http://articles.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/rss.xml A blog about indoorlightingextravaganza.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/?a=35611 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>I got home from work one night and tried to find my little brother to ask him if he needed a ride to school the next day. He wasn't in the kitchen. Nor the Living Room, nor anywhere else in the house I looked all over, until I got to my room. I noticed a green glow from under the door and realized my brother was not only home, but in my room.<br /><br />I opened the door. He was not playing Nintendo, or watching TV. He was staring at my lava lamp. He was always fascinated with it. He started at it a lot. I guess I did, too, but I wouldn't go in someone else's room just to look at one. I yelled at him and he left. I sat and looked at it too, I really loved this lamp. I would have just given it to my brother though, but my dad had given it to me and I didn't want to risk hurting his feelings. I decided maybe I'd buy him one for Christmas or something.<br /><br />I gave him a ride to school the next day, and on the way he mentioned his Science Fair was coming up and he didn't know what make for an experiment.<br /><br />I instantly had a flashback to my sixth grade Science Fair experience: I made a volcano. So did at least half of the rest of my grade. The fair started up, and every time someone stopped at your booth, you got a sticker and at the end of the fair everyone tallies up their stickers and the students who had the top three most visitors would get special recognition and a prize. Of course, when there are so many volcanoes, the visitors aren't exactly rushing in. Needless to say, I wasn't one of the top three.<br /><br />Because of my lack of recognition and embarrassment, I wanted to not only help my brother learn from my mistakes, but I guess I also wanted to live vicariously through him. I started trying to think of cool, interesting, unique science experiments and thought of one: make a lava lamp! I had just read about it online a couple weeks ago. I thought it sounded cool, but since I already had one it didn't seem as cool.<br /><br />It was the perfect idea, though: he wanted a lava lamp for years, everyone loves lava lamps, and then I wouldn't have to feel guilty for having one. When he got home that night, I told him about it and he was really excited at the prospect of having his own lava lamp. In retrospect, I think he was far more excited to get a lava lamp than having a cool science fair project.<br /><br />We got the supplies and it turned out pretty good. There isn't a day I don't see a blue glow under his door. Our family jokes about it and almost every year he gets a new lava lamp (he now has a lava lamp collection). He's pretty happy: he won 2nd at the Science Fair, and has many lava lamps.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as indoor lighting fixtures at <a href="http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/">http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com</a></p> 2006-09-01T00:16-04:00 http://articles.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/?a=35604 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Lighting can make or break a mood. At a dance, you don't want all the lights to be on, and while studying, you don't want candles lit everywhere. This is why lighting is not something to be overlooked, especially when doing something like creating your own unique home theatre experience! There are a few different things to consider when deciding on lighting which will enhance your theatre experience to a whole new level.<br /><br />For starters, you must take everything into consideration: <br /><br />What do you want the overall look to be? Do you have a theme in mind? With some inspiration and a certified electrician, you are on your way to a truly wonderful environment.<br /><br />If you love a personalized area, be sure to consider customizing your lights with personalized wall scones. You can use a plethora of different ideas for personalized scones, from your family name to an icon such as a four leaf clover.<br /><br />For instance, if you want to have a ceiling of stars, consider experiencing the illuminating effects of the galaxy dome. Easy to put up, because it lacks wires (and therefore requires no electrician no help from an electrician), it could very well be worth your $2000 for a perfect, romantic feel, or even a drive-in theme. If you like the idea, but feel as though $2000 is a bit much, check out the $300 fiber optic kit, which covers 22 square feet, and features &quot;stars&quot;.<br /><br />Another way to achieve this galaxy effect is to use star tiles. Its technology creates a very realistic and non-distracting experience. You may link various tiles together to cover a wider area, if needed. They come in a variety of sizes (2'x2', 2'x4', 4'x4', 4'x8') to ensure compatibilities with all different types of ceilings. They are virtually maintenance free. These can be purchased anywhere from $48 to $300 each.<br /><br />If, however, you're going for stars as in Hollywood, big-time feel, consider using wall sconces. Sconces come in various shapes, from squares to waves to mushrooms, so take into consideration which type of shape would best fit your theatre. Sconces are also nice because you can customize them by cutting out shapes such as fire themes. You can also customize ceramic scones because you can paint them to blend in or pop out against the walls. Sconces range from $150 to $300.<br /><br />If you end up going with the Hollywood theme, there are lamps which retail at $395 and stand at 56&quot; featuring classics such as the rebel, cowboy, rocker, and starlet.<br /><br />Otherwise, consider a simple dome ceiling lights. You can match dome patterns with your wall scones. They are easy to install, as they fit over existing ceiling lights and can be customized with paint.<br />Remember there are many different options available to you. Once you settle on a theme, the world of home theatre lighting will open up to you and you will surely find a light which compliments your system beautifully.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as indoor lighting fixtures at <a href="http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/">http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com</a></p> 2006-08-28T23:57-04:00 http://articles.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/?a=35235 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>In the home decorating world, the tropical look has never been hotter. The casual and warm styling with natural colors and cool textures bring forth unique rooms that show great style while offering a relaxing environment. Many choose to create entire theme rooms in the tropical attitude while some people will simply accent with tropical items.<br /><br />Some of the more common tropical accessories include the use of flowers like orchids and hibiscus in brightly colored fabrics on drapes and upholstery. Some other characteristics will be tropical birds and animals like monkeys and tigers. If one is planning to decorate an entire room in the tropical style using wallpaper of bamboo creates a great look. <br /><br />Furnishings should go along with this using rattan, wicker, bamboo and other natural tropical woods. <br />The tropical style began in the 1940's when America was going crazy over anything to do with Hawaii. This continued into the 1950's with Cuban styling and has continued to be popularized by Florida and Caribbean decorating ideas. Some choose to throw in a little of the Orient which works well and even using the British look of the Bahamas.<br /><br />When choosing lighting for a tropical themed room we want to incorporate all of these trends. Choose natural tropical woods such as rattan, teak, and bamboo along with colored and earth tone wood beads that will continue the relaxed look we are trying to create. As with furnishings, using items that are embossed with tropical birds, palms, and large jungle plant leaves continue the tropical look. <br /><br />Dependent upon how colorful we have gone with our other choices, the lamp shades can be either brightly colored or more muted earth tones. If we have gone with earth tones in our upholstery, we may choose to accent with brightly colored lamp shades.<br /><br />There are many new lines of ceiling fans that offer the wicker and rattan look that can really cap off the look of a tropical themed room. Don't forget to add this to yours, it can make a huge difference in the overall look of the room.<br /><br />Changing a room to a tropical theme can be very easy and incredibly fun and the home decor industry offers many choices to help you create your own unique style.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get lighting for your tropical look at <a href="http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com/">http://www.indoorlightingextravaganza.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T19:30-04:00