Make Your Home Inviting Day or Night with the Right Exterior Lighting

Using a variety of lights creates a balanced and professionally-lit exterior, like this Dallas home we helped to design.

I’ve discussed interior lighting design in previous articles, but today I want to address exterior lighting because it’s really important for accenting your home and landscape. Exterior lighting helps you get the most out of your outdoor living spaces, even during short winter days. It’s also crucial for personal safety: a well-lit property gives intruders fewer places to hide. Below, I’ll go over some of the things I’ve learned about exterior lighting as a design professional.

Just like indoor lighting, outdoor lighting should be layered with different types of coverage. To light the front of your house, use bullet lights with bulbs that have a narrow (12°) spread, and aim them at the corners of your house or on architectural details. Fill in the gaps with soft wash lights. Generally, spotlights should be placed about one-and-a-half feet from whatever they’re shining on. When lighting the upper areas of your house, use smaller fixtures that won’t stick out as much.

For front porches, I recommend hanging a light fixture over the doorway and lights on either side of the door. I like to make sure loggias have hanging lights and fans. You can also put sconces on the columns, and add extra lighting with upward and downward lights. Steps will need lights — such as risers or lit treads – so that people don’t stumble.

One way to light a front or back door is by putting a sconce on either side.

Many people will put a series of lights in a straight line along a pathway, but this can make the path feel like an airplane runway. A more attractive alternative would be to stagger the lights on either side. As far as landscaping goes, there should be at least a little bit of lighting in the flowerbeds. If you have a large yard, you can light it by putting lights on posts at the corners.

Pool lighting is also important, and water features like fountains should always be lit. It’s also a good idea to think about where your Christmas lights will plug in. Add them to the backyard too if you’re planning on having backyard Christmas parties.

Solar lights are not recommended for exterior lighting because they are not as bright as electric lights. If you do use solar lights, you’ll need to choose larger fixtures to compensate. Although LED lights are more expensive upfront, they are a wise investment over time: they are more energy efficient and usually last twenty-five times longer than standard bulbs. When in doubt, use warm temperature bulbs. 3000K is a great standard color, one that is suitable to be used for your entire landscaping system.

It’s important to consider the scale of your home when choosing fixture sizes. For example, a two-story house will need larger lanterns than a one-story house will. If your house is under construction, go ahead and start purchasing fixtures now. You can compare different sizes, holding them up to your house to see which will be more proportional.

When you can, match the style of your outdoor lighting fixtures with the style of your home’s architecture. A traditional home should be lit with traditional wall sconces or an outdoor lantern, for example, while modern homes should use light fixtures with simple silhouettes. If you have a historic house, you may want to have the original exterior light fixtures rewired and refinished instead of replacing them.

When we updated this 1927 home in Kessler Park, we kept the original exterior light fixtures and rewired them.

Getting that “professionally lit” look for your house can be daunting. Between fixture placement, fixture style, voltage, wattage, color temperature, and beam spread, there are a lot of factors to consider for each and every light that you choose. These tips will help you get started, but if you’re pressed for time or feeling unsure, you can always bring in a professional.

As an interior designer, I’m often involved with choosing the exterior lighting for my projects. A full-service interior design firm such as mine can help make sure that your home is well lit inside and out. You can reach out to us by calling our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or emailing us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

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7 Tips for Charming Children's Rooms

The best-designed children's rooms have a touch of childlike whimsy but also complement the rest of the home.

Decorating a room for your child can be a great opportunity to show your creativity, but it also presents some unique challenges. Children's rooms should express the child's interests while also blending with the rest of the house. If you're stumped on the best way to please both your child and yourself, consider these suggestions.

1. Use Multi-Purpose Furniture

Unless you want to spend a lot of money redecorating as the child grows older, you should decorate with flexibility in mind. A crib that can convert to a youth bed is a smart choice. It’s also not a bad idea to make space for a small desk now. Your child will appreciate having a place to work on drawings, and later, the workspace can be updated to a teen work desk. Younger children need plenty of floor space to play, so remember to leave lots of room.

Even if your child isn't attending school yet, try to leave space in the room for a work desk.

