May 132013
 
PinExt How To Use Step Lights In Indoor Spaces

step lights 300x199 How To Use Step Lights In Indoor Spaces
For a little more impact in a home’s foyer, or a little more safety in a dark basement, step lighting can help.

This blog post will help you learn how to light an indoor staircase, what lights you should choose for your project and how to install them.

Let’s get started!

First, decide where you want your lights to go…

On the step.

For a subtle accent on each step, you can install recessed lights within the riser (vertical) or the tread (horizontal) portion of the step. Your stairs will get a little more impact, but the lights won’t alter the overall brightness of the room very much. Tread lighting will give steps a runway-like appeal, while riser lighting will typically illuminate the center region of the stairs. If you choose to install your lights here, you’ll need to cut portions of the steps to set and hardwire the lights. We recommend you consult with a professional electrician before setting off to work.

Beside the step.

Another popular step lighting option that adds a little more brightness to the room’s overall light level is wall lighting. Here, you would install your step lights on the wall right next to your staircase, so the lights would cast beams directly down onto the step. Since you don’t have to worry about mounting these lights on the surface of the step, you have a little more artistic freedom – the lights don’t have to be flush with the wall, and they can be a little flashier if you choose. We recommend installing 1 light every 3 steps or so, but you can play with this number depending on how bright you want your staircase to be. Continue reading »

PinExt How To Use Step Lights In Indoor Spaces
Mar 122013
 
PinExt How Durable Are LED Step Lights?

LED Step Lights At Home 233x300 How Durable Are LED Step Lights?
We recently received this question on our website about the durability of our LED step lights:

Can the lights set flat on the landing and be able to withstand the removal of snow, or are they too fragile for that?

If you’ve considered installing step lights on an outdoor staircase or an indoor staircase that gets a lot of wear and tear, this question has probably crossed your mind. After doing some research and hearing from a few customers about their own experiences, here’s what I’ve found:

The Hearty Light Source

For a quality outdoor step light, you couldn’t do better than an LED. LEDs don’t have delicate filaments or electrodes like other light sources. This lets them withstand jarring vibrations like heavy foot traffic or shoveling.

Also, LEDs love the cold – they actually last longer in lower temperatures. So, they’re perfect for outdoor lighting in chilly climates. Fluorescent lights, on the other hand, don’t thrive in the cold. They have difficulty starting in temperatures lower than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Fragile Are The Housings? 

While LEDs by themselves are downright robust, they aren’t the soul component of a step light. The glass, metal, or plastic housings and covers might not hold up to vigorous scraping or pounding if installed flat on a stair. Plus, if they’re not completely flush, they could be a tripping hazard.

Jim from PA. a proud owner of these LED step lights, offered us his solution to this problem:  Continue reading »

PinExt How Durable Are LED Step Lights?
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
Feb 212013
 
PinExt Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In Ground Accent Lights

This week, we’re spotlighting a light fixture that can really help you put the “spotlight” on your favorite indoor and outdoor architectural features.

Meet the LED In-Ground Accent Light:

LED Accent Lights Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In Ground Accent Lights

Each of these LEDs uses only 1.4 watts of power to create a generous flood beam. The lights have a durable stainless steel body, and a rated life of 50,000 hours, so the beauty they provide will stand the test of time.

Uses

When you’re traipsing up and down flights of stairs, these LEDs can light your way.

When you’re strolling on walkways (inside and outside), these LEDs can speckle your path with their beauty.

When you’re enjoying your landscape after dark, these LEDs can show it off in the best light.

When you’re enamored with the architecture of your home or building, these LEDs can help you enhance it. Continue reading »

PinExt Product Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor LED In Ground Accent Lights
Oct 312012
 
PinExt Lights For A Holiday Ready Home

holidaylighting2 300x217 Lights For A Holiday Ready Home
Holiday lights can have a bad reputation, but it’s my goal to help put some sparkle back in your season; to “lighten” your load a bit. Below you’ll find all the lights you need to prep your home for a headache-free holiday, from practical essentials to the best decorative fixtures and everything in between.

1. LED String Lights

Warm Holiday Lights 300x214 Lights For A Holiday Ready HomeHoliday string lights have always been one of the season’s classic hallmarks, and also one of its biggest jokes. With their festive beauty often comes hours upon hours of trial and error, trying to find that single burnt-out light bulb ruining the bunch.

White Holiday Lights 300x183 Lights For A Holiday Ready HomeBut, you shouldn’t have to worry about burnt-out lights if you use LED Holiday Lights for your home this year. They have a 60,000 hour rated-life, so they’ll stay lit for a long, long time.

Pure White Holiday Lights 300x185 Lights For A Holiday Ready HomeOn top of the impressive lifetime, LED lights generate much less heat, so you won’t have to worry about holiday fire hazards. Plus, they use about 90% less energy than incandescent string lights, saving you money to use on more important things this season.

They come in a few cozy color temperatures, alluding to winter wonders like ice and candlelight. Continue reading »

PinExt Lights For A Holiday Ready Home
Aug 222012
 
PinExt Using Dynamic Lighting Arrangements to Liven up Your Yard

 Using Dynamic Lighting Arrangements to Liven up Your Yard

Today we have a guest post from Jillian Watkinson of Community Home Supply, a family-owned Chicago kitchen and bathroom showroom. Jillian’s post gives us some tips for improving the look of your home’s yard with strategically placed outdoor lighting.

