just don't work. Mistake after mistake, throwing money down the drain. When you get sick you don't self diagnose. You go to the Doctor for advise. How many of you cut your own hair? You don't, you go to the hair stylist who is an expert on what you need.

So when you need help with your home why not get some advise from an expert who can help you avoid making costly mistakes, remove the frustration and actually make it a wonderful experience? Wouldn't it be great to walk into that room and feel joy, instead of annoyance? No one wants to remember the salesman that talked them into a bad decision, or the day they walked out of the paint store with lime green paint cans in their hand!

Ok-Where do you start?

1) Find your inspiration. Whether it be a magazine, a jelly donut or a plate, find something that speaks to you. Not sure how? Read my post How to get inspired for more help

2) Try to narrow down some ideas on colors. You don't have to pick the exact color-let the designer do that for you-but get an idea of what you like.

The best book on furniture styles, if your a serious furniture guru

3)Furniture styles. Are you traditional, transitional, cottage, modern, or contemporary? Don't know? Your designer can help you with this, often times no one is one particular style they are two or three. Find some pictures of things you like. From there the details can be selected and narrowed down.

4)FOCUS!!! This is where a designer can be your most VALUABLE asset. Choose a path and stick to it. Going into a paint store or furniture store can be overwhelming. SO many pretty shiny things to grab your attention, shift your FOCUS and before you know it you catch A.D.D and once again your running around the store like a screeching three year old hopped up on candy! (might I remind you it has SUGAR in it-one of THE most important food groups!)

The best book on how to be a designer

5)Scale-Make sure the items you are looking at are the correct scale and proportion. These two elements are what make a space "right". Ever been in a room that felt "off"? Generally one of these two things is incorrect. This is where a designer REALLY helps. Many of my clients are really good at pulling a room together with a little designer guidance. But scale and proportion is not learned, you either have it or you don't. Get this wrong and the whole room will feel off. Can't afford a designer? Purchase the book above. It will save your life.

6)Accessorize-Now you have all these big things: sofas, chairs, tables. Most consumers that make it this far fall short because they feel that all the hard work is done-HARDLY! Now the heavy lifting begins. The accessories are the pearls and Louboutin's with the black dress. Without these key components, it is just-a-dress. The accessories add personality, flavor, and style to a space. Without these items the room falls flat.

A word of caution, contact your doctor, I mean designer if you experience any of the following while shopping for accessories: Urges to buy green ivy from Michael's, (or any fake plant for that matter) including but not limited to, the fake ficus tree! Thoughts about dying if you don't purchase fake columns, and gilded gold chubby cherubs holding harps immediately. Anxiety over tchotchkes, feeling restless and agitated, if you don't buy MORE (it needs more stuff!). Panic attack's and difficulty sleeping over missing out on the hobby lobby sale down the street. Any other unusual changes in behavior or mood when you get the urge to buy a poly filled pillow, as this will cause a feeling of depression and irritability. (NO MORE POLY PILLOWS!)

Do use items that are special, and smart like

Sid Dickens tiles

Popular designer accessories to hit mainstream

Designer lamps with style and personality

Some additional tips with a side of humor on updating your home

Need additional advice? Email me. Let me know your questions. And as I have mentioned, if you need help with your room or rooms look up a designer in your area. You would be surprised at how delighted and charming (absolutely delirious and crazy!) we are to work with, (just do what we say) and NO MORE POLY PILLOWS!!!!

TARGET TUESDAY!

Is it fair to say we are in a recession? Or would our "situation" be better described as an economic meltdown caused by greedy, glutinous, money hungry pigs swallowed and consumed with insatiable affluenza? I for one do not ever recall a time where every business, big or small, was so desperate and motivated for everyones dollar. My husband and I went to the mall Saturday night. I realized that I had not been in the mall for over nine months. No need to go. They want money for all those pretty, sparkly, shiny new things. Money that I do not possess. And yet I sell pretty, sparkly, shiny new things, and I am desperate and VERY motivated to get everyones dollar too. Funny how the world works. I need money to eat (not really), pay bills (is that really necessary I paid those last month), and make sure I have enough left over for my heavenly, splendid drink of choice, dirty martini, two olives, yum! (a few hundred bucks should do.) But like so many Americans with little left over, I am unable to participate in the purchasing of pretty, sparkly new things. I have a budget and priorities to stick to. A martini and olive budget. My little martini makes all my old, tired worn out decorations look new, intoxicating (literally) and fun. And some times I wake up and find them in new places (How exciting!) So our Target Tuesday focus will be on decorative, fun and AFFORDABLE, piggy banks.

Piggy banks can be fun, flirty, practical, and decorative. My piggy banks for Target will be all those things, plus easy on the bank. *wink* I will have banks in fun shapes like stars, globes, urns and the tried and true, Mr piggy himself. To add to the fun they will have fun sayings on them like "martini budget", "maid", "allowance", "spa day", "rainy day", " I need a break", and so on. My banks will easily go with your everyday decor, and to add to the fun I will have chalkboard on the backs so you can tally your savings. How fun! And to add to that youthful nostalgia, I will offer some banks that can only be accessed by breaking them.( "I NEED A BREAK!")

My little piggys will add whimsy and fun to the everyday mundane of feeling broke. They will make you smile as you add that extra dollar AND they will produce cold hard cash! How great is that? Resourceful and efficient. Something everyone could use a little more of in this economic meltdown! Thanks for visiting us on this Target Tuesday!!!