2. Include Enough Storage

You can encourage your child to be more responsible and independent by including storage bins and shelves that are low to the floor and easy to access. It’s easier for them to put away clothes on shelving rather than hangers in a wardrobe. Use a mixture of open and closed storage so your child will be able to display a few favorite items while keeping the rest out of sight. Baskets and canvas bins are a more attractive storage option than plastic bins and are softer to the touch.

3. Plan Ahead for Lighting

Lighting is important in every room, but a child's room should be especially well-lit. You can fill the room with light using a pendant light or a cute chandelier that completes the room's theme. A reading light beside the bed or a favorite chair is a must.

The art and rug in this boys’ room were previously owned by the clients. We chose fabrics to match their bold colors.

4. Weigh Your Flooring Options

Choosing flooring for children’s bedrooms can be a balancing act between comfort and maintenance. While carpet is comfortable and absorbs noise, it’s also harder to clean in case of messes. Hardwood is easy to clean, but doesn’t insulate noise or soften falls. A good compromise is hardwood flooring with plush rugs. Don’t forget to put a pad underneath the rug to prevent slippage.

A wall-mounted collection of toy soldiers add charm to this boy's room we designed in a Preston Hollow home.

5. Approach Theming in a Balanced Way

An important topic to consider is themed decorating. While your dinosaur-obsessed toddler may love to see dinosaurs throughout the room, he or she might outgrow the phase. How themed you want the room to be is up to you. You can go all the way with a sports theme using sports posters, bedding, and wall decorations, or you may decide to focus on choosing patterns and colors your child enjoys instead. A suggested middle ground might be to use simple and flexible furnishings while placing a few themed accents around the room.

6. Choose Paint Color Carefully

When you have a baby on the way, it's tempting to paint the room in pink or blue, but gender-neutral colors like green and yellow are becoming more popular as well. Also, keep in mind that color has a psychological effect and can be either calming or energizing. A good rule of thumb is to choose a light wall color and use stronger colors for the accessories and furnishings.

Light green is a gender-neutral paint color that is becoming more popular for children's rooms.

7. Don’t Forget About Wallpaper

Wallpaper has been making a comeback over the last decade and instantly adds charm to a child’s bedroom. Wallpaper patterns designed for children’s rooms are not your only options. Basic geometrics and florals are versatile enough to work with a wide variety of room styles.

By choosing timeless furnishings and colors, and a few personal touches to express your child's interests, you can create a beautiful room your child will remember fondly. If you need help designing a nursery for a baby on the way or updating a bedroom for a growing child, give us a call. Most of our clients have children or grandchildren, so at my firm, we have a lot of experience in both children’s and teen bedrooms. You can reach our Dallas office by calling 214-651-7665 or sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Why Sconces Belong in Any Home’s Lighting Plan

Lantern style sconces are usually used outdoors, but can be used indoors as well, like in this Dallas bathroom.

Sconces are a wonderful way to add decorative lighting to any room. You most often see them on either side of a bathroom mirror, but I like to use them in many other applications as well, such as alongside a big painting, next to bookshelves in a library, or above fireplace mantles. If you’re currently designing a new home and want to try incorporating more sconces into your plan, you’ll find the following pointers useful.

Researching Sconce Styles and Materials

If you have a modern or contemporary home, you’ll want to look for wall sconces with straight lines, simple forms, and sharp angles. For a very traditional home, I’d recommend fine reproductions of traditional sconces, or shopping for antique sconces and having them rewired.

While sconces do not have to perfectly match the other light fixtures in the room, they should be complementary in some way, like sharing the same metal or similar shapes. At my interior design firm, we used to use a lot of iron sconces, but nowadays we prefer sconces made of brass or polished nickel, some with patterned fabric shades.

Ordering and Hanging Your Sconces

Adding sconces to an existing wall is a difficult process, so the planning for sconces is typically done during the design phase for a house. When we work with the client, we use a tape measurer to figure out where sconces should go so that we’ll know where the electrician should pull the cords to.

These modern sconces are an appealing contrast to the multicultural antiques and patterns in this formal living room.

Whenever possible, buy the sconces you think you want and hold them in the room to make sure they’re the right size. Getting the right proportion is tricky for most clients. Generally, the lower your ceilings, the smaller your sconces should be. Most sconces should be hung at approximately eye level, between five and a half to six feet high.

