Home Decor Trends You Need to Know in 2017

As far as interior design goes, 2016 brought us black stainless steel, the return of florals and matte finishes. But with a new year comes along new trends and must have pieces. If 2017 is the year you’re finally going through with that living room remodel, here are the trends you should get on board with.  

Green

2016 was the year of gray; gray flooring, gray furniture and gray walls. While it’s still popular for 2017, color is making its way back into the mix – especially emerald and dare we say, lime green. But if green walls or carpeting still sounds like too much for you, interior designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard says you can still get the calming, pleasant effects of a green room through throw pillows, flowers in a clear vase and thick picture frames.

Bronze

Metallics used to be limited to silver and gold, but this year has already seen a rise in everything from bronze place settings and cabinet hardware to vases. “It’s a lot more classic in a sense,” says Lawrence-Bullard. Lots of department stores are just now jumping on the trend, so if you see something you like in only gold and silver, ask if a bronze line will be coming out soon.

Tropical Prints

You don’t have to live in Florida or the Caribbean to decorate like you’re by the water. Tropical prints made a high fashion comeback on runways like Marc Jacobs and Prada at the end of last year. An eccentric area rug or throw pillow can break up the stringent lines in a typical English home.

Mixed Patterns

It’s time to join all those polka dot, striped and floral pillows you’ve accumulated over the years because pattern mixing is officially back. In addition to mixing patterns, try experimenting with different textures. Canvas and faux fur pillows on a soft cotton bedspread adds some diversity and excitement to an otherwise stale room.

Fun Lighting

Formal dining rooms came back in 2016, so in 2017, we’re giving them a fun twist. An asymmetrical or oversized lighting fixture can bring some life to a serious room.

At Elements Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings, we’ll help you create the space of your dreams with mirrors, lighting and other accent pieces available in our 18,000 square foot showroom. Our home decor experts are also here whenever you need, to walk you through your design ideas and create a breathtaking space. Give us a call at 516-747-4748 to learn more.

 

Choosing the Right Chandelier for Your Home

Chandeliers can add a beautiful ambiance and decorative element to any room. Unfortunately though, when the wrong one is chosen, that elegant lighting fixture can become an instant eyesore. When choosing the right chandelier, consider the existing feel of your room and how you want to elevate it.

Here are a few more things you’ll want to consider:

Size. When in doubt, go a bit bigger. Chandeliers are a larger than life fixture, so don’t shy away from a showstopping fixture.

Material. When choosing a chandelier, look at the existing room and know what theme it has. They come in every material nowadays, from metal to crystal, and even pearl. The rule of thumb is to match your lighting to existing fixtures. If you have silver handles throughout the room, consider a metal tone chandelier.

Lighting. While a chandelier adds luxury to any space, don’t forget it will also lots of overhead light. If you already have lighting on the ceiling, buy one with a dimmer so you can adjust the light depending on the time of day.

Style. Is your home modern and contemporary, elegant or traditional? Chandeliers don’t just belong in estate living rooms anymore. With candle, glass and shaded options to choose from in a multitude of colors and shapes, you’re sure to find the perfect match for your dining room, kitchen or bedroom.

Other fixtures. A chandelier will draw visitors eye’s up to the ceiling the instant they walk in the room, so make sure they are only admiring your beautiful lighting and not staring at an HVAC vent. To really make yours pop, paint the ceiling a clean white before installing it.

Structural integrity. Large, crystal chandeliers can weigh several hundred pounds, so make sure your ceiling is equipped to handle the weight. If you have a vaulted ceiling, consult a professional before doing any work, as it can be harder to properly attach a chandelier to a slanted surface.

Feel like you still need a little help finding the right chandelier for your home? At Elements Distinctive Lighting, our home decor experts are here to walk you through the entire step, start to finish. To learn more about how we can help and our lighting options, stop by our 8,000 square foot showroom or give us a call at 516-747-4748.

