Children’s Lighting – Fun Lights for Kids

Posted on 28th August 201415th August 2023 by Maxine Clarke

Last updated on 15th August 2023

kids playing childrens lighting fun ideas for kids bedrooms

Your child is unique. Whether football mad or a pop princess, your child will want a bedroom that reflects their own style and personality. Choosing the right lighting can enhance the décor whilst adding to the overall ambience and theme of the room.

From lighting a nursery to illuminating a teen’s den, we will show you some of the options available for making your child’s room a fun, relaxing and inviting space.

The right light for your little monsters

Sweet Dreams in the Nursery

For very little ones, peaceful and soothing lighting will help them drift off to sleep at night. Choose lighting that emits a soft gentle glow and even add dimming and colour changing capabilities using a smart bulb. Consider a flush light such as the Star Frosted Flush Light with its attractive soothing stars design. As it sits flush against the wall or ceiling there are no potentially dangerous cables or cords to be grabbed at by little hands.

Playful lights for your Juniors

Children need to feel safe and happy in their room otherwise getting them up to bed can prove challenging! Choose fun and quirky fittings for younger children with stars, clouds or even a 3D design as seen in the Lucide Cactus table lamp which will be an instant hit. Or, why not choose something like an airplane pendant light for a fun and welcoming bedtime light.

Double Figures

6 going on 16; kids are growing up so fast these days and they want to make their mark. If your child is a fan of pirates or the sea then why not create a nautical themed bedroom with the Edit Nautical 3 Light Pendant taking centre stage. As trends come and go, your child may tire quickly of a particular super hero themed room. With a natural, fun nautical style you can’t go wrong.

If you want to create a celebrity styled dressing room for your fashion mad daughter then why not go for something different like the Cabaret Mirror Light. Position it above a dressing table displaying pots of brightly coloured nail varnish and fashion jewellery for a quirky vibe.

Funky Lights for Teens

It’s probably fair to say that teenagers are the group of people who spend most time in their bedrooms away from the madness of family life. They want a space that they can call their own where they feel at ease. Bring some scorching hot colour to their room with a funky light fitting such as the Edit Apple Glass Ceiling Pendant Light – Green. Alternatively add impact to their décor with the contemporary Dar Soho Ceiling Pendant Light in a red finish for a touch of sophistication.

As well as chilling in their bedroom under ambient lighting, you may want to choose some task lighting for their studying and bedtime reading. Choose a retro styled adjustable lamp for the desk such as the Lucide Bastin Desk Lamp – Blue and angle to reduce glare from the computer screen.

The Ciro Flex Reading Light with Plug will work well positioned on the wall next to the bed and can be angled to focus directly onto the pages of their favourite book.

However young or old your child, you will want them to have a bedroom they love. Whether they prefer bold and bright, or pale and interesting we have a great selection of children’s lighting here at Lighting Direct. For our full range please go to children’s lighting section.

For more inspirational information check out our Lighting Ideas section.

Maxine Clarke Senior Buyer

Maxine has been our decorative buyer since 2015. With her experience in working for consumer-led brands, she is the perfect person to pick out the latest lighting trends for both your home and business. Maxine has an eye for the best up-and-coming lighting from the UK and around the world and works tirelessly to add new brands to our portfolio. One of her trends to watch in 2020 is connectable garden lighting; with summer garden parties more and more popular, being able to build and extend your own outdoor lighting with spotlights, festoons and string lights has never been easier – simply plug and play.

Plug And Play Lights – An Introduction

Posted on 14th August 201415th August 2023 by Andrew Evangelidis

Last updated on 15th August 2023

The right lighting can help to create the perfect garden atmosphere, and thanks to the wonders of Plug and Play lights, installing your outdoor lighting system couldn’t be easier – in fact, all you need is a screwdriver.

Plug and Play garden lighting is so safe and simple to set up anyone can do it – there’s no need for an electrician, and you don’t need any special tools. The fact that they are low voltage means there’s no danger to children and pets, and watertight screw connectors are used throughout.

How Does It Work?

Click image to enlarge

Essentials

In order to setup your Plug & Play Lighting system, essentially you will need 3 components:

Choose your combination of lights. Feel free to mix and match too – because everything links to the same main connecting cable, there’s no need to worry about compatibility.
Choose the correct transformer. The next step is to add up the wattages of the individual lights to work out how much power you need in total. Transformers are available in 22W, 60W and 150W wattages to suit different needs. The required wattage of the transformer needs to be greater than the total combined wattage of all the lights you have selected.
Choose your main connecting cable, either 10m with 4 ports or 15m with 6 ports.

From there it’s simply a matter of running the main connecting cable through the garden and attaching the connectors on to the individual fittings. Extension cables and extra connectors can be added separately if required.

Depending on the individual plug and play lights you select you may need a screwdriver to attach the lights to their fittings, and you may want to bury the cables in the ground or out of sight (though this is by no means necessary), but besides from plugging it into the mains you’re all done – your Plug and Play lights are ready to go!

Optional Extras

To give extra flexibility to your Plug & Play Lighting system, you can also choose from a range of additional extras including: 3 way connector, PIR sensor, dusk to dawn sensor, extension cables and remote controls.

Plug And Play Lights: Your Options

The beauty of the Plug and Play lighting system is that you can choose from a wide range of lighting products and connect them to the same system.

- Spotlights: available in a range of sizes and materials, spotlights are ideal for illuminating specific areas of the garden you want to draw attention to. A classic example is the Catalpa Spotlight Single Extension. This durable and robust fitting is perfect for adding atmospheric illumination to your garden.

- Uplighters: a more subtle approach than spotlights is to use uplighting to draw attention to specific details and features of your garden from below. Take the Cylon Square Garden Light a compact and contemporary fitting. It’s a great little accent light that will add depth and character.

- Post lighting: vertical post lights are perfect for illuminating pathways or placing between plants. The wide range of available options include halogen, LED and light bulb posts. The Linum LED Post Light is an excellent choice for lining path or driveways and is also very suitable for incorporating into a patio design.

- Wall lighting: for illuminating a whole area of the garden rather than drawing attention to a single feature, wall lights are the way to go as the lights are fixed to a higher position than ground-based alternatives. The Callisto LED Garden Wall Light for example has traditional charm and would look gorgeous next to a large oak door nested in ivy.

- Deck Lights are the perfect way to highlight your decking area with style and poise. If you have taken the time and effort to lay your decking yourself you can finish the job without the need for an electrician with plug and play lighting. The Umbra Deck Light is a great example of this type of easy to install ground light.

Atmospheric lighting: strategically placed LED or halogen-based atmospheric lights – such as in trees or along pathways – can finish things off nicely and help create the perfect mood in your garden. The Alder LED Spotlights – Set of 3 are stake lights that are really easy to reposition as required. They are great when sited in flowerbeds to show off everything that is in bloom after dark.

Plug And Play At The End Of The Day

It’s fair to say that Plug and Play Lights mean you can create a truly illuminated garden for everyone to enjoy safe in the knowledge that it won’t cost the earth (financially or environmentally) and it can be done with minimal effort.

Looking for more inspiration? Go to Lighting Ideas.

Andrew Evangelidis Head of Buying

Andrew is an experienced buying professional who takes an entrepreneurial approach to identify new lighting solutions and ensure Lyco have first-to-market ranges for our customers. Having previously worked for well known brands such as Wickes, Carphone Warehouse and Toys R Us, Andrew has now turned his hand to sourcing commercial lighting and ensure our customers receive top brand quality products at marketing leading prices. He manages a team of commercial and decorative buyers who travel the world finding new products that our customers don’t even know they need yet.

Top Tips For Choosing Deck And Ground Lights

Posted on 11th August 201420th September 2022 by Maxine Clarke

Last updated on 20th September 2022

It’s a win-win situation when illuminating your outdoor plot with deck and ground lights. Not only do they bring an element of safety when highlighting paths, driveways and decking after dark but they also add ambience to your outside space.

Deck and ground lighting is subtle and unobtrusive and can be a sophisticated way to light up your exterior areas. Let’s take a look at your options.

Deck, Ground or Driveway?

Deck Lighting

When you are dining al fresco and the Sun begins to fade, lighting up your decking area will allow you to continue entertaining into the wee small hours. All deck lights will have an IP rating but do check what rating they carry so you know how well it is protected from the elements. With an IP68 rating, the Astrum LED Deck Light is a great choice and as it is low voltage it is completely safe to install. It uses energy efficient LED technology so is robust, doesn’t get hot under foot and has a super long lifespan.

Use deck lights as markers to define the area. Position them every 5 feet around the edges of your decking for a stylish and safe environment. Don’t forget to highlight any steps ensuring the lights are correctly positioned to avoid glare and give maximum illumination to the treads on the steps.

Circular ground and deck lights are slightly easier to install because if the cut-out on a square or rectangular fixture is not perfect, the fitting will look misaligned. As with all outdoor lights it is always recommended that a professional electrician is consulted. Try and think about your lighting prior to building the decking.