Hallways and Stairways:

Space the sconces about eight to ten feet apart to make sure that the hallway is adequately lit without being too bright. In a narrow hallway, sconces should not stick out too far.

One of the trickiest places to add sconces in is a staircase, but they can be helpful for safety purposes. Here, it’s usually better to use odd numbers of sconces rather than even.

Bedrooms:

Wall-mounted sconces are perfect for creating reading light over the bed. They should usually be positioned thirty to thirty-six inches above the top of the mattress, and no more than a foot away from the edge of the bed. Another great spot for a bedroom sconce is where the fabric is gathered on a canopy bed.

You can also use sconces to light the area where you get ready for the day. After all, overhead lights are not the best for putting on makeup or shaving.

Bathrooms:

Sconces for a bathroom mirror should be hung one quarter to one third of the way down from the top of the mirror. If your bathroom has two vanities, you’ll want three sconces: one to put on either side of the outer edges of the vanities, and one in between them.

It's best to put sconces on either side of a mirror. Overhead lighting casts unflattering shadows on the face.

Exterior Lighting:

Outdoor lanterns are essentially sconces with covers to keep dirt out. In my opinion, people often position them too high or too low on the front of a house. Outdoor sconces need to be durable enough to withstand the elements and also bright enough to illuminate the porch, the front, or the back of your home.

Even after doing research and making careful measurements, some homeowners may still find it difficult to get sconces that are the right proportion and style for their home. In cases like this, they may want to seek out an interior designer such as myself who often uses sconces in their designs. The trouble is worth it: when sconces are thoughtfully chosen and positioned, they are a fantastic asset to your overall lighting plan. If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and would like to schedule a free consultation with us, call 214-651-7665 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Four Things You Should Know Before You Buy a Chandelier

We put a 1950s Venini glass chandelier in this Kessler Park dining room. It adds a vintage touch to the space.

The earliest chandeliers were used in the medieval period to hang candles up and out of the way, reducing the risk of fire. Today, chandeliers are a mainstay in luxury interior design.

However, care must be taken in choosing the right chandelier. A poorly hung or poorly sized chandelier can throw a whole room off balance. Here are some things I personally take into account before I start shopping for my Dallas clients.

1. How to Determine the Right Size Chandelier for Your Room

I recommend following these equations to roughly estimate the size your chandelier should be.

Generally, the taller your ceiling, the taller your chandelier should be.

Chandelier Diameter:

• The length of your room + the width of your room (in feet) = The suggested diameter of your chandelier (in inches)

Chandelier Height:

• The height of your room (in feet) x 3 = The suggested height of your chandelier (in inches)

2. How to Pick the Right Light Bulbs

These two large brass pendant chandeliers hanging over the island complement a brass range in the kitchen.

Although chandeliers are beautifully decorative on their own, their primary purpose is to add ambient light to the room. The light sources you choose should not be an afterthought. For lumens, a good rule of thumb is to find bulbs that are 300-400 lumens for every 100 square feet of room you have.

Your chandelier also should not be the sole source of light in the room, or else you’ll have shadowy areas. Layer lighting throughout the room with a combination of recessed lights, lamps, or sconces. If you can, get a dimmer-compatible chandelier. Being able to dim the lights is especially important for a dining room chandelier, where high-wattage bulbs could create unwanted table glare.

LEDs produce less heat than halogen bulbs and last the longest of all light sources. These days, they are also available in a wider range of color temperatures. For my clients, I recommend LED bulbs that are in a neutral white, between warm and cool.

3. How to Choose a Chandelier Style That Complements Your Home

Although a modern chandelier can potentially work in a traditional home (and vice versa), it’s possible that over time, the mismatch will look dated. For a truly timeless look, stick to modern chandeliers in modern rooms and traditional chandeliers in traditional rooms. The metal and finish on a chandelier can cause it to lean more modern or more traditional. Many modern chandeliers have chrome or satin nickel finishes; meanwhile, bronze finishes are associated with transitional design.

Crystal chandeliers are great for traditional spaces with lots of antiques, like this Preston Hollow dining room.

Crystal chandeliers, with their romantic sparkle, are highly traditional. K9 crystal, which is mass-produced, and Italian crystal, which is molded and fire-polished instead of hand-cut, are on the affordable end of the scale. Swarovski crystal, Spectra crystal, and Egyptian crystal are all machine cut, with Swarovski being the finest quality. Rock crystal is the most expensive variety of all because it is formed naturally in ground.

