Tom Dixon Glass Bead Pendant Lights

Arent thest pressed glass bead pendant lights fabulous?  They're by Tom Dixon and would look great in a little cluster, above a long bar, or hanging above a bedside table.

Mini Glo Ball

As part of the bathroom works, I got my builder to re-connect the two double sockets behind the sofa in the living room. They had been hiding under the floorboards for about 3 years when they were moved there during the skirting repairs.    I've been thinking about a little floor light to add some glow to the corner of the room and came accross these Mini Glo Balls from flos which would be cute.

Bathroom Ceiling Light Bargain

After all my online research into various IP44 rated light fittings, in the end I decided to go for a simple frosted globe for the bathroom. Despite its bargain price of £10.99, this light from Homebase feels high quality, provides plenty of light, and has the added bonus of looking like a little moon.

Bathroom Mirror light - another idea

...or perhaps a pair of Glo balls mounted into or above the mirror to match the ceiling light.

Bathroom Mirror Lighting Option 2

Another option is this one with a softer rounded profile, although somehow the end caps just look a bit too big. And I wouldnt leave a gap between the top of the mirror and the fitting, Id butt them up against each other so it looked like one unit. Hmmmmm.... time to hunt down some dimensional drawings online or find a shop that sells them so I can see the product.

Bathroom Mirror Light

In addition to overhead lighting, in a main bathroom it is preferable to have wall mounted light fittings at the mirror to shine light directly at your face to avoid shadows being cast beneath your eyes. This can be provided by pair of sconces on either side of the mirror, or a strip light directly above it.

Ive been thinking about how to achieve this as I won't have enough space beside my mirror for wall sconces, or even to fix the fittings through the mirror itself as it is too narrow at only 600mm wide. One option is to put one of these slim Romano 600 bathroom lights horizontally above, or even through, the mirror above head height. They are fairly unfussy in design, and the chrome end caps would match the chrome taps.

Bathroom Ceiling Lights

Some bathroom ceiling ideas:

Astro 0830 Zeppo - 300 x 230 oval

Jasper Morrison Glo Ball - 110mm diameter

Endon 1920s style ribbed light - 30cm diamater

Bathroom Lighting - IP ratings explained

There are still a few outstanding questions that I need to figure out for my bathroom refurbishment project, one of which is the lighting.

Because it is a wet area, the light I choose needs to be IP rated, which limits my choice somewhat. An 'IP' rating is the Index of Protection rating. The first digit describes the degree of protection rate against solid objects, dust, and particles; while the second digit describes the degree of protection offered against liquids.

Despite my 2.7m high ceilings, my ceiling light will fall within zone 2 and therefore need to be IP44 rated. 4 for protection from solid bodies with a diameter larger than 1mm so you cant stick your fingers into it, and 4 for protection from direct splashing.

For more detailed information, read more here: http://blog.sparksdirect.co.uk/ip-rating-in-the-bathrooms-bathroom-ip-zoning/

Meet my new Flatmate - The Tab floor light!

I used the cheque that I received from my dad for my birthday gift to buy this cute Tab floor light to use as a bed side reading light. I dont have a bedside table, so this light is perfect for the job - Im so pleased with how cosy it looks. Perfect for those long dark winter nights that are setting in....Thanks Dad!

Tab light

Although a bunny night light will give a friendly glow, it probably wont help me much with bed-time reading. Im thinking one of these tall tab lights with its adjustable shade would look pretty sharp beside a bed or a sofa. I also really like the desk light, but as my desk is my dining room table the tall one in white is officially on my wish list.

Night light

Ive been looking for a little while now for a bedside reading lamp so I dont need to get up out of bed to turn off the light when Im ready... and also something that will give off a little glow in the corner of my room so I can find my way in the dark.

Maybe its because I got mugged on the weekend when some kid tried to steal my iphone, but something about these comforting kitch glowing animal night lights really appealed.

More cute exterior lights for an Easter Weekend

These 'Eggy Pop' lights from CPH lighting are also cute... and perfect for Easter to have around your garden.

If I had my own garden...

...Id have some of these Davide Groppie 'Lenta' lights around the terrace. All this warm spring weather is making me think about gardens and terraces and how nice it would be to have one! There is a shared one for the building, but with the flat on the second floor its a long way down. Instead I've been making a list of friends with gardens that I can visit this summer instead.

Tom Dixon - Fluorescent Bulb

While on the topic of light bulbs, if I had £150 cash spare - one of these would have been hanging in the toilet room instead.... but as it stands that seems a bit of an indulgence. (Especially considering I still have the cheap paper IKEA lantern in the bedroom!) I intend to specify these energy efficient beauties in a cluster in the reception area of one of my projects at work as soon as I possibly can instead...

Let there be light!

After looking for ages for the perfect (and economical) pendant fitting without much success I figured it was time to come out of the dark and make a decision. I decided on a bright red fabric covered cable which really pops against the dark grey walls, a chrome bulb holder like the one in the kitchen, and a simple clear glass light bulb.

Its not exactly energy efficient, but I really love the simple way it looks, and the light isnt really on for very long.

Electrical Socket Covers

A little while ago Sergio helped me cut the MDF to size in his workshop for two of these electrical back box covers for the inside of the kitchen cabinets. I finally got around to giving them a coat of paint and installing them this weekend.

Let there be Light

The kitchen pendant is up now and looking great hanging on its red fabric cable. Thanks again Muz for my house warming pressie - bought over a year ago and installed at last.

Artemide Light Fitting Installed

The Artemide Light fitting is now installed and is super bright. After months of cooking by only the undercabinet LED lights it was almost blinding to suddenly have the room illuminated by this up-down light.

The Muuto E27 Light

Another idea for the toilet room light fitting is this Finnish designed Muuto E27 light. They look great hung in a cluster, but it would also look great to hang a single one in a small space with its cable draped from a hook slightly too long.

Kitchen Switch Board

The new (MK Electric Aspect Range) switch plate for the kitchen has now been installed, so the old plastic switch is no longer dangling precariously out of the wall like an eyeball out of its socket!

We originally just had one switch, but got our electrician to run two more cables when he updated our kitchen electrics back in December. One switch is for the linear light fitting, one for the pendant above the table, and one is for the LED under-cabinet lights - so we have a fully controllable system.