Unique Home Lighting Options and Design Ideas

When I moved into my apartment I had one lamp in one room, and a ceiling globe in the kitchen, other than that I was in the dark. Through the use of some old lamps a few candles and some creative options I now have a variety of light options which produce a variety of ambiances to suit any mood. Initially you have to figure out what your options are and what you are looking to achieve. Do you desire or need recessed lighting? Do you want and will you use candles? Are you going to be reading by these lights or are they merely for setting the right mood? Once you have answered these questions you can begin your quest for the perfect lamps or lights to suit your needs. Initial searches should be conducted on Ebay or Craigslist with most people selling a large variety of lamps, of all styles. Craigslist.org is a common place to start especially when seeking out vintage lighting options.

If you are seeking a more unique lighting option then try one of these projects involving Christmas lights. For a recessed lighting look and feel and a convenient display option for the glass ware in your kitchen, string a strand of Christmas light along the top of your cabinets (this will only work if the tops of your cabinets are exposed rather than built into the wall). If you lack an outlet onto of your cabinets and there is no readily available method of running a power cord down to an outlet then take a ¼ inch drill bit and in the back right corner of the cabinet above the outlet you desire to reach, drill a hole up and through the cabinet. For ease, remove the shelves and drill through them, or if the shelves are a loose fit then you may be able to run the cord up and through the cabinet without drilling the shelves at all. Now that you have power to your lights, push them to the far back tops of the cabinets in order to hide their existence and add to the facade of recessed lighting. If applicable then place your glass ware collection on top of the cabinets in front of the strand of lights. This works for me because I am a fairly tall person but this option may not be for everyone. This will create a unique view of your sparkling stemware with a back-lit soft ambiance.

My other favorite option for Christmas lights is to take a wicker basket or bowl, one with the weaving wide enough to where you can feed the Christmas light cord out the bottom of the basket or bowl without damaging the item. Take the Bowl and feed the power cord of the light strand out the bottom and then simple bunch up the lights inside the bowl, this works better with smaller strand of lights (5-10ft). Now take your collection of wicker balls or glass orbs or really any kind of object which will allow the light to escape and fill the top of the basket or bowl with such items. A really unique view that I created once was in a blue basket with orange rubber balls inside it. I have also seen wine corks used in this way to much success.

When it comes to candles I often see people buying large circular candles, sitting them on a table where they look nice and collect dust. This is truly not the way to go, and I promise you that if you turn off that incandescent light bulb for a few hours and light those candles on the end table, you may be pleasantly surprised. For simple flair, buy a variety of candle sizes and group them together. For added beauty take a large plate and put the candles in the center surrounding them with small stones or sand, or even coffee beans. This will create a small candle garden and if the coffee bean option is used, then they will add to the aroma filling your room.

For a simple fix to that vintage lamp sitting in your garage try cutting the cord off or merely tucking it away and placing a candle stick in the light socket. If using a working lamp and merely going for the temporary, use a tea light candle and you will be able to remove it when ever you desire to reinsert an actual light bulb.

Regardless of your lighting needs, these tips are just the tip of the iceberg. Just about anything can be turned into a lamp when you have a drill and a strand of Christmas lights or the guts from an old lamp. Candles should not be used merely as decoration, especially in the winter when the heat from candles can keep down heating costs. Keep your imagination open and put a little effort into your lighting design and you might be surprised what you come up with.