4. How to Hang a Chandelier at the Correct Height

In a dining room, the chandelier should be hung about thirty to thirty-six inches over the table to leave enough room for your centerpiece. It might make more sense to use two or three small chandeliers rather than one if you have a long dining table. Most chandeliers come with three to six feet of chain, so take measurements ahead of time to see how much length you need. Although you can have a chain shortened, you can’t have it added on to.

For this transitional home, we used a lot of glass or crystal light fixtures, like this feather crystal chandelier.

If the chandelier is hanging over the open floor, make sure to leave seven feet of clearance over a person’s head. Your chandelier should also have enough breathing room from the surrounding walls—ideally, at least four feet on each side.

By taking your room size, existing furnishings, and lighting layout into consideration, you should have a pretty good idea of what chandeliers will work in your space. However, some homeowners may be dissatisfied with the options they see in stores. If you’re looking for the perfect chandelier but haven’t found the right match, call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com. Interior designers like myself have access to many more sources than the general public. At my design firm, we also have experience with reproducing antique chandelier designs and customizing them to the client’s specifications.

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Five Tips for Picking Out the Perfect Style Lampshade

The patterned lampshade and blue-and-white base seen here are complementary to one another and the rest of the room.

Swapping old lampshades out with new ones is a quick and inexpensive way to make your interior design feel fresh again. However, if you normally buy a lamp base and shade together, you may not know what to look for when you’re shopping for lampshades themselves. It’s important to learn which lampshade shapes, materials, colors, and sizes will look most pleasing with the lamp base you already own.

1. Make Careful Measurements

Your lampshade should be almost as tall as the lamp base and twice as wide to achieve classical proportions.

In order for your lampshade to look proportional with your lamp, you’ll want to follow the following guidelines:

Lampshade Height:

• Needs to measure about three-quarters of the height of the base.

• There should also be a two-to-three-inch space between the shade and bulb to allow heat to disperse.

Lampshade Width:

• The shade width should ideally be double the base width.

• Your shade needs to cover up the light switch and harp—keep this in mind if your lamp will be above or near eye level.

• For floor lamps, the base diameter of the lampshade looks best when it’s eighteen inches or more.

If you find yourself stuck between two differently sized lampshades at the store, when in doubt, choose the larger one.

2. Balance Your Lampshade with the Rest of the Room

After you measure the bases of the lamps you want to update, take the surrounding room into consideration. Lampshades look best when they harmonize with the proportions of the items around them. For example, the lampshade for a table lamp should be balanced with the other objects on the table. In a narrow room, you might not have room for an end table with a lamp. In this case, I’d suggest lighting the room with two floor lamps on either side of a sofa instead.

The floor lamps in this Dallas area den complement the modern artwork displayed on the wall. We added a modern trim to the top and bottom of the shades.

3. Pick a Complementary Shape for Your Base

Different shapes of lampshades complement different kinds of bases. Square lampshades go well with square bases, and rounded shades can be paired with either rounded or hexagonal bases. “Empire style” is the term for lampshades with that classic conical shape. Although rounded lampshades are more popular, square shades have the advantage of conserving table or floor space because they can be pushed closer to the wall.

4. Choose Material and Translucency

As you can imagine, the material of your lampshade influences its overall look and how much light passes through it. Parchment is a good choice for contemporary and modern rooms because of its minimalist, solid-color look. For traditional and classical rooms, I’d normally recommend silk or cotton lampshades with a pleated effect. Linen shades look great in either solid colors or prints.

In some cases, rectangular lamp bases should have boxy lampshades, like these metal square shades from a Kessler Park guest bedroom.

Another thing to consider: are you planning on using your lamp to add more ambient lighting, create a reading corner, or highlight a focal point? In any of these cases, make sure you choose a translucent lampshade to let light filter through.

To highlight another object, choose a shade material that is opaque enough to bounce light above and below. Thick parchment, silk, or laminated card are examples. Feel free to choose a darker, thicker lampshade material if your lamp is purely decorative and is situated in an area that’s already well-lit.