A Shopping Guide to Desk Lamps

Whether you work from home every day or just use your desk to pay bills, a desk light can add sophistication and elegance to any study. As desk lamps become more and more popular, the once boring light fixture can make a bold statement all on its own.

What is task lighting? Task lighting is localized light that provides the perfect amount of coverage for the task at hand. If you’re constantly switching between writing, looking at a computer and reading papers a stationary light fixture may not meet all your needs.

What factors should I consider? Is your desk solely for decoration or do you work from it daily? If your desk is purely decoration, you can have more fun choosing the right style to suit the room. However, if the room is also used as a family room you might want a light with a dimmer on it and possibly a more focused, controlled beam of light.

Size, style and finish. Desk lamps may be functional, but they’re also a statement piece. Before you buy a lamp, measure your desk. A big lamp sitting on a small desk (and vice versa) can leave your space feeling unbalanced and awkward. With desk lamps ranging from classic and traditional to contemporary and whimsical, make sure your latest lighting fixture matches the mood of the room.

Lighting Needs. The taller the lamp the more area it will light up, so consider how much space you want to illuminate and make sure the lamp has a stand with enough height to rise above a computer. If you work on different areas of the desk, you may want one with a long adjustable stand that can reach across.

Bulbs. If your fixture supports it (and most do) choose LED lights over incandescent bulbs. LED lights last 10 times longer than incandescents and are better for the environment. And because they use less energy, you won’t have to worry about it affecting your energy bill if you’re up late working.

Looking for the right style lighting to go in your study? At Elements Distinctive Lighting, our home decor experts are here to walk you through the entire step, start to finish. To learn more about how we can help and our lighting options, stop by our 8,000 square foot showroom or give us a call at 516-747-4748.

 

10 Tricks to Make Your Small Bathroom Look Bigger

We all want a luxurious master bath to come home to at the end of a long day, but as more and more people trade in the master bath for a master suite, that’s not always possible. Fortunately, with just a few coats of paint and some well placed mirrors, you can make any small bathroom look spacious and elegant.

 

White on White. Crisp white tiles under white walls will reflect light and make your space look bigger.

Let the Light In. It can be hard to find a balance between needing privacy and wanting natural light to fill the bathroom. So before you cover the windows in a dark, thick shade think about frosting your window or choosing lightweight, white curtains to cover the window.

Mirrors. Large, counter-to-ceiling mirrors are not only practical, but they can reflect any incoming light and create the illusion of more space.

“Floating” Furniture. Instead of resting your furniture on the floor, try floating it a foot above. Wall-mounted furniture can visually open up a room and add a modern element to any bathroom.

Open Shelves. Get rid of your cabinet doors and instead place one or two long shelves below the sink. When the wall color is exposed behind shelves, it can make you feel like you’re in a larger room than you really are. Open shelves will also force you to clean out those cluttered drawers keeping only what you want others to see.

Smaller Furniture. When you’re trying to fill a small space, think “less is more.” A large bathtub or wall-length vanity will make your bathroom feel cramped. Instead, choose a self standing, single sink vanity.

Clear Glass. Heavy, flowing curtains will break up your already small room, making it feel tiny – while floor to ceiling glass doors let your eyes travel the full length of the room.

Choose Big Tiles. Small wall tiles create lines that break up the room and distract the eye. Large tiles will create one long, continuous line throughout your bathroom.

Smart Storage. Keep your hairbrush and lotion off the counter by using space saving storage boxes effectively. Keep this organized yet compact so you don’t need extra storage bins laying around.

A Recessed Medicine Cabinet. Instead of having your medicine cabinet stick out, hollow out part of the wall and make the cabinet lay flush against it.

At Elements Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings, we’ll help you create the space of your dreams with mirrors available in any shape, size or budget. Taking a walk through our 18,000 square foot showroom, you’ll be wowed by the mirrors, lighting, and other home accessories you can’t live without! Our home decor experts are also here whenever you need, to walk you through your design ideas and create a breathtaking space. Give us a call at 516-747-4748 to learn more.

 

7 Ways to Modernize a Traditional Home

Whether your home is 10 years old or 110 years old, any traditional house can benefit from a little updating. The classic lines and simplicity of traditional homes are usually major selling points, but if your taste lies between classic and modern, here are a few ways to add contemporary accents to your home.

Play with Color. Probably the easiest way to update the look of your home is to add a pop of color. Dark grays have been trending lately, but too much gray can make everything in the room blend together. Incorporating bright throw pillows, curtains or flowers can liven up a room while breaking up a monochromatic color scheme.

Have a Clear Vision. A transparent coffee table, foot stool or a glass bar cart can lighten up the heaviness of dark woods and thick upholstered furniture you typically find in traditional homes. And since it’s clear, you don’t have to worry about it matching your existing colors or furniture!

Change The Layout. Before you stick two couches against the living room walls and put a coffee table in the middle, think of some other creative ways to use the space. In your bedroom, consider leaving your bed floating in the middle of a wall instead of flush against a corner. Don’t be afraid to try out a unique arrangement and ask for opinions.

Hang Modern Art. Whether you prefer paintings or sculptures, soften up architectural lines and edges by adding contemporary art, full of unique shapes and curves.

Scale It Up. Color isn’t the only way to accent a piece. In most traditional homes, you’d find small pendants or overhead lighting in a room. Instead, consider a large statement chandelier or oversized mirror to add unexpected drama.

Travel the World. Most traditional homes have European- or American-style furniture. Instead of matching the furniture with other quintessential European art, look for something inspired by Asian or South African artwork. Really take your designing up a notch by looking for pieces from overseas the next time you’re traveling.

Metal Madness. Traditional homes often have wood floors and wood grain furniture, which can make a room look dark and heavy. Lighten a room with metallic accents, like silver chandeliers, kitchen cabinet hardware and metal framed pictures.

At Elements Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings, we’ll help you create the space of your dreams.. Taking a walk through our 18,000 square foot showroom, you’ll be wowed by the mirrors, lighting, and other home accessories you can’t live without! Our home decor experts are always here to walk you through your design ideas and help you create a breathtaking space. Give us a call at 516-747-4748 to learn more.

Your Guide to Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting is not only essential because it keeps visitors and passersby safe, but it also makes your house look elegant and inviting. Lighting allows you to highlight certain aspects of your home and show off it’s personality and charm. So if you’re looking to add some light to your front yard, here are the areas you should highlight.

The Entryway. Lighting at the front door is a necessity because it makes your home feel inviting and warm, while it also prevents tripping and helps you find the doorknob at night. Because the front door is typically a small space, opt for two low wattage light bulbs instead of one bright overhead light.

Driveway and Garage. Most people don’t realize that the garage door and driveway should be the least illuminated areas of your landscape. If you live deep into a block, you should always have a lantern at the edge of your driveway to help visitors and emergency vehicles find your home, but after that, a car’s headlight will light up the rest of the way. The best option is to have one strong light above the garage that can be turned on only when needed – like if the kids are out playing basketball or you are working on your car.

Walkways and Steps. You always want to keep your walkway lit with guiding light – meaning you want to guide people in the direction of your door, rather than shine one large overhead light on the path. Avoid the “airport runway look” parallel lights can cause by staggering small, round lights along the path floor. Then add lights in the backboard of a step to beautifully light up your stairs without overpowering the entry way with light.

Decks and Patios . If you spend the nights hosting or watching the sunset on your patio, install all of your lights with a dimmer so they can be adjusted throughout the evening. You should also be cautious about using small bright lights, as they attract insects to your entertaining area. A great way to avoid the mosquitoes while still getting light is to put lights in shallow trees around your landscape.

Garden Area. Lighting should highlight the most beautiful aspects of your home – so if you work hard to maintain a colorful garden, show it off! Subtle lighting throughout a garden will grab people’s attention and show off your handy work.

Keep in mind. Most people will be looking at your house from the road or sidewalk, so before you decide on a new light fixture, have someone hold it up to the house and look at it from the street. You always want your light fixtures to be noticeable but not dominant.

Whether you’re looking to add light or a decorative element to your house, our home decor experts are here to walk you through the entire process, start to finish! To learn more about how Elements Distinctive Lighting can help and our lighting options, stop by our 8,000 square foot showroom or give us a call at 516-747-4748.

 

How to Decorate with Mirrors

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall – who is the fairest of them all?” While for years, mirrors were used as nothing more than a practical way to check your appearance before you left for work, mirrors are now a beautiful and elegant addition to any room. Whether you are looking to add a statement piece, light or dimension, mirrors can reflect the beauty of any space.

A statement mirror. Add drama and intensity to any room with an exaggerated and overstated mirror, either flush to the wall or self standing. Not only will the mirror become the focal point of the room, it can also be a practical addition.

Cluster of small mirrors. If you’re looking to spice up a small wall, try incorporating multiple small mirrors intricately throughout the wall. This is also a design you can get really creative with – add a different colored border or frame around each mirror, or choose mirrors of sightly different shapes and sizes. This technique will usually give any room a cool, modern look.

Increase space: Mirrors inherently make and space bigger, but if you want to really increase the look of your room, place a mirror from the halfway point of your wall, up towards the ceiling. Be careful though not to draw attention to an undesired reflection, like a spinning ceiling fan or vent.

Mirror art. Mirrors don’t need to serve a practical purpose when they are in places like the dining room or kitchen. Look for mirrors that have hand painted designs, or an iron design throughout the mirror itself. Instead of using it as a typical mirror, make it a piece of artwork hanging in your home.

Create a window. Place a mirror directly across from a large window to give the appearance of another window. Now you’ll have a beautiful view of the outdoors no matter where you look in the room.

Tabletop mirrors. While an entire mirrored table top can be a bit chaotic looking once it has been set, a thin strip of mirror down the center of a long table can reflect the beautiful centerpieces or flower arrangements on it.

Accent piece. If your room is already has several attention grabbing pieces, but you are still looking to fill a small wall space, choose a simple, borderless  mirror. It will artistically fill your space, without being as distracting.

The entry way. Most designer’s favorite space for a mirror is the entry way, especially ones that lack natural light. Not to mention, they let you get in one last outfit check before leaving for the day.

At Elements Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings, we’ll help you create the space of your dreams with mirrors available in any shape, size or budget. Taking a walk through our 18,000 square foot showroom, you’ll be wowed by the mirrors, lighting, and other home accessories you can’t live without! Our home decor experts are also here whenever you need, to walk you through your design ideas and create a breathtaking space. Give us a call at 516-747-4748 to learn more.

A How-to Guide for Installing a Wall Sconce

With just a week until the New Year, now is the perfect time to freshen up your home’s appearance, without having to undergo a major renovation. Any room can benefit from more light – as it makes the space look bigger and more inviting, but if you don’t have the table space to add more lamps, wall sconces are a classic and elegant addition to any room.

If you just bought a wall sconce and want to try your hand at installing it yourself, here is your guide to properly installing a wall sconce.

Safety first: Whenever you’re working with electrical, be careful not to cut corners. Turning off the wall switch is just a short cut and can still result in an electric shock. Before you interact with any wiring, make sure the circuit breaker to that room is turned off.

Tip: Once you know which circuit goes to which room, you should label them. Now, the next time you have a project you’ll know exactly what circuits go to which lights.

Octagonal Vs. Old Work Box: Learn what type of “box” you have throughout your house. Most homes either have an octagonal box, which is nailed to your wall stud, or and old work box, which is mounted to the dry wall via a pair of clips. Most sconces are mounted directly onto either one of these boxes via a bracket, because the box can be mounted almost anywhere and hold 90% of the fixtures weight.

