Western and Rustic Lighting: 3 Great Fixture Choices!

The spirit of the Wild West lives on in rustic inspired Western lighting. Light fixtures come adorned with pinecones, antlers and bears, as well as wildlife: trout, deer, elk, and buffalo. For the sportsman or woman, inspirational themed lamps decorated with croquet, snowshoes, bow and arrow, fishing reel, and boat paddles can enhance the décor of a country cabin, farmhouse, or home in the mountains. For a step back to frontier days, wagon wheel chandeliers and tin punched lighting offer unique turn of the century decoration. To get you going on your Western lighting décor consider these three fixture options:

Bear lamps and chandeliers

Generally speaking, these lamps, sconces and chandeliers capture a bear scene: you will find bears and cubs climbing trees or walking among pine trees. Capturing the spirit, bear figures tend to be either 3 dimensional; or one dimensional, decorating the lamp’s shade, base, or both. Look for sconces, vanities and chandeliers with decorative bear scenes cut out of metal. These art fixtures are wonderful and tend to include soft rust finishes and amber mica shades. Bear lamps often include shades made from faux leather.

Wagon wheel chandeliers

These fixtures tend to be made as either authentic or reproduction chandeliers. The difference is obvious: the materials. Authentic wagon wheel chandeliers (up light or down light models) will be made from true antique wagon wheels, whereas reproductions are typically made from a lightweight durable material such as medium density polyethylene. Reproductions (up light or down light models) should come with all the necessary parts: chain, globe or hurricane lights, and light fixture. So what’s the difference? Price! An authentic wagon wheel chandelier will certainly cost you more: could be as much as 4 times the cost of a reproduction. However, with an authentic fixture you gain a true haunt from the past and a great conversation piece.

Antler lighting

Similar to the wagon wheel chandelier above, an antler light fixtures can be purchased as reproduction or authentic. Absolutely no harm is caused to a deer or elk in the creation of an antler lamp or chandelier. Antlers are typically collected on the deer trails where annual antler shedding occurs. If you are choosing an authentic antler fixture expect to spend considerably more than for a reproduction. (Each fixture is unique and handcrafted). Reproduction antler fixtures are made from molds of actual antlers. These pieces tend to be more lightweight (an advantage in many homes).

Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com an online resource providing you with information, articles of interest and reviews on chandeliers, floor lamps, table lamps and outdoor lighting.

Lighting Fixtures – Beautiful and Stylish General Lighting

When decorating a room it takes several different types of lighting to truly complete the look. In the ideal room, general lighting, task lighting and accent lighting work in harmony to create an overall effect that is comfortable and engaging. For these reasons, serious thought needs to be given to the home lighting design process, especially when it comes to general lighting fixtures. While general lighting fixtures can be decorative and add an element of style to the room, it also needs to be practical and able to handle the majority of your general lighting issues.

General lighting is the ambient lighting that is used to illuminate an entire room. General lighting is normally switch operated and consists of lighting fixtures installed in common rooms such as entryways, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

While some lighting fixtures and other types of general lighting fixtures can be bland and virtually blend away into the surface of the ceiling, other lighting fixtures can make a bold statement or be selected to accent your décor beautifully.

There are many different styles of lighting fixtures to choose from including fixtures that are ideal for home decorating styles such as Mission, Traditional and Contemporary. You can choose from many different color schemes and patterns such as geometric shapes, floral patterns, and Tiffany styled lighting fixtures.

Changing your existing lighting fixtures is probably one of the easiest and least expensive ways that you can spruce up your home décor, and it doesn’t take a genius or a home improvement guru to get it done right. In fact, almost anyone can dramatically change the look of their interior space by changing its existing ceiling fixture, and it only takes a couple of steps.

Here’s how:

1.Shut off the power to the entire room where the fixture is located. If you’re not sure which breaker or breakers control the lighting fixture, turn off the power in the entire house to be on the safe side.

2.Remove the globe or diffuser, and the bulb(s). Remove the screws or the cap nut holding the canopy in place, and drop the fixture down. Disconnect the black and white wires. Check wires for cracks in the insulation.

3.Connect the black and white wires and the ground wire of the new fixture to the wiring in your ceiling, coil them up into the box, and push the canopy into place so the studs poke through. If the unit does not easily push up flush to the ceiling, drop it down and rearrange the wires. Secure the canopy by twisting cap nuts onto the studs.

4.Screw in the bulbs and attach the globe to the canopy. Restore power to the room.

See, changing a ceiling fixture is barely enough to break a sweat, and the effect created by your new ceiling fixture will be noticed right away. So, if you are looking for a way to inexpensively and easily spruce up your décor, perhaps you should add that special design element with new lighting fixtures.

Pamela Tice is the owner of numerous lighting and home decor websites including http://www.barnesandwagner.com. Her store offers a complete product line of fantastic Lighting Fixtures and exquisite Chandeliers, as well as outdoor lighting from the industries leading manufacturers. Everything to light your home in style.

How to Buy Wholesale Store Fixtures for Your Business

It may sound funny, but honestly, if you’re opening up your own retail store the last thing you’ll ever want to do again for the rest of your life is buy anything retail -- especially if it’s for your own store. Buying your store fixtures wholesale is not only mandatory it’s a last resort after you’ve tried buying antique fixtures at a fraction of the cost. Even if you’ve hired a top-notch retail store designer, he or she should be buying your fixtures and other materials at prices even better than wholesale. The designer should be charging for his services and not making a markup on the raw materials.

If you’re setting up your store by yourself, you have to shop around to know the best wholesale prices to pay for your fixtures. But expect to pay full price for the design and manufacture of items that must be custom-made for you. For example, if you want a certain look imitated in a new material you can expect to pay a premium for that service as well. But if your tastes are not too esoteric and if your product can be handled tastefully in a variety of attractive displays you should have no trouble finding the right fixtures at the right wholesale prices to fit your budget. Research and flexibility is the key here. After all, whatever it is that you are selling, you wouldn’t pay retail for it, so why pay retail for the fixtures?

There are numerous store fixture wholesalers in and around every city in America. There are enough stores in existence in any major city and enough new ones opening up to make the wholesale market for fixtures a healthy and competitive one. Visit them, get their catalogues when you are planning the look of your store and ask them about closeouts and discontinued items for sale. Their business, like yours, changes with the seasons, the trends and technology. Give yourself time to make your purchase and you may end up getting the fixtures you’ve been wanting at prices even better than you expected.

Store Fixtures Info provides detailed information on metal, antique, wholesale, and used store fixtures and store fixture parts. Store Fixtures Info is the sister site of Mannequins Web.

Create A Niche in Neighborhood With Antique Lighting Fixtures

As weird as it may seem to a layman that there are still age old lightings, and that these are sold at a whopping sum, the chances are that he will give a hearty laugh and move on, but not for the art lovers, and the collectors. The antiques as the word suggests are the articles or objects which are very old and have historic value attached to them, hence are priced highly.

Many kinds of antique lightings are available in the market. These can be accessed to at the local market as well as at the various auctions for the antiques and even on online markets. These being rare are hard to find and thus require a lot of research. You should be well aware of the antiques otherwise chances are that many may try to dupe you by selling off a fake.

An auctioneer or an expert in the field of antiques can guide you on the subject and assist you in locating the right lighting that you are looking for. There may be case where you might be charged more than the worth of the antique. These usually cost a fortune not only because of its rarity but also because the condition they are in and what legacy they possess.

Drawbacks of an Antique Fitting

With the popularity comes the threat, the age old saying holds good even in this category. The antiques are the commodity that even the big thieves are after and they will eye your prized possession not only with envy but also attempt to steal it also. This is the biggest drawback of having an antique light fitting.

The actual sweat is broken while locating an authentic art dealer and antique dealer. The normal folly attempted by many is that to surf the yellow pages in search of the dealer. But how will you tell this is not the fake one and real art dealer, its anybody’s guess but a little scrutiny will tread you to the right person.

Once you have found the exact source of the authentic dealer you should get in touch with him and convey to him your requirement and the budget, he may then seek time to locate the desired item, as he himself might not possess the artifact but through his contacts he may reach the right spot with a lot less energy wasted compared to you.

You can also find more info on Outdoor Stairway Lighting and Outdoor Lighting Fixtures. Outdoorlightinghelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Outdoor Lighting.

The Benefits of Buying Used Store Fixtures

The difference between antique or vintage store fixtures and used store fixtures is simple: antique fixtures have a classic look and style. In many cases they are brand new but manufactured in a style of the past such as deco or minimalist. Used store fixtures are just that –- they’ve been used before. They may be only six months old, purchased by a retail store owner who failed quickly. They may be in good shape and being they’re not new, if they are what you are looking for, they’re probably cheap.

Imagine you want to open a bookstore and you learn that in a nearby town a bookstore is having a going out of business sale. Chances are, once he finishes selling his inventory of books to as many people as he can, he’ll sell his fixtures to you at a substantial discount. Keep your eyes open for going out of business sales anywhere near you. They don’t even have to be in the same business for the fixtures to suit your needs. Remember, slatwall panels and gridwall panels can be used to display almost anything.

Buying them at 25 cents on the dollar from a store whose owner may have died, or who may be moving to a new location is far better than ordering them new from a catalogue as long as they are in good shape. If you buy your gridwall and slatwall panels used, you can still accentuate them with modern, state of the art accessories to display your products in the best light possible. When you’re happy with the total look of your store, sit down with your receipts and your adding machine and compare what you spent with what you could have spent buying all new fixtures. Then, take the difference and regard it as the first profit you made in your new store.

Store Fixtures Info provides detailed information on metal, antique, wholesale, and used store fixtures and store fixture parts. Store Fixtures Info is the sister site of Mannequins Web.

Modern Light Fixtures Serving Double Duty

Early light fixtures seemed to have a flair for the dramatic. Impossibly large ornate chandeliers greeted guests in foyers and lit large dining rooms while providing a decadent ambiance. This mindset continued with the creation of the Tiffany lamp at the turn of the century. Louis Comfort Tiffany's new lamps featured scraps of stained glass fashioned together to form exquisite shades with solid metal bases, a timeless design that is still produced today. These and other early light fixtures were a graceful combination of beauty and practicality.

This didn't continue, however. A horrible lull in lighting design blanketed a fairly large portion of time resulting in some drab and boring light fixtures. They weren't all bad, of course, but it seems like the ones that ended up in most people's houses were. Bad, that is. The time I'm referring to here is roughly from the 1950's to the 1980's. Perhaps lighting was viewed from a more utilitarian point of view during this time, or mass produced lighting was just in a funk, design-wise. Whatever the case, the bulk of the lighting produced during this time just wasn't all that impressive from a style and design perspective.

Over the last ten or so years, a shift back to artistic and innovative lighting designs has taken place resulting in some beautiful fixtures. Floor lamps are no longer defined by the standard base and shade construction, as slim tower designs and multi-headed models have become staples in many manufacturers catalogues. These contemporary fixtures are works of art as much as they are sources of light. Glass and metal have replaced ceramic and linen as the most common materials used, adding to the modern aesthetic of these fixtures.

Many of the same features listed above apply to table lamps as well. In a lot of cases, manufacturers simply make a smaller version of a floor lamp to work as a corresponding table lamp. However, there are still plenty of contemporary table lamps that employ the base - shade standard. It just works. Modern shades have begun to take on different shapes and can be found in a variety of materials, though, so these aren't your grandma's table lamps.

Check out the Eco-Lights website for a great selection of contemporary floor lamps, table lamps, and outdoor lighting.

Types of Store Fixtures

Store fixtures are used for visual merchandising and display. Different types of store fixtures are slatwall fixtures, gridwall fixtures, clothing store fixtures, hangers, display cases, shopping bags, jewelry displays, gondola shelves and mannequins. Store fixtures offer maximum exposure to products.

There are different sizes and colors of slatwall store fixtures. Slatwall is also referred to as slatboard, slotwall or grooved board. Slatwall can be used to display clothes, accessories, equipments and jewelry. The different types of slatwall store fixtures are panels, hooks, faceouts, floor fixtures, wire displays, wire baskets, wire shelves, corner forms, brochure holders, and acrylic displays. Hangers are another type of store fixture used to display clothing. Different types of hangers are wooden hangers, metal hangers and plastic hangers.

Display case provides security to the retailer. There are economy style and aluminum frame style display cases. This includes full vision, half vision, open cases, jewelry and register stands. Other type of display cases are special tower, countertop, oak cases, pedestal cases, portable and custom fixtures. Different types of store fixtures are used for jewelry displays. This include store fixtures for necklace, bracelet, ring display, chain and jewelry watch. Different materials used in jewelry store fixtures are acrylic, metal and wood and velvet.

Other types of store fixtures are gridwall panel and gridwall hooks. They can be used on the wall or floor in any store. Grid wall panels can be customized. Gridwall store fixtures include wire shelves, shelf brackets, grid exhibit, mini grid, sign holders, connectors and floor fixtures. Shopping bags are another type of store fixtures. Different types of shopping bags are white craft bags, tinted bags, natural craft, shopping baskets and Christmas bags.

Store fixture collections are used to display collection of products. This includes designer collection, metal store fixtures, ladder system, chain link and golf display. Gondola shelves are used for heavy duty products. These are made of steel and can support heavy products. Different sizes of gondola shelves are available. Mannequins are dummies usually used to display clothes. Mannequins store fixtures include adult mannequins, children, flexible, sports and system mannequins.

Store Fixtures provides detailed information on Store Fixtures, Store Fixture Parts, Metal Store Fixtures, Antique Store Fixtures and more. Store Fixtures is affiliated with POS Systems.