Crystal Chandeliers and Art Glass Fixtures: Why we love them!

As a traveler from the West, it might seem strange to travel all the way to Japan and include a visit to a Glass Museum featuring Venetian and Murano glass and crystal from Italy. However, like so many other museum visitors, an appreciation and attraction to sparkling luminescence and colorful display warrants the price of admission.

For over 1000 years some of the worlds' best glass makers have been making Murano glass. Passed down from master to apprentice Murano glass designed in chandeliers and light fixtures can include: clear and colored crystals, finely cut glass shaped into flowers, and marbleized, frosted, gold and silver glass shades. Some of the top lighting manufactures including: James Moder, ELK and Kalco incorporate Murano glass in a number of chandeliers and pendant fixtures. For contemporary lighting, ELK has a wonderful selection of colored glass pendants. Another manufacturer and line to check out is Shonbek's Geometrix. This lighting line by Schonbek marries the beauty of crystal with architectural detailing that is exquisite and delicate, like finding a treasure. http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com/schonbek-crystal-chandelier.htm

And while the inclusion of colored glass crystal in lighting is nothing new, it is certainly growing. Just like the fascination with stained glass lighting as witnessed for over a century with reproduction Tiffany lighting, people continue to enjoy the decorative effects of colorful glass patterned lamp shades. Collections like the above mentioned Shonbek Geometrix, include appeal for both modern lighting design and sparkling color intermixed in the fixture.

If you wonder where all this is going - well, it's not going away. If you love colorful illumination - Swarovski crystal, Murano glass, and colorful glass fixtures keep checking the collections of your favorite designers, or, new designers. They're sure to keep surprising you with some real lighting gems!

Nicole Martins is a contributing writer and researcher to Chandeliers and Home Lighting, providing you information and reviews of popular selling lighting fixtures. You can visit this site at http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com

Store Fixture Criteria

Cost, quality, and service are the three standards that retailers regard in all parts of the industry. This is invariably true during the process of purchasing store fixtures and creating a retail display design. The priority of these three criteria shuffles depending on the individual, but it is the goal of most to find a balance. Retailers want something that is durable and made with quality, provides excellent display service, while at a reasonable cost as well. To determine the best store fixtures that will fit these criteria for a particular store, retailers need to know what they are looking for.

Determining a store fixture according to shape, function, fit, finish, and fabrication will narrow the search dramatically and bring the purchaser much closer to meeting their criteria. The shape of a fixture describes one of six basic shapes, though it is not limited to these. Shelving, countertops, showcases, wall displays (such as slatwall displays), merchandisers, and garments racks are the most common of retail store fixtures. Usually the type of merchandise helps determine the necessary shapes. It is also important to consider the amount of products displayed by a single fixture compared to the cost of the fixture.

This brings us to function. Merchandise capacity will determine the amount of merchandise that can be displayed. If store fixtures are already at max capacity, chances are, the floor space is not totally utilized. It is extremely helpful to use larger fixtures where possible and display merchandise according to floor space rather than limited display fixtures. More efficient and functional displays will increase the number of items shown and have a direct influence on sales.

The fit of a fixture refers to the assembly, or movable parts. Units that need to move frequently must be durable and have a minimum number of moveable parts. The more pieces that separate or move, the less likely a fixture will last. However, for more stable store fixtures, smaller parts and accessories may bring a lot to the display arena. Slatwall or gridwall displays with customizable accessories are very professional and greatly enhance specific, valuable, or featured merchandise. Similarly, any fixtures with glass should stay. No manager or owner wants to be moving the glass showcase to the other side of the store once a month.

The finish and fabrication of store fixtures complete the ensemble by creating a visually coordinated sales floor. Customers see consistency as success, and making decisions like staying with wood finish or changing every thing to fit a new color scheme will keep your sales floor recognizable and appealing. It is better to get rid of an odd ball expensive fixture rather than keep it on amidst an entirely new floor design.

Keep these fixture qualities in mind and use them to create a narrowed list of desirables. This list can then be balanced according to budget, quality, and functional service, but don't be afraid to ask a few customers what they think. Not only will you often gain insightful information but most customers will get a kick out of helping in the store design process.

Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of slatwall displays and other retail store fixtures. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com

Trade Show Fixtures Support Image and Sales Requirements

Trade show fixtures are integral to the image, functionality and appeal of your exhibit. The quality and style of your countertops, literature racks, lecterns, furniture, writing surfaces and other booth accessories must superbly coordinate with your booth design and reflect your product reputation.

Of course, trade show fixtures must also have utility. If selected, designed and arranged properly, fixtures can help staff more effectively meet with prospects, give product demonstrations, utilize visual aids, and perform other sales activities.

So, how do you strike a balance between look, function and cost for your trade show fixtures? Your best strategy is to begin thinking about trade show fixtures and other necessities during the initial development stages of your exhibit design and show strategy.

Spend as much time upfront as possible with your booth designer to discuss your sales and marketing objectives. Explain your product positioning, what you do, the benefits you deliver, and your competitive points of difference. Confirm that you have a clear understanding and agreement on your product positioning and exhibit goals.