5. Use Colors and Patterns That Contrast With Your Lamp Base

If your base has a unique shape that you’d like to highlight, make sure to choose a simple shade so that you don’t draw attention away from the base. On the other hand, simple bases call for lampshades with interesting colors or patterns. Since lampshades have less of an impact on the room than curtains or upholstery do, you have more leeway to use very striking colors or patterns on them.

When we’re working with a client, we take the original lamp with us when we shop. Having the original helps us not only find the perfect new lampshade color and material, but also see how the lampshade will transform.

Plain white lampshades are the safest choice for lamp bases with eye-catching shapes or textures.

Updating lampshades can seem intimidating at first, but you might be surprised at what a difference a new shade can make. And of course, if you’re starting a major redesign project and need to update all your lamps, our professional interior design team can help make the process a smooth and easy one for you. Schedule a free consultation with us by calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Four Crucial Steps for Designing an Open Concept Space

This project has an open concept space where the dining room, kitchen, morning room, and living room are all connected.

There’s a reason why open floor plans have become so ubiquitous in Dallas homes over the last few decades. Open concept interior design promotes a feeling of togetherness, which is especially attractive to young families with busy schedules.

However, people who are furnishing an open concept home for the first time may be intimidated by all the extra room. How do you make sure that your home feels warm and inviting instead of empty and cold? How do you balance the lighting and ensure that you’re getting the most use out of the space? For answers to these questions and more, read on.

Step 1: Choosing Flooring and Paint Colors

If you’re building a new home or having one remodeled, you should try to use the same flooring material throughout your open concept space. For paint colors, we as designers suggest choosing a neutral color for the walls. Some open concept homes feature an accent wall painted in a different color. Even in this case, I would recommend painting the trim all in the same color (or even the same color as the walls) for a feeling of continuity in the room.

If you have a high ceiling, you might also consider painting the ceiling a darker shade, which helps the room feel cozy and cave-like. Regardless of what paint colors you choose, don’t leave your walls bare: make sure to fill all that open wall space with art and mirrors.

Large windows filter light into this open concept kitchen during the day, while chandeliers illuminate it at night.

Step 2: Plan Your Lighting Ahead of Time

It’s very important that your open concept space be well-lit at all times of the day. An open floor plan that is shadowy in spots feels unbalanced and unwelcoming. The easiest way to create an even coverage is by installing overhead lights and scattering lamps across the space. When I design an open concept space, I make sure to plan the positions of the furniture and floor outlets ahead of time. That way, we can plug the lamps in the floor outlets without running the cords across the floor.

Step 3: Furniture Shopping

If you have an especially large open floor, you’ll want to “anchor” it with appropriately sized furniture, such as a large dining table and large sofas. You can then pair your bulky pieces with slender furniture. Whenever you can, include multifunctional pieces. Putting a writing desk in your den area makes that space also function as a home office.

This Dallas living area features the same rust, beige, green, and cream colors that we used in the open concept kitchen.

It’s generally not advised to push your furniture up against the walls, so keep in mind that your furniture will be seen from all sides. Make sure to buy pieces that you think look great at any angle.

Step 4: Use Furniture and Rugs to Divide the Space

Once you have your color scheme, furnishings, and lighting fixtures ready to go, the next step is to use them to divide the floor into functional spaces. A good place to start is by identifying a focal point in your room and then organizing a seating area around it. Examples of focal points in an open concept space include gallery walls, large windows, and fireplaces.

Seen here is an open concept morning room. The swivel chairs can be turned towards the fireplace or the kitchen.

Rugs are one of your best tools for visually breaking up a large space and marking off seating areas. By having the legs of your furniture touching a single area rug, it helps bring them together. You can also create separate areas in your space by using shelving units, decorative screens, sectionals, or console tables.

To prevent each of these areas from clashing too much, coordinate them by using similar colors and materials in each zone. It’s not necessary to use the same colors and patterns throughout your whole house, but in the open concept space, everything within eyesight needs to harmonize.

Learning how to decorate an open concept space is an important skill even if you’re not currently living in one. After all, most newly built homes these days have a floor that connects the family room and kitchen area, so it’s likely that your next home will be open concept.

By planning the space thoughtfully, or working with an interior designer who is experienced with open concept design, you can create a space that feels spacious but also comforting. If you're interested in working with Chambers Interiors for your upcoming project, call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

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