Our lighting roundups feature recaps of the latest news, tips and trends in the industry.
Our goal is to provide an easily accessible source for you to stay informed, so the snippets are designed for quick reading. If we’re not writing about something you’d like to see, we’d love to hear from you!
In lighting news…
The Wall Street Journal reported that mid-range kitchen remodels offer higher return on resale than upscale kitchen remodels. If you’re sticking to a budget, stay away from ultra-trendy style choices to increase your resale value. Also, check out this article on how to heat up buyer interest.
Can green construction beat the building blues? We hope so. This article from Reuters discusses the 2-year construction market slump and whether green building trend will jumpstart the industry again.
Cree made history on January 27: They developed the first LED A-lamp that is equivalent in performance to a 60-watt standard incandescent bulb, meeting ENERGY STAR requirements. Exciting!
Since California banned the standard 100-watt incandescent bulb on January 1, the phaseout of traditional incandescent bulbs that’s approaching next year for the rest of the country is getting a lot of press. The USA Today posted editorials about the policy and an additional article about “incandescent hoarders.” MSNBC also reported on mixed reactions to the new bulbs.
In lighting tips…
Interior designer Cheryl Clendenon writes a blog that we love, and she published a post on What NOT to do in your kitchen remodel recently. On the list was Poor Lighting: “It is almost as if people run out of steam by the time this decision gets made… and run to the Big Box retailer and grab whatever is on the sale table. Do not do it.” We couldn’t agree more.
Paul Anater is also a favorite interior design blogger. He answered the question that burns in many homeowner’s minds: Exactly how much should I be spending on a renovation? Paul lets you know what is worth investing in and what isn’t.
“Put as many switches as you can on dimmers to set any mood in your kitchen from “Time to wake up kids!” to “Dinner party ambiance.” – Centsational Girl, 10 Lessons Learned from Building a Kitchen
We share space-saving tips here all the time, but it’s such a common issue that it’s always good to share new ideas. Here’s a post from Lily Dylan on 17 solutions for small kitchens. We wrote a similar post on our blog awhile back called “Small Kitchens, Be Gone!”
If you’re tired of months upon months of an escalated power bill, make some changes to keep your home warmer without a thermostat. The steps are so easy you’ll be kicking yourself for not trying them before.
Find out about 2011’s interior design trends: it’s all about making it personal, functional, and optimistic.