Apr 182013
 
PinExt What is Under Counter Lighting?

LED Under Cabinet Lighting Vertical 160x300 What is Under Counter Lighting?
Just in case you’re wondering, under cabinet lights are known by a whole bundle of different names. Besides the name “under cabinet lighting,” which makes a lot of sense because they’re the lights you install under your cabinets, they’re also called undermount lights, task lighting fixtures, kitchen under cabinet lights, and under cupboard lighting.

But, the name that has caused the most head-scratching here at Pegasus Lighting is “under counter lights.” Most everyone understands that under cabinet lighting and under counter lighting are different names for the same thing, but when you really think, it doesn’t make much sense.

Under counter lights are always installed over the counter, but they’re not called “over counter lights.” If I didn’t know better, I might picture small accent lights below the lip of a counter. Or even better, backlighting under translucent counters, making them glow. Though now that I think about it, that might actually be cool. Why don’t we call those under counter lights? Continue reading »

PinExt What is Under Counter Lighting?
Apr 052013
 
PinExt How To Install Recessed Puck Lights In 8 Easy Steps

Puck Lights PALPX 300x191 How To Install Recessed Puck Lights In 8 Easy Steps
Recessed puck lights are a simple, attractive light source for task lighting and accent lighting. If you’re ready to use puck lights to illuminate your cabinets or shelves, just follow these tips to create the perfect lighting scheme!

1. Pick Your Pucks.

Do you prefer plug-in, hard-wire, or battery operated lights? LED, xenon, or fluorescent? Low voltage or line voltage? What color temperature works best with your decor? You can browse our full selection of puck lights here.

2. Decide How Many Puck Lights You’ll Need. 

This will depend on how you want to use them. For even under cabinet lighting or bookshelf lighting, use one light for every 6-10 inches of space. For display lighting, position one light above every item you wish to showcase.

3. Determine How To Place Your Lights. 

For even lighting, follow the 6-10 inch rule. We recommend you install the lights closer to the front of the cabinets or shelves. This will provide the brightest illumination, especially important for task lighting. For accent lighting, the placement is more arbitrary. What makes your display look best?

4. Test Them Out.

Before you whip out the power tools, test out your placement by taping the puck lights in place. You can even turn them on to see how the final lighting scheme will appear. Make adjustments as you see fit. When you’re happy with what you see, take a pencil and trace each light. Continue reading »

PinExt How To Install Recessed Puck Lights In 8 Easy Steps
Mar 082013
 
PinExt How Many Puck Lights Do I Need?

xenon puck light How Many Puck Lights Do I Need?
Puck lights, which get their name from their hockey puck-like shape, are one of the most versatile light fixtures around. They fit almost anywhere and can function as under cabinet task lighting, display lighting, and even safety lighting.

If you’re still in the dark about how many puck lights you need for your next lighting project, just follow these guidelines.

First, determine what you’re going to use your puck lighting to illuminate.

For even lighting under cabinets or along bookshelves…

Puck Lights PALPX How Many Puck Lights Do I Need?

We recommend using 1 puck light for every 6-10 inches of cabinet or shelf space. If you’re lighting 11-18 inches of space, use 2-3 puck lights. For 19-26 inches, you’ll need 3-4 puck lights. For 27-34 inches, 4-5 puck lights. For 35-42 inches, 5-7 puck lights. For 43-50 inches, 6-8 puck lights, and so on. Just measure your space and divide it up accordingly! Continue reading »

PinExt How Many Puck Lights Do I Need?
Feb 262013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Garage Lighting More Energy Efficient

This is the fourth post in a series on saving energy with your lights. We’re tackling every space in your home and business to make sure you’re saving the most power possible. Click here to browse through all the posts. 

For many of us,  the garage is one of the most utilitarian rooms in the house, so there shouldn’t be any excuse for having lights that consume unnecessary energy. Whether you use your garage as a full-on workshop, or just as a place to stash your holiday decorations, you might be surprised at how much you can save with just a few simple lighting upgrades.

iStock 000019156158Small How To Make Your Garage Lighting More Energy Efficient

Let’s start by dividing the garage into different regions with unique functions: the storage area, the task area, and the entrances and exits.  Continue reading »

PinExt How To Make Your Garage Lighting More Energy Efficient
Nov 092012
 
PinExt Holiday Gifts For Your Favorite Chef

Gift Guide1 Holiday Gifts For Your Favorite Chef
This is the second post in a series on finding the perfect holiday gifts for everyone you love this season. You can read the first post on lighting gifts for your favorite wrench wielding, solder-for-fun handyperson right here.

If you know someone who loves to cook, whether she got her skills from culinary school or the Food Network, whether he lives with you or just nearby, you get to reap the benefits year-round. So, you’re probably looking for a way to thank them this season. Maybe you’ve exhausted gifts like fancy knives and aprons. Perhaps you’re at a loss.

Why not gift them with light this season? There are tons of different easy to install (and easy to love) lighting options that will augment and expedite the cooking process, while enhancing the atmosphere.

