Lighting Up Your Bathroom

It is coming to that time of the year when those early mornings become dark and it's not the most pleasant experience having to wake to the same level of darkness as when you went to bed. Your bathroom lighting plays an important role in your home because without it you would not be able to see on a dark winter's morning. Not only do you need to consider the cold winter mornings, but in the winter evenings when you come home from work and you need to warm up, having some well positioned lighting is important for relaxing in the tub at the end of the day. For relaxing it is defiantly recommended that you use a soft ambient lighting or a lighting that will be timed so that it is dim at first which then gets brighter so that you eyes do not recognise the sudden change in the light level.

Older houses are still using the standard central ceiling light which suits that purpose but, it is as appealing as the spot lights that are now fitted in modern homes? The problem we face now with the spot lighting in houses if that there is very little in terms of style because there is not a lot that can be done with the design. This does nothing for the market of people who have a traditional themed bathroom because this lighting is made with modern bathrooms in mind when they are created, but what's to say that the spot lights in a traditional bathroom couldn't work?

Buying your bathroom lights online makes life much easier than in a shop because in a store the lights are not always displayed, but online there are often images and technical drawings included in the product descriptions on websites. Spot lights are particularly good for buying online because you could find a good deal with a company who offer a discount for buying multiple lights for your bathroom. Often when you buy online you will be able to find out more information than you would in a shop looking through hundreds of lights. Good tips for choosing bathroom lights are to look for ones which will be able to handle the steam so it does not damage the light or potentially cause a fire. It would be advised that you hire a professional to install the lights because some companies would not cover on the warranty if you had installed them incorrectly.

Using Floral Fabrics

The 'outdoor' look has always been a popular choice for use throughout the home due to its prevalent qualities: floral prints can enhance the softness of a room, adding a delicate, feminine touch; the colours can be invigorating and the mood-enhancing designs make floral prints an easy option for many.

Particularly in Britain, where bright, summery days are infrequent, floral prints can help remove the mood dampening impact of a dull, wintry day; a pastel spring colour can transform the mood of a room immediately.

Inevitably, floral prints are not for everyone; some interior designers prefer not to use the more bold floral patterns. Contrastingly, it is recommended to use these sorts of bold, colourful floral prints when starting to decide a room's inspiration as the colour scheme is already decided on the pattern. Another bonus to the wide range of existing floral patterns is their broad availability of colours: you can find a floral print which would work with anything, the options are endless.

When considering whether or not to take the plunge and implement a floral print within your home, you should keep a few pointers in mind:

· Consider Colours that will work within your existing colour scheme in your room of choice. For example, if your flooring is a darker shade of green, floral pattern with co-ordinating green leaves would be ideal. On the other hand, if your flooring is a beige or tan colour, generally a more neutral look, you should opt for an 'antiqued' look fabric.

· To use the florals to their best effect, balance out the strong, busy patterns with neutral walls, flooring and furniture. A 'scattering' of the fabric or wallpaper would work best, for example, a statement wall with floral wallpaper or floral fabric upholstered chairs or cushions also work very well.

· Choosing your floral fabric is a great starting point to designing your room as it provides a pre-made colour scheme.

· After considering your colour scheme and the lead colour in the room, think about the secondary colour: what would work best? What would be a great compliment to the main colour?

· Floral patterns will inevitably evoke a more feminine feel to a room, so the best rooms in the home to use this sort of pattern would be within the living room, the bathroom and possibly the bedroom.

If you're not brave enough to consider upholstering a beautiful chair with floral print, luxury fabrics, why not opt for some floral china - this is a small step but a nice way to introduce the theme slowly into a room.