The Bracket: If the box is in the spot you want to attach a sconce, you will need a bracket to secure it. The simplest bracket is a flat bar with a single large threaded hole in the center. The hole is there to allow a threaded tube to pass through and be secured with a pair of lock nuts. Then mount the sconce on this tube, using a nut to hold it in place.

Wiring: Once the bracket is secured, attach the ground wire (usually the bare copper wire) to the green “ground” screw. First, attach the white, neutral wires to the lamp’s white wires, then attach the black wires to the lamp’s black wires. Your lighting kit should include the wire twist nuts that are used to connect the wires.

Test and Attach: Before you tuck away all the wires and fully attach the sconce, test the fixture. After double checking that all wires are safely connected, turn the circuit on. If your light works, the hard part is over! Cut the circuit once again and complete the installation by neatly tucking all the wires into the wall and attach the fixture to the wall with screws. You don’t want to do all this work to end up with a tilted light, so treat it as you would a picture and use a level to make sure everything is even.

Whether you’re looking to add light or a decorative element to your entrance way, our home decor experts are here to walk you through the entire process, start to finish. To learn more about how we can help and our lighting options, stop by our 8,000 square foot showroom or give us a call at 516-747-4748.

10 Chandelier Ideas for Your Bathroom

Chandeliers aren’t just for the dining room anymore. Chandeliers add elegance and a striking glow to any master bath or vanity area. But before you jump on the formal bathroom bandwagon, make sure you check out these tips for choosing the perfect bathroom chandelier.

Size: Know the size of your bathroom before you head to the showroom. You don’t want to hang a small chandelier in the center of a large master bath, or vice versa.

Bathroom layout: While a chandelier adds luxury, comfort and privacy to any area of the bathroom, most people opt to put their chandelier above the bathtub. Make sure to take careful measurements though, the typical rule of thumb is to hang  your chandelier 8 feet from the top of the bathtub.

Material: Chandeliers come in any and every material now a days, but when you’re choosing one for the bathroom, remember to consider how steam will affect the material. An iron chandelier will rust in no time, but stainless materials, like brass, plastic, aluminum, and bronze are safe and trendy choice.

Style: Before adding anything to a room, ask yourself, “What do I want this room to feel like?” A chandelier can become a major focal point, so make sure it fits with your vision for the space.

Lighting: While a chandelier adds elegance to any room, don’t forget that it also adds a lot of light, especially if it is reflecting off a nearby mirror. If your bathroom is already well lit with both artificial light and sunlight, opt for lights with longer durability and mild bulbs.

Color: Chandeliers don’t just come in silver and gold anymore. Black, red and even jeweled chandeliers are popular because they add a pop of color and drama to any area.

Shape: With square, circular, oval, bubbled, and traditional options, it can seem a little overwhelming trying to find one that matches your bathroom perfectly. Your best bet? Match your chandelier to the existing features in your bathroom, like the cabinet handles and sink fixtures. If everything is circular or rounded, opt for a circular chandelier!

Ceiling fixtures: If your ceiling already has lights built in, a vent or skylight, make sure the chandelier is far enough from everything so as not to clutter the area. Remember, a chandelier draws people’s eye up, so make sure they are not looking up into your fan vent.

Ceiling integrity: Chandeliers can be pretty heavy. Make sure your ceiling is equipped to handle the new feature. If a chandelier is over 40lbs, you may want to hire a professional carpenter to attach it via tubes and stabilizers.

Electrical: Always make sure the wiring in the bathroom is protected with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), which will cut the current if it senses water damage or any other unsafe conditions.

Feel like you still need a little help finding the right chandelier for your home? At Elements Distinctive Lighting, our home decor experts are here to walk you through the entire step, start to finish. To learn more about how we can help and our lighting options, stop by our 8,000 square foot showroom or give us a call at 516-747-4748.