Here are a few ideas: Continue reading »

PinExt Holiday Gifts For Your Favorite Chef
May 252012
 
PinExt Use Bookshelf Lights to Help Tell Your Story

bookcase lights 220x300 Use Bookshelf Lights to Help Tell Your StoryWhether they shelve books, artwork, or heirlooms, bookcases are a great way to feature your unique interests. However, it can be easy to let your special things fall into the shadows if they’re not properly lit. Here are a few different ways to spotlight your most precious items:

Strips and Microfluorescents

If you prefer to highlight your entire bookshelf, running a Xenon Low Voltage Light Strip or a microfluorescent light fixture along each shelf will do the trick. Just make sure you install the lights in a place they can’t be seen—that way they’ll draw attention to what is important and really make your display pop. As an added bonus, they’ll also provide a significant light source to the entire room.

Puck Lights and Recessed Lights

Do you have a favorite painting, sculpture, or photograph sitting on your bookcase? Feature it with a small puck light attached to the shelf above. This finishing touch draws attention to the item and adds diverse visual interest to the entire bookshelf. If your bookcases are freestanding and have curiosities on top, you can use recessed lighting to attract the eye above. Installing recessed lights is also an easy way to emphasize a bookshelf without illuminating the whole room, although this option will highlight the shelf more than its contents.

Need more ideas on how to display your favorite belongings? Check out these thoughtful shelf decorating tips by HGTV’s Leah Hennen!

 

PinExt Use Bookshelf Lights to Help Tell Your Story
May 232012
 
PinExt Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri

There were custom designed cabinets, marble countertops, and a subway tile backsplash. Slim puck lights and under cabinet light fixtures completed this drop-dead gorgeous kitchen remodel in Missouri.

This customer used our Xenon Low Voltage Ultra-Slim Lights for in-cabinet puck lighting and our Xenon Line Voltage Thin Under Cabinet Task Lights to show off her marble countertops. What’s that? You want to see pictures? Oh, since you twisted my arm:

image002 1 Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri image003 1 Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri

image004 1 Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri

image005 Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri

What do you think?

PinExt Featured Lighting Project from Saint Louis, Missouri
Aug 012011
 
PinExt How to Make a Stink Bug Trap Using Our LED Puck Light
Stink Bugs Now in 33 US States How to Make a Stink Bug Trap Using Our LED Puck Light

Image Courtesy of ABC News

Do you have a stink bug problem in your home?

Brown marmorated stink bugs originally came from Asia and were first spotted in Pennsylvania in the 1990s.  Since then, they’ve spread to 33 U.S. states.

If you’ve never encountered one, here are a few quick facts:

  • They do not bite or sting.
  • They will ruin your plants.  Researchers say they’re the most menacing agricultaral pests in 40 years.
  • They aren’t named “stink bugs” for nothing.  They emit a rather unpleasant odor.  If you have an infestation in your home, the smell can last for months.

We came across a video on YouTube showing how to make a stink bug trap using electrical tape, a Pepsi 2-liter bottle, masking tape, a razor, a black permanent marker, and our LED battery operated puck light.

The video says they are available at Home Depot, but it’s the exact same product we sell online.

See the video after the jump for instructions on how to make a homemade stink bug trap!
Continue reading »

PinExt How to Make a Stink Bug Trap Using Our LED Puck Light
Sep 152010
 
PinExt Small Kitchens, Be Gone!

corner over cabinet 250 Small Kitchens, Be Gone!Homeowners approach kitchen designers all the time with those three familiar words: “it’s too small.”  Since it’s not always in the budget to knock out the walls, cut the living room square footage in half, and create a massive dream kitchen from scratch, designers usually have to come up with a few other ideas.

Listed below are solutions for tackling that too-small kitchen.  Let me know if I missed any in the comments!

Paint Lightly: Rooms painted with a lighter color will feel more open.  Try to gravitate toward colors like light blue, white, yellow, or beige.  This applies not only to walls but also to cabinets, countertops, and appliances.  Dark colors have a way of visually closing in your space. Continue reading »

PinExt Small Kitchens, Be Gone!
Jul 152010
 
PinExt How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting

Xenon Line Voltage Thin Under Cabinet Lights How to Choose Under Cabinet LightingIf you’re only going to choose just one lighting feature to add your kitchen, make it under cabinet lighting.  It provides task lighting for your countertops to make them ideal for food preparation and cooking, it illuminates the backsplash on your wall to create beautiful accent lighting, and it can also be used as night lighting for your kitchen.  Once you install under cabinet lighting, you’ll never want to go back.

Many lighting designers talk about creating “layers of light” for your kitchen.  Under cabinet lighting serves as a crucial “layer” for great design.

That being said, there are a ton of options to choose from.  How do you know what style of under cabinet lighting is right for your kitchen?  Hopefully, this guide will make it a little easier to make your selection.

It’s a good idea to choose your light source first.

1. Fluorescent, Xenon, or LED?

Microfluorescent T4 Under Cabinet Lights How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting

Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lights

Fluorescent under cabinet lights are the most energy efficient in providing a given amount of light.  Moreover, fluorescent light sources give off very little heat.  This is a great feature depending on what is stored in the cabinet immediately above the under cabinet fixture or, perhaps, what is lying 12 to 18 inches below the light.  While most fluorescent fixtures cannot be dimmed, they can be a wonderful, inexpensive option.  In addition, our Microfluorescent Fixtures or Fluorescent Swivel Sticks are probably the easiest products to install – a definite plus. Continue reading »

PinExt How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting