Door knobs can make or break the look of a room. No matter how much great cabinet hardware you have or what kind of paint is on your walls, an ugly outdated door knob can ruin the whole look. While removing and installing all new interior door knobs can seem like a daunting task to someone who hasn’t done it before, it’s actually a pretty straightforward process that you can do yourself.
So you’re looking for a new lighting fixture as a new edition to your new home, or to possibly update a room. Whatever the reason may be for the new edition, there are certain tricks and tips that may help aide you in your search for the right product. Let’s get right to it!
When decorating a room, most people focus more so on the furniture and color palettes of a room however, lighting plays a key role in completing the design elements of a room.
There are various styles,themes,colors, sizes and shapes of lighting fixtures available, it’s all just according to what you are looking for in particular.
There are chandeliers, mini chandeliers, flush mounts, semi-flush mounts, pendants, mini-pendants, wall sconces, wall lighting, floor lamps, table lamps and ceiling fans.
What’s great about chandeliers, is there ability to really dress a room up. Because of their grandiose appearance, chandeliers usually tend to be placed in dining rooms or foyers. Sometimes, even master bedrooms depending on the size and dimensions of the room. If you still want that “wow” factor of a chandelier but, you don’t necessarily have the space needed to avoid it seeming over-crowded, there are mini chandeliers available. Mini chandeliers make a cute addition to any room, especially bathrooms and bedrooms.
Pendants, are also another type of lighting that seems to be gaining a lot of traction in the lighting business. They are typically low-hanging fixtures, meant to draw attention in the room. They are great for the kitchen and also, seem to be a hot item in many food establishments all over the States.
If you want to avoid any sort of hanging light fixture all together, then maybe consider your options with either a floor lamp or, even a table lamp. Wall sconces are also a great way to add lighting, but to also add a design element to a bathroom or hallway.
Traditional, transitional, contemporary or modern?
Not everyone may know the difference between these style choices but, it’s definitely important to become familiar with them. Say for instance, you would like to go with a more traditional style lighting fixture. In order to get that look and feel, you would go with more of an ornamental design. Typically, with materials such as brass and crystal.
Transitional is more of a hybrid cross between both traditional and contemporary themed designs. Generally, transitional fixtures are comprised of more simple materials such as iron.
Modern themed fixtures usually have less detail and more of a clean, smoother shape to each fixture. Modern, refers to present-day design elements however, modern may also incorporate a more “futuristic” look. Modern light fixtures can be comprised of steel, chrome and glass.
Contemporary lighting fixtures can be both modern and traditional in style. Contemporary typically incorporates new styles from the present day.
When a piece of hardware on a cherished piece of furniture breaks the first thought is to try to replace it with a matching piece of hardware that will be consistent with the wear of the remaining hardware. Many people have luck locating the perfect piece of hardware through collectors, but it is a time consuming process.
Attempting to replace all of the hardware on the piece of furniture can also cause a problem if the hardware is discontinued. With luck and perseverance, the replacement for the original hardware can be located through the original seller or manufacturer, but it cannot be expected that they have ample storage space to stock discontinued items.
Luckily, the availability of new hardware that will compliment the discontinued piece of furniture can be found because of the popularity of reproduction hardware. This makes it easy to match the new design with the manufacture era of the piece of furniture.
When looking for a replacement for the discontinued furniture hardware, examine the furniture surface that hardware removal has exposed. Any signs of aging can be covered up by choosing the new hardware in approximately the same shape and size as the original. You don’t want new hardware installed with a ring of darker or lighter furniture showing around it. That would ruin the entire look.
Some furniture hard ware is attached to the piece of furniture by screws inserted from the back. When replacing the hardware, you’ll have to use screws that go through the width of the wood and into the new piece of hardware. This enables the hardware to attach with no visible screws or nails, leaving a clean, sleek look that is not hampered by messy installations.
Others are attached by tiny nails or screws from the front of the piece of cabinet hardware. These screws or nails will be shorter as they will not go all the way through the wood. Once the type of hardware and size is identified, make sure the centers for handles and pulls match. This is the length between the centers of the two screws that hold the piece of hardware in place. You must carefully measure the distance between the centers of the two screws so that the same holes can be used for the replacement hardware. This will eliminate causing further damage to the piece of furniture by the need of drilling additional holes.