Then, thoroughly discuss and detail your booth requirements, trade show fixtures and accessories, including the following:

 

Space requirements based on what you want to accomplish, your budget, and the shows you plan to attend
 

What you expect of your representatives when they work the booth (i.e. meet and greet prospects, review product benefits, show product demonstrations, etc.)
 

How you plan to promote your products at the booth such as doing live product demonstrations, audio-visual presentations, interactive activities, etc.
 

Type of giveaways or entertainment you plan to have at each show
 

Invited speakers, company executives, or other presenters who will give talks at the booth
 

Storage requirements
 

Type of literature you will be using and how you want to display it.
 

Portability and shipping needs

Once you have identified your booth requirements, discuss your budget and how you want to allocate it towards each area of your exhibit.

An experienced booth designer will be able to offer ideas and present solutions on how to make the best use of your allocated funds, including developing high-impact signage, graphics, and displays -- as well as using fixtures and accessories to your advantage.

This article was written by Jules Sowder, an executive marketing advisor with 20-years of experience developing strategic marketing and sales solutions for large corporations, start-up companies, and small businesses. She also has a resource web site to help marketers and trade show exhibitors maximize marketing and sales effectiveness: http://www.Trade-Show-Advisor.com

Vintage Lighting Fixtures For Your Old Style Home

Old style homes are bursting full of character and old charm and the best way to showcase such a place is with vintage light fixtures. These fixtures indirectly highlight the nooks, crannies and architectural details of your heritage style house the same way that candlelight would have done so, when the house was probably first built.

Remember it is only eighty years ago that most homes started to adopt electricity. Before that lamps burned wax or gas.

The indoor lighting fixtures that might be most appropriate for a historical style of home are probably going to be a pendant style lighting fixture with shades of glass, metal or porcelain as this is what kept the candle flames in check. Consider getting a large fancy painted globe for the larger rooms like the living room and fit them with incandescent bulbs to mimic the warm yellow soft light of gas or candlelight. In fact, a custom painted globe was a common gift for the newlyweds at the turn of the century.

If your house’s heyday was during the time of gas lighting then you might want to choose fixtures that mimic the look of a gas lamp. These would be fixtures that extend a distance away from the wall if they are sconces and quite far down from the ceiling in the case of a chandelier.

One way to date a lighting fixture in fact is to look at which way the shades are positioned and if they are cups, they suit older houses, and if they point downwards, then they suit a newer home.

The invention of electricity brought a boon to home design between 1890 and 1920. This was called the Arts and Crafts movement and all kinds of glass and metal shades were invented to house the new light bulb. So if your house was built during that time then Tiffany style lamps or glass lampshades might look best.

After World War I Art Deco designs took over and the glass light bulb casing became etched and sculpted into zig zag, crescent and sunburst shapes. If your house was built in the 1920s to 1940s Art Deco light fixtures might look more suitable and complement the decor of the surroundings. If you do find an antique light fixture dated before 1920 there is one very important thing to remember. You cannot use light bulbs that are stronger than 15 watts in it or you could cause a fire. If the light fixture is an antique from 1920s onward then stay safe and only use a 40-watt bulb. Lamps that could safely take a 100-watt bulb did not appear until the early sixties and even then you should check the antique fixture carefully to see if instructions about what wattage the lamp should be fitted with are written on it somewhere. Of course one way to avoid all of this fuss would be to simply buy a retro recreation of the style that you want so that you can use whatever type of light bulb that you like.

In our modern, light-at-the-touch-of-a-button-world, it is easy to forget that up until the 19th century producing light was an expensive, unwieldy and dirty process. We forget that our grandparents and other predecessors most likely stumbled about in the dark with nothing but a candle and its tiny little flame providing the only source of light for them. As time went on, many different types of lighting fixtures came and went, things such as flame torches, tallow vessels, wax candles, oil lamps, paraffin lamps, then gas and finally electricity.

Once electricity became readily available, it was fast seen as an exciting and revolutionary way of enriching home furnishings by creating lighting fixtures that would look decorative but also provide a good quality of light for the home.

As a result, the design of the lamp and other lighting fixtures has undergone many different stages. We know look back on some of the old style antique lamps with much love and a touch of nostalgia.

If you live in an historical style home, it is these vintage light fixtures and antique lamps that will give your home the touch of opulence and grandeur that is so reminiscent of times long gone by.

Lauren Tyler is a writer for LampLightWorld.com.

Outdoor Lighting Fixtures

Outdoor lighting fixtures should blend decorative aspects with security and durability. These lighting fixtures can be modern, traditional, casual or formal depending on personal choice. Another aspect to be considered is size and layout of area to be lighted. If area is small and surrounded by trees, bushes or artifacts then small, separate or specifically designed lights can be placed at appropriate points.

Similar to other electronic devices, outdoor lighting fixtures evolve with changing lifestyles and requirements. Lighting adds that special touch and with outdoor lighting fixtures available in different sizes and finishes we can match exterior décor with the interior the house or commercial establishment. There are different lighting fixtures for sports arenas, pathways, decks, driveways, front doors, porches, gates and garages and we should select accordingly. Another important point to consider is the weather condition. Extreme temperatures require certified and durable lights that are also tarnish and corrosion resistant. A lower quality outdoor lighting fixture can have bubbles, chips or scratches and should be checked before purchase. Similarly wrongly positioned outdoor lighting fixtures can create hot-spots i.e. pools of darkness or light.

With numerable styles it is easy to select outdoor lighting fixtures suited to your budget, location and desired level of convenience. For private residences manually operated switching models are workable and easier to use. Automatic switching models are appropriate for commercial or sports arenas but house owners are swapping the manual for automatic switching models due to busy schedules and vacations. A safe bet for absentee house-owners is motion activated lighting system with motion sensors that lights up when someone approaches. Another model is the dusk-to dawn fixture with photocells that turn on at sunset and off at sunrise automatically.

Like colors in a palette outdoor lighting fixtures create moods with different combinations of designs. Select from louvered to tiered, recessed or sunken lights, eyelids or scones for wall mounting, scooped or mushroom shaped to provide shielded lights or simple pole lights. These can be sleek contemporary lights, halogen or compact fluorescent, incandescent light bulbs, spot lights or luminaries offering unlimited choice to highlight exteriors.

Outdoor Lighting provides detailed information about outdoor lighting, decorative outdoor lighting, low voltage outdoor lighting and more. Outdoor Lighting is affiliated with Gazebos.

Recessed Lighting Fixtures

Recessed lighting fixtures comprise three basic parts: trim, housing and lamp. Recessed lighting manufacturers at present offer interchangeable parts for maximum versatility. Prior to selecting fixtures, you must decide what effect you want to accomplish. Gentle, lighting throughout the room? Spotlighting an item in the library? Make your choice according to your plans.

Recessed trims include reflectors that enhance light production, open trims that create a finished look for a lighting fixture, baffles that minimize glare and reduce overall brightness, adjustables and directionals that maximize the versatility of ceiling lighting fixtures, diffusers that diffuse the light for a softer, wider beam, and shallow or steep ceiling reflector trims that minimize glare from Recessed fixtures used on sloped ceilings.

Among recessed housings, you find incandescent and halogen recessed housings that are economic as well as versatile. You can use dimmer controls for incandescent dimming. To control halogen housings, you have to use dimmer switches designed for that specific purpose. If you have a ceiling too high to reach, your best choice is fluorescent housing, which saves energy as well. Low voltage MR16 recessed housings help you to achieve precise accent lighting. If there is no access above the ceiling, a remodeling housing might be useful.

You should take care that recessed cans must be installed at least three inches away from any insulation. If direct contact with insulation is unavoidable, the recessed lighting housing should have a UL Insulated Ceiling rating. You can get recessed housing apertures in different sizes designed for general lighting, accent and task lighting and high-ceiling lighting.

Incandescent light bulbs are popular mainly because they are less expensive. They can be purchased in many sizes for various applications as well. Halogen light bulbs provide more light and last longer than standard incandescent bulbs. But compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are the best choice, as they use less energy and last much, much longer. They are also available in various shades for your convenience.

Recessed Lighting provides detailed information on Recessed Lighting, Recessed Lighting Tips, Recessed Lighting Fixtures, Recessed Lighting Installations and more. Recessed Lighting is affiliated with Door Replacement Windows

Track Lighting Fixtures

Lighting fixtures are necessary for any household. They are necessary not only for lighting an area but also to accentuate the look and ambiance of the rooms. They are available in various shapes, sizes, designs, colors and power output options. Track lighting fixtures are used in homes, work places, art studios, theatres, cinemas, auditoriums and other public places.

Track lighting has the capability to provide directional and focal lighting. It is a natural choice in lighting, made by many. It provides ideal enhancement for areas with excellent general lighting but which need additional focus on accent features. Track lighting is not the popular choice of interior designers for upscale decorating. It is, however, a popular choice in theatres because standard models feature directional cans and enclose bright spotlights. It is well known that tracks have always been most suited to contemporary styling. Designers are now making innovative use of track lighting in homes, as accent or pendant lighting.

Track lighting fixtures, as the name suggests, are made up of a system of canisters or other lamp fixtures. These are attached to a track or a channel, of any desired length or configuration. The most common shapes are ?L? and ?T?. Power is run through the track, to each fixture. Once the track is in place, the positions of the bulb and the head can be adjusted in any direction. This flexibility is accessible, deepening on the flexibility of the tracks. Track lights are usually powered by 120volt fittings. There are bigger and bulkier transformers built into each fixture. Latest designs of track lighting include line voltage and low-voltage lighting. The line voltage units are more effective for rooms with a high ceiling. The low voltage heads are energy efficient.

It is always advisable to have these fixtures installed by professionals.

Lighting Fixtures provides detailed information on Lighting Fixtures, Bathroom Lighting Fixtures, Ceiling Lighting Fixtures, Outdoor Lighting Fixtures and more. Lighting Fixtures is affiliated with Outdoor Lighting.