Archive for the ‘General’ Category
After minor wailing and gnashing of teeth, we’re finally live with Power Reviews Express and we couldn’t be more excited (Ok a long vacation would do the trick) but we are very excited to have this implemented. In a nutshell the on-site product review world is fraught with dupes, fakes, irrelevant rants and sadly, outright fraud. The reviews you see on some sites could be the merchant themselves, a competitor or a third uncle with an axe to grind.
Using a third party service to handle our on-site reviews adds credible, verified reviews from our customers but most importantly distinguishes between reviewers and those who actually own the product being reviewed. Take this review for example; “Debby” is a verified buyer, meaning she received her review request as a direct result of purchasing that product from us.
Non-verified buyers are simply identified as verified reviewers. Verified reviewers are still more credible than anonymous commenter’s but for the ultimate “from the horses mouth” credibility keep an eye out for the reviews tagged by verified buyers. If you have any questions about the review process or questions in general please feel free to contact us anytime.
Once upon a time, choosing a light bulb was simply a matter of deciding on wattage. Today, however, light bulbs come in a much wider range of options, with differences that are both subtle and not so subtle and can make a huge impact on your design and budget.
The old standby, traditional incandescent bulbs come in both cool and warm tones. They work by igniting a tungsten filament surrounded by an inert gas such as argon that conducts heat and prevents the filament from burning out immediately. Although this is still the most widely used type of bulb, it is also the least energy efficient and has the shortest lifespan, which is why it is gradually being phased out in favor of compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs. CFL bulbs put out the same basic type of light as incandescents, but their heat and energy output is much less, making them a desirable alternative for ordinary lighting.
For a brighter light, such as you might want in the kitchen or bathroom, halogen bulbs are a popular choice. Halogen bulbs work much like incandescents, except that the inert argon gas is mixed with halogen to extend the life of the filament. This also allows the filament to burn hotter and brighter than regular incandescents, which means a brighter light is obtained at a lower wattage, making them 10 to 20 percent more efficient than incandescents. They cast a warm light and can be used with dimmer switches, which makes them great for mood lighting. They require careful handling, though, and require glass coverings which can make them hot enough to raise a room’s temperature and create a potential fire hazard if placed too close to flammable objects.
Xenon bulbs are becoming a popular alternative to halogen lighting. These bulbs use xenon gas instead of argon, allowing them to burn very brightly at cooler temperatures than a halogen bulb. They cast a cool, white light and don’t require the special handling that halogens do, nor do they need a glass covering, which reduces their heat even further. Xenon bulbs generally cost more, though the extra cost is offset by their longer lifespan and increased energy efficiency.
In developing a lighting plan, decide which factors matter most: mood, brightness, cost-effectiveness or energy efficiency? The answer to this question will help determine which type of bulb is best suited to your lighting needs.
I get a kick out of headlines like “dot-com opens brick and mortar showroom” or “online magazine buys print magazine”. It’s not that I don’t get the reasons why, it’s just that those examples are the exact opposite of what we did and I honestly can’t imagine doing it the other way.
Well, to cut to the chase, our business model started with a real, physical storefront not the other way around. We’re taking twenty years worth of lighting expertise and bringing it to the web versus building a website and then growing into our chosen product.
That’s not to say I don’t believe those business models are capable of working, obviously they do (gross understatement) but their offering something altogether different than we are. Yes, they’re selling the same product we are but what about after the sale?
What does someone who started with the cart (no pun intended) in front of the horse say when asked about design considerations, practical advice, or heaven forbid first-hand knowledge of the product? I hate to break this to you but not only do some of the larger sites have extremely limited lighting knowledge, they also farm out their chat and phone support to companies with zero lighting knowledge.
This isn’t a knock on those companies, they have as much right to promote their products as the next guy. However, when all things are equal, equal pricing that is, why not go with the company that actually has a background in lighting, versus a background in sales? In a nutshell, what makes us different is that we started out and remain a lighting shop, a shop that specializes in personal service. Our goal is to bring that same experience online, one customer at a time.
Measureing your existing lamp shade (and determining its style) is critical in getting the best replacement match. The first step is to assess the style of the lampshade, empire, bell, coolie etc.
Lamp shades are meant to be decorative and thought should be given to the aesthetics and the look of the lamp base, not just the proportions.
For a good fit, you’ll want to measure the height of the lamp base. This will determine the diameter of the lamp shade. For example, if the base measures 14 inches in height, the shade should be 14 inches in bottom diameter.
Keep in mind that harps (the piece that shade actually connects to) come in different lengths, this can help you “fine tune” the way the shade looks on the lamp.
While digging through some old pictures I ran across a couple of shots of our Atlanta lighting showroom and thought I’d share.
It’s considerably, how shall we say fuller since these photos were taken but they still do it justice.
The beauty of being an American is you can disagree with other Americans about what it means to be one. No matter what else we may or may not share in common that truth is what makes us citizens of this great nation.
It’s been a hectic 48 hours (drastic understatement if ever there were one) but we’re finally up and running.
Whats Twitter you ask? in a nutshell its a way of keeping up with friends and family through micro-blogging. I type a line or two about what I’m up to today, you do the same, rinse repeat.
Keep an eye out for sales, coupon codes and new product additions here at the store through our updates. We’ll see you there! Lighting by Lux on Twitter.