Regardless of what your backyard looks like, how big it is or what landscape style it’s been built to, the addition of decorative dynamic lighting arrangements in strategic places is guaranteed to improve your yard’s look immensely. Placing lights around your property in certain patterns is not difficult or expensive and can turn even an ordinary yard into a nighttime wonder.

Take a look at the following tips and maybe use some of them to liven up your garden space with dynamic light arrangements.

What are Your Existing Yard Features?

As a first step towards setting out your lighting arrangements, take a good look at your front yard, back yard and any walkways you have to decide where lights could be placed for maximum effect. For example, if you have a walkway in your front yard and a large stone or wood patio in your back, you might want to think about surrounding their edges with small decorative lights in order to accent their presence and shape.

The idea here is to notice the features against which lighting would look best and make them stand out while muting other parts of your yard that would be better off more hidden in the dark. Continue reading »

PinExt Using Dynamic Lighting Arrangements to Liven up Your Yard
Apr 172012
 
PinExt 3 Recreatable Lighting Looks From Houzz
If you haven’t checked out Houzz.com, you’re in for a treat. Houzz is a home design site with hundreds of thousands of interior and exterior photos, thousands of articles written by design experts, and several tools for managing the remodeling process. I am opted in to Houzz’s weekly newsletter, which delivers inspiration via ideabooks that will make you swoon.

Our product pages at Pegasus Lighting are easy to navigate, but they don’t always include tons of application photos. I find that sifting through Houzz’s ideabooks can spark new design ideas in an instant! Here are three photos from Houzz.com that are easily recreatable with Pegasus Lighting’s products.

1. The Multi-Layered Dining Room: 
57668 0 8 0307 traditional dining room 3 Recreatable Lighting Looks From Houzz

Isn’t it beautiful? This look is achieved by using four layers of lighting (five if you count the fireplace)! The cove lighting on the ceiling is done in a warm white color temperature. The designer likely used a customized lighting strip, probably something very similar to our xenon low voltage light strip. The four mini recessed lights add just a touch of general lighting – and the two in the center are swiveled to also illuminate the wall art. The in-cabinet lights call attention to the glass cabinets, and with the cove lighting, create excellent accent lighting for the room. Finally, the under cabinet lights provide countertop lighting in a warm color temperature, likely with a xenon under cabinet light fixture. Continue reading »
PinExt 3 Recreatable Lighting Looks From Houzz
Dec 132011
 
PinExt 5 Warning Signs Your (Lack Of) Outdoor Lighting Is An Accident Waiting To Happen

Wanted Outdoor Lighting1 5 Warning Signs Your (Lack Of) Outdoor Lighting Is An Accident Waiting To Happen1. When negotiating the steps to your door at night, you’re forced to use your cell phone as a makeshift flashlight.

There’s no question about it – inadequate step lighting is just dangerous. It’s so easy to incorporate lighting into your stairway! Don’t wait until you take a bad fall to make a change. Use this guide to determine what kind of lights are right for your steps.

2. When you’re out of town, so are the house lights. 

Sure, outdoor lighting helps you negotiate dark stairways and makes your house look beautiful, but let’s be honest: It’s not just for you. It sends an important message to outsiders. When you leave home for an extended period of time, you don’t want every passerby to know it. The key here is to look for lights with photocells. Whether it’s a series of small utility lights or a light control socket you can screw your front porch lights into, photocells will enable automated lighting for your home. At dusk, the lights will turn on; at dawn, they’ll turn off again. Continue reading »

PinExt 5 Warning Signs Your (Lack Of) Outdoor Lighting Is An Accident Waiting To Happen
Jun 142011
 
PinExt How to Create an Outdoor Living Space

outdoor space How to Create an Outdoor Living SpaceWhen the summer months roll around, you want to be sure you can take advantage of your outdoor living space as much as possible.  Whether your backyard is a pristine oasis complete with a pool and garden or you are limited to a small balcony overlooking nothing but your neighbor’s place, there’s always room for improvement.

Enhancing your outdoor lighting will give your area so much more versatility: Host a cookout and have guests linger after dusk.  Enjoy a late dinner on the patio.  Bring a book out after the sun goes down and listen to the crickets.

Chances are if your current outdoor lighting situation is lackluster, you’re not using the space as much as you could.  Customize your lighting to enhance your space by following the tips below: Continue reading »

PinExt How to Create an Outdoor Living Space
Apr 292011
 
PinExt Weekend Plans?
led step lilghts Weekend Plans?

Get creative with an LED step light kit

Don’t miss our special shopping event, today through Sunday only!

Spring is in the air … Time to clean closets, plant flowers,  and tackle those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming up all winter.

Get inspired with our weekend discount: 5% off all orders when you enter in the coupon code SPRINGFLING. Need some ideas?

Head over to our Facebook page: We would love to hear about the projects you’re planning!

PinExt Weekend Plans?