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Butterfly Gardens For Your Region
I grew up in the city surrounded by asphalt and concrete sidewalks, brick buildings and vacant lots – but there was no lack of nature or butterflies in my life. Amid the sprawl of a decaying urban landscape, the overgrown vacant lots choked with...
Concrete Cutting: The Unknown Niche
What is Concrete Cutting? Concrete cutting is a process of controlled sawing, drilling and removal of concrete performed by skilled operators using special saws that use diamond impregnated blades. Unlike the old- fashioned dusty "jack hammer"...
Handcrafted Garden Bridges Builds Traditional Arched Span Bridges with Modern Flair
Handcrafted Garden Bridges, a California-based custom bridge making company, is currently receiving international recognition for producing custom designed and handcrafted redwood garden bridges for Japanese water gardens, Koi fish ponds and...
Planting White Pine Seedlings
Planting White Pine Trees White pines. Whenever I think of white
pines, I remember hunting when I was a kid and standing near
trees that were giants. Now every pine tree I plant, I can
invision those days in the deep woods and those grand trees...
Working with Landscape Contractors
Having a beautiful and functional landscape is every homeowners dream. Hi, My name is John C Wilkes III and I have worked in the landscaping industry for over a decade. I achieved my degree in Landscape Architecture and went straight into the design...
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12 Considerations When Choosing Contemporary Lighting
When redecorating a room, or even an entire house, contemporary
lighting is a major concern. Dimly lit areas are uninviting and
even depressing since human beings naturally crave the light.
Some rooms, of course, invite subdued lighting ... a bedroom
doesn't need glaring light whereas a dramatic entryway or living
room might be stunning with bold, dramatic spotlight.
The older the home, the greater the challenge when planning for
modern lighting. Here are twelve issues to contemplate when
planning your lighting update.
1. Consider your natural lighting first. In what direction are
your windows facing? Northern light is usually cooler and whiter
whereas daylight from southern-facing windows will be warmer and
yellower. This is perfect for plants, but not as satisfactory to
artists, who prefer the truer white of the north. Northern light
is a more even hue and is more shadow-free, which isn't as
comfortable in a relaxing den.
2. How is the light affected by your architecture and
landscaping? Do you have trees that shade the light, or bushes
that block the lower parts of the windows and decrease the
over-all quantity of illumination? Does a roofline cast a shadow
in an important area of a room? Can you increase the quality and
quantity of accessible light without spending a fortune?
3. What activities take place in your rooms? Do some of them
require more light than others? A desk that hosts homework or
needlework requires strong and steady light that covers the
entire work area. However, someone relaxing on a recliner and
watching TV at the end of a busy day does not want this kind of
focused brightness.
4. Do you need variable lighting? You might require a bright
light focused on a dining room table while it is being set and
dinner is served. However, once all diners are seated and have
loaded their plates, a softer lighting is more appropriate and a
dimmer switch will nicely provide for multiple intensities.
5. Are there details in your room upon which you wish to focus
attention? Perhaps you own a spectacular fireplace or
exceptional art? In that case, spot lighting might be
appropriate. There might be other necessary, but
not-so-attractive areas, that you might wish to downplay by
muting the light. Or you might own a spectacular view that is
especially enchanting at night. In that case, lights reflecting
from the windows will make it more difficult, or even
impossible, to see out.
6. Can you add light to a room by changing your decorating
scheme? We recently brightened a dark-paneled den by painting
all the woodwork and cabinets a creamy white and adding 2"
white wood blinds. With this relatively simple change, the
entire room has taken on an entirely new appearance and
brightened dramatically.
7. How do your window treatments affect the
light? Some homes
with heavy drapes are either "on" or "off":
that is, either the drapes are closed, making the room dark and
frequently gloomy, or they are open and sunlight isn't filtered
in any way. Blinds or certain shades can diffuse light while
still allowing a large percentage of it to access and brighten a
room.
8. Decorating features in your home may add light or take it
away. For instance, a mirror will add a sense of spaciousness
and illumination whereas outside shutters or awnings may block
the sun's rays. It might be wonderful to shut out harsh sunlight
on a 95 degree summer day, but in the middle of winter we want
every sliver of light we can grab.
9. What about the natural traffic pattern of your room? A floor
lamp placed so that people must detour around it isn't the
wisest use of your light sources. Is an off/on switch
conveniently located near all entrances? Groping around on the
wall in the dark isn't favored by most people. If this is your
situation, a simple sensor that turns on lights when a human
enters a room is a clever solution.
10. Which areas are underlit and which are overlit? In my
bedroom, for example, there is an exceedingly bright overhead
light as part of a ceiling fan. It is great when finding an
appropriate color of socks to wear in the morning, but
completely unsuitable for reading in bed before going to sleep.
A pool table needs strong lighting whereas a romantic seating
area in a garden room does not.
11. What kind of lighting does your room need? Fluorescent
fixtures might be perfect above a kitchen island but would be
repulsive directly above an eating area. Schools and other
institutions might welcome such unflattering lighting, but
incandescent lighting might be more appropriate at home.
12. What is the condition of your wiring? Old and outdated
wiring often cannot accommodate sleek new lighting systems
without some work. Updating wiring can be expensive and
disruptive, but it is also the opportunity to add new switches
and cause updates for new computers, high speed Internet
connections or high-tech TV or sound systems.
If you consider all these situations before spending a single
penny updating to more contemporary lighting, your end result is
certain to be more satisfying to everyone who lives in your
home.
Understand the intricacies of home interior
design with articles and constantly updated information on
interior decorating, home decor and turning your home into your
dream castle.
About the author:
Read dozens of articles & constant new information on home
decorating, furniture, unique home decor, home interiors &
gifts, including a home blog, books on decorating and weekly
specials. http://online-home-shop.com/sitemap2.shtml
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| Landscaping Ideas | Landscape Design | Landscaping Pictures |
| Information for homeowners on hardscape and softscape elements in landscape design. Includes a chat room and forum. |
| landscaping.about.com |
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| Gardening - Landscaping |
| Design a landscape that works best with your yard, deck and home. |
| www.homeandfamilynetwork.com |
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| Gardening |
| Find all the information you need to plan and design a beautiful garden for your landscape. Get zone maps, garden plans and the plant and flower index to ... |
| www.homeandfamilynetwork.com |
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| Landscaping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an ... Landscaping also refers to building a model landscape such as model train ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Landscape architecture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of ... Landscape designers, like garden designers, design all types of planting and ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Gardening Landscaping & Design - Landscape Gardening for Patios ... |
| Learn more about landscape gardening and design for patios and decks from Home & Garden Television. |
| www.hgtv.com |
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| EERE Consumer's Guide: Landscaping |
| On average, landscaping for energy efficiency provides enough energy savings ... Use energy-efficient landscaping strategies based on your regional climate. ... |
| www.eere.energy.gov |
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| Planning the Home Landscape |
| Advice and tips for planning, preparing, and constructing a new landscape area. |
| aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu |
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| Landscaping Ideas, Designs, Pictures and Plans for the Home. |
| Respond?s community provides landscaping ideas for the home. Find landscaping designs, pictures and plans to help you design the best landscape for your ... |
| landscaping.respond.com |
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| Landscape Design Services and Earth-Friendly Garden Products for ... |
| Landscaping resource for the do-it-yourself homeowner featuring interactive online landscape design. |
| clearwaterlandscapes.com |
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| Landscaping & Design |
| Turn your yard into a spectacular showpiece, whether you're planning all-new landscaping or hoping to update a flower bed. |
| www.bhg.com |
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| Great Lakes Environment: Greenacres-Green Landscaping |
| A key source of Great Lakes environmental information. |
| www.epa.gov |
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| Landscaping - Outdoors - homesite.com.au |
| Landscaping - homesite.com.au, Australia’s No.1 home and garden web site. |
| www.homesite.com.au |
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| H2ouse.org : Tour : Landscaping |
| Attractive gardens and landscape add to the value of your home and bring ... Upgrade the look of your landscape by learning the how-to's of proper lawn care ... |
| www.h2ouse.org |
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| Landscapers | Landscaping |
| Get matched to local Landscape, Decks and Fences contractors for your home improvement projects. ServiceMagic's network of Landscape, Decks and Fences ... |
| www.servicemagic.com |
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| Complete Landscape Design for Do It Yourselfers |
| Do it yourself tips, tricks, guidelines, and resources for home landscape design. |
| www.the-landscape-design-site.com |
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| Landscaping Ideas | 2854 + Landscaping Pictures |
| Landscaping Ideas To Make Your Homes Beautiful. ... Click here to access all 4290+ landscaping photos, and get instant access to valuable savings coupons to ... |
| www.landscapingideasonline.com |
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| Landscaping for Energy Efficiency |
| Are you looking for cost-effective yet eye-pleasing ways to lower your energy bills? Planting trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges could be the answer. |
| www.pioneerthinking.com |
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| Edible Landscaping Online |
| Only the most productive disease resistant varieties make it onto the approved list here at Edible Landscaping. Our plants are guaranteed to arrive healthy ... |
| www.ediblelandscaping.com |
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| Free Landscaping Ideas, Landscapes, Front Yard, Garden Landscaping |
| Landscaping ideas that transform your boring, unattractive yard into the picture perfect oasis you've always dreamed of. Find out h... |
| www.greatlandscapingideas.com |
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