For customisable accent lighting on your decking why not go Bluetooth. Take a look at the Techmar Plug & Play Rubum Deck Light for twinkling illumination at nightfall. Link the smart light to a zone and adjust the light settings as you like. On the app, dim to your desired brightness and the light colour can be set using two colour wheels: from warm white to cool white, or to any other desired colour. Set the lights to your desired mood, save this as a scene, link the scene to a timer, and your garden is all set for cosy summer evenings.

Ground Lighting

Create pools of light along your path and driveway with carefully selected ground lights. As they sit flush with the floor they do not cause a trip hazard and will illuminate the way ahead in style. With a contemporary textured diffuser, the Messina LED Ground Light – Square is a solid all-rounder and suitable for use under foot. Similarly, the Garland LED Walkover Lights – Set of 10 – White, as their name suggests, are perfectly safe to walk over so ideal for your pathway lighting.

Add a spectrum of colours to your pathways or decking with a recessed fitting such as the Felix IP68 7W Recessed Ground Light with Colour Filters with red, blue and green filter accessories. Let the lights reflect the mood and ambience you wish to recreate.

Driveways

Soft, warm up-light from recessed driveway lights will guide you to the entrance of your home at nightfall. They need to be robust and suitable for a vehicle to pass over. The Adelpha Submersible Ground Light, by way of example, is designed to be driven over and thanks to its high IP rating can be jet washed too.

The beauty of ground and deck lights is their simple, neat appearance. However they can make quite an impact when guiding you around your outdoor space at night. For our comprehensive range of hardwearing lights go to the deck and ground section.

For more inspiration check out our Lighting Ideas section.

Maxine Clarke Senior Buyer

Lighting For Loft Conversions

Posted on 6th August 20145th October 2022 by Maxine Clarke

Last updated on 5th October 2022

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors forecast that the average UK house prices are set to rise by 6% a year for the next five years. With skyrocketing house prices and the cost of stamp duty, moving house is becoming a less affordable option for increasing one’s living space. So what’s the alternative?

The potential to add an extra 20% to the value of your home makes building upwards a good solution. People are staying put and converting their lofts into an extra room. Let’s take a look at how to maximise this space.

Building Up – But Building What?

Bedroom + En Suite

Converting a loft to a master bedroom with an en suite is not only a good return on investment but can be a tranquil haven set away from the rest of the house. Place recessed downlights such as trimless Fire Rated Downlights into the ceiling for neat fuss-free ambient lighting. Assess how much natural light you have in the room and then layer the lighting scheme to add depth.

If you want to stick to neutral colours on the walls, try positioning table lamps either side of the bed in a rich coloured fabric such as the Zaragoza 3 Light Table Lamp – Red to ground the room. For a touch of luxury and added texture, install a semi-flush fitting above the bed such as the Errol Semi-Flush. It’s perfect for the lower ceiling.

Cleverly placed mirrors on the wall can also open up a smaller space. Try the Zenia Illuminated Mirror Cabinet positioned over the en suite basin for a mirror, cabinet and light all rolled into one. Choose suitable IP rated fittings for the bathroom area such as the Fire Rated Shower Light – Polished Chrome for above a shower cubicle.

Home Office

As planning permission is not required for the majority of loft conversions, turning this space into a dedicated work area is a smart move. Having your home office tucked away at the top of the house gives you a room in which to concentrate in peace and quiet.

Choose light colours and neutral shades for the décor as they will open up your space by reflecting the light. Try uplighters positioned to illuminate darker corners of the room such as the Limina Plaster Uplighter. Keep office furniture simple and minimal. The same goes for your task lighting. Choose a neat energy efficient wall mounted fitting such as the Stix LED Spotlight – Daylight for a sleek contemporary look.

A Den for The Kids

Whether you have a teenager looking for a grown up space, or younger ones who want an area in which to play, a converted loft can be just the answer. Add some brightly coloured bean bags or floor scatter cushions together with some funky wall art for the ideal hide-out.

Choose spotlights with a shiny texture to add interest to your lighting such as the Pollicino Single Spotlight with a vibrant red corded cable. For a simple piece of modern lighting for a higher ceiling take a look at the Plumen Pendant – Red.

Whether you want to turn your loft into a gym, library or guest room take some time to choose the right lighting for your space.

If you found this article useful why not check out our Lighting Ideas section for more inspiration.

Maxine Clarke Senior Buyer

Month: August 2014

Children’s Lighting – Fun Lights for Kids