Retro inspirations mixed with the clean lines of contemporary styling is definitely trending in 2012. This design style is ideal for the Austin buyer who is looking for funky chic or vintage but still trends toward modern design.
The Winton, pictured here from Hinkley Lighting, is a retro-inspired design updated for today’s contemporary decors. The heavy, rectangular tube construction has forged details and a unique fitted glass panel design. It is open at the top for relamping, lensed on the bottom and is available in chrome and brushed nickel.
The Winton from Hinkley Lighting
Jonathan Adler’s Havana Triple Pendant is full of retro chic style. Three cocktail shaker style metal shades in a white powder coated finish are offset by polished nickel accents.
Havana Triple Pendant by Jonathan Adler for Robert Abbey
The Sea Side ceiling fan from Savoy House is a sleek retro style design in satin nickel.
Savoy House Sea Side Fan
Visit our showroom for more Retro Contemporary style ideas!
Jeff Dross, of Kichler Lighting, will be with us on Wednesday, October 17th for a lunch presentation on “Layers of Light,” with a special focus on kitchen and bath lighting.
We are offering two sessions, one from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, with lunch served at the end, and a second session from 11:30 am-1:00 pm, with lunch served at the beginning. Designers and Architects, this presentation is accredited as a Continuing Education Unit.
Look for in invitation via email soon, or check our blog for more information in the near future! Be sure to join our newsletter to receive your invitation.
Legend Lighting introduces a new DO IT YOURSELF Saturday series for homeowners!
Mark your calendars for the first one, DO IT YOURSELF Cabinet Lighting on Saturday, August 25th at 1:00 pm.
Learn how to highlight your cabinetry and other architectural features of your home using the many LED cabinet lighting options available at Legend Lighting as well as tips and recommendations for laying out and installing your own project.
For more information please contact a lighting specialist at our showroom.
If you’ve been shopping lately for ceiling fans, you may have noticed more and more options available featuring DC, or direct current, motors. With much buzz in the residential lighting industry surrounding LED, it’s easy to overlook these technological marvels that can also make a significant impact on energy savings in today’s homes. Here’s why.
The Midway Eco ceiling fan by Emerson Fans was one of the first DC ceiling fans on the market and is still one of the most energy efficient fans to be found, with an impressive 355 cfm/w.
If you’ve lived in Texas long, you may already be convinced that ceiling fans are a must for every room in your home. All ceiling fans can help lower your electricity bills by making a room feel up to seven degrees cooler just from the cooling sensation of air blowing on the skin, allowing homeowners to set their thermostats several degrees higher while still achieving the same perceived comfort.
But ceiling fans featuring DC motors achieve this same goal while running on a fraction of the electricity used by traditional AC motors. When comparing the efficiency of ceiling fans, the key metric to look at is airflow efficiency, which is measured in cubic feet per minute per watt (cfm/w). This sounds like a mouthful, but essentially it means the amount of air a fan can move in one minute using one watt of electricity. This metric gives a uniform standard to measure efficiency of all ceiling fans regardless of their size, blade pitch or other attributes.
The Panama DC ceiling fan by Casablanca Fan Company
Let’s take a look at the Panama ceiling fan from Casablanca Fan Company to compare. The original model featuring an AC motor uses 106 watts and has an airflow efficiency of about 50 cfm/w. The Energy STAR version of this same fan, which also features an AC motor, uses 76 watts and moves about 79 cfm/w. However, the DC motor version of this fan, released earlier this year, moves a mind boggling 235 cfm/w while consuming only 29.5 watts! That’s almost five times more efficient than the original model!
You may be thinking that DC motors are not a new technology, and you’d be right. Only in the last few years, however, have they become technologically sophisticated enough to be adapted for use in residential ceiling fans. DC motors, at their simplest, use permanent, built-in magnets to attract and repel a rotor around an axis. DC ceiling fans use a newer type of “brushless” DC motor that are even more efficient and are whisper-quiet, but they require more advanced electronics to control the speed.
The Monarch DC ceiling fan by Kichler Lighting creates a focal point for any large room with it's oversized 70 inch blade span.
So how does this affect your bottom line? As with most energy saving products, you’ll spend a little more up front on these highly efficient marvels, but across the lifetime of the fan, you’ll come out ahead. Add that to the savings from setting the thermostat a couple degrees higher, and DC motor fans could help make a nice dent in your energy costs on an annual basis.
Glass blown pendants have taken a new twist, literally. Rather than the colorful, bright designs that trended through the last decade, we’re now seeing a lot of clear glass blown into extreme shapes intended to mimic designs that occur in nature. These pendants by WAC Lighting are hand blown works of art inspired by ice, lava and the toxic yet beautiful puffer fish.
Resembling the frozen movement of melting icicles, the Italian Ice pendant sparkles like rays of sunlight on an ice sculpture. The organic flow of color and variable texture from Lava creates an interesting and exciting look. Fugu, the Japanese word for Pufferfish is a delicacy to enjoy, but lethal if not skillfully prepared. With hand pulled glass and embedded flecks of 24K gold, this unique pendant captures the likeness of this toxic sea creature.
Jeff Dross, of Kichler Lighting, will be with us on Wednesday, October 17th for a lunch presentation on “Layers of Light,” with a special focus on kitchen and bath lighting.
