Creating a Relaxing Atmosphere

07 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Ross Donald, The Home

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aromatherapy, bathroom, bubble bath, candles, design, lighting, mellow, music, peaceful, recuperate, relax, relaxing atmosphere, soothing

Some days are harder than others, and when those days leave you feeling worn out and washed up, it’s important to find a soothing, comforting way to relax and unwind. Bubble baths have been an effective remedy for stress for years, but if you’re really looking to shut yourself in and close off your mind, it’s going to take more than a simple bath with bubbles. To help you recuperate after a long day, try these tips to help you turn your bathroom into the ultimate getaway.

Photo Credit: Brighten the Path

Light for Relaxation
To really allow yourself to drift away in your bubble bath and forget your cares and worries, picking the right lighting is going to be essential. A normal bathroom light is too loud for a soothing environment, and turning off the light would be a tad depressing. To find a happy medium, bring in a lamp with a soft glow or even one that illuminates an entirely different color such as a mellow purple or a comforting black light; either way, you want to pick something that is easy on the eyes but manages to exude a peaceful gleam.

Photo Credit: Fresh Home

Photo Credit: Meet Me at the Boutique

Breathe in a Good Dose of Aromatherapy
Next, you’re going to want to pick your scents; half the appeal of a bubble bath is letting your sense of smell do most of the work and giving your sense of sight a break for a moment. It’s natural to want to pick your favorite aroma, but it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind. First, you’re not going to want to pick scents that clash with the bath products you’re using, and you’re also going to want to avoid lighting anything too powerful, as this can cause headaches and ruin the intent of what the bath is supposed to do. Whether it’s incense, oils, or candles (candles could work as your source of light as well), pick ones that are strong enough to absorb but not ones that will dominate all other sensations.

Photo Credit: Apothecary Wellness

Photo Credit: Natural Body Guru

Bask in Some Mellow Tunes
Nothing puts the finishing touch on the mood you’re trying to create like the right kind of music, and for a Zen type of ambiance, some light jazz, ambient electronica, or down-tempo oriental music will do just the trick. On the other hand, music is subjective, so just focus on making a playlist that transports you to a blissful mind state as soon as you hit the play button.

Remember the Extras
After you get the lighting, aroma, and music adjusted to your liking, it’s time to think about any extras you’re going to want to bring in. If you’re not looking to shut off your mind completely, a book or magazine is always a great accompaniment to a warm bubble bath, or if you’re in the mood for a beverage, bring in a nice glass of wine or lemonade to indulge in; the point is to insure that you’ve designed your bubble bath to serve as a temporary island where you have everything you need. You want to be able to close your eyes and let your mind wander, daydream to your heart’s desire.

Photo Credit: Her.ie

Written by Ross Donald

Lighting up Spring Nights

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Guest Posts, Ross Donald, The Home

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Asian flavor, backyard, Chinese New Year, Christmas lights, floating lights, Floating tea lights, garden, garden lighting, garden pond, Hanging Lights, landscape, lighting scheme, lights, outdoor lighting, spring, walkway, yard

{Written by Ross Donald}

The snows of winter are melting and the rebirth of spring is upon us. As the weather finally relents from the cold war, people are getting ready to step back out into the world and spend some much needed time in the warmer airs of spring. Gardens are being seated, grills are being cleaned, and patio furniture is getting uncovered and dusted off. Spending the warm spring evenings outdoors in your yard is a great way to relax with family and friends, more time spent outdoors means it’s time to add a little light to your spring nights.

Photo Credit: Landscape Design Advisor

If you don’t have any yard lights or you’ve been thinking about changing your lighting scheme, then springtime is the perfect time to do it. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal and these are themes you should have in mind when you design a landscape lighting scheme. Low lighting such as pathway lights, hanging lights, and garden lights are excellent choices for adding a little nighttime color to your yard.

Walkway Lighting
Path lights are great outdoor lighting additions to your nighttime landscapes, and sensible ones as well. You certainly don’t want people stepping off a path into any dangerous territory, especially if you have dogs that may be leaving a bit of a mess around the yard. Path lighting adds a nice accent to your walking paths and can serve as a sort of guided tour around your yard.

Photo Credit: Pro Cut Lawns and Landscaping

Photo Credit: Cedar Hill Pet Memorial Project

Garden Lighting
Is your garden in bloom yet? Why not highlight the fruits of your labor or your beautiful flowers in bloom. When lighting a garden consider the philosophy of “less is more” and be careful to avoid over-saturating a garden with light. You can even be creative with your light choices and look for color schemes that compliment or accent the flowers in your garden.

Photo Credit: Enlightened Lights

Photo Credit: OLP of San Antonio & the Hill Country, LLC

If you have a pond in your garden then adding some underwater or floating lights are a great way to give it some serious appeal. Floating tea lights are an easy way to add some light to a pond and are fairly inexpensive as well.

Hanging Lights
Give trees in your landscape the night time effect of coming into bloom by adding some hanging accessories to them. A popular do-it-yourself project is to take a set of jars, bunch up a string of Christmas lights inside of them, then hang them on a tree. It’s a simple craft project that gives more than one season of life to your holiday lights and can make your yard seem rather festive at night.

Photo Credit: Best Coolist

Photo Credit: Houzz

The Chinese celebrate the lunar New Year in February and herald it as the coming of spring. You can take a design tip from them and add a little Asian flavor to your yard. Paper lanterns come in a variety of styles and colors. Just be mindful when choosing them that you buy safe designs. The last thing you want is a string of paper lanterns bursting into flames on the outside of you home.

Photo Credit: David Cross

A few parting tips
Remember that the theme with spring is one of rebirth and renewal. Refresh last year’s lighting scheme or create an entirely new one with lights. Don’t overdo it, remember, flowers are coming into bloom not fully blossoming. Add enough lights to add a gentle and intimate touch to your landscape but don’t go overboard. Shaded and diffused lighting helps to keep a more intimate touch without overpowering your lighting theme.

At the end of the spring night though, the light design should be something that mirrors you as an individual and highlights the best aspects of yourself and your yard. Add your personal touch and you and your guests will love spending those wonderfully warmer spring nights in your yard.

Bringing in Light During Long Winter Nights

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Ross Donald, The Home

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Form, Function, home, interior design, light, lighting, LightingSale.com, night, Ross Donald, sun, track lighting, winter

It’s finally happened. Just as the reds and yellows of the leaves have fallen to the ground, the cups at Starbucks have turned that same unmistakable shade of red. Summer has come and gone, and now fall has fell. Time to break out the sweater, the scarves and the big, warm, living room blanket.

Worse than even the coldest of temperatures is the way your days seem to disappear. A 9 to 5 easily steals most if not all of the daylight hours and hanging out in the dark just doesn’t have the same appeal to you that it had when you were 16. But you don’t have to be left in the dark; you can bring the light to you.

Light for Function
First thing’s first. Make sure your house has enough light to do the things you need to do. Overhead illumination is usually enough to cover this, but sometimes a well-placed floor lamp or wall sconce is just what the doctor ordered.

Photo Credit: The Design Home

Photo Credit: Ashton Sebastian

Light for Form
Now it’s the fun stuff. Lighting shouldn’t be all work and no fun. In fact, lighting your house will not only serve as a great, cold weather activity, it leads to further indoor activities, no matter the weather. Start with the rooms you spend the most time in. For me, it’s my kitchen and living room. Both of those rooms, while they have drastically different lighting, are adequately lit for their purposes. For example, my kitchen has bright, powerful lights over my work stations. My living room on the other hand is pretty dim for the most part. I have a floor lamp above the comfy chair that I read in, a small track lighting set up for general lighting and a cleverly place desk lamp behind my TV to give soft illumination from behind the screen.

Photo Credit: Suburban Light

Light for Winter
Just as bears hibernate and birds fly south, many of us have our own winter traditions. Maybe yours is making hot cocoa on Saturday afternoons or cuddling up with a good book after work. Mine is adding an extra floor lamp in every room to combat the early evenings of winter. I do this because when it’s dark, I tend to get sleepy. And with the sun only shining for a few hours each day in my neck of the woods, I need all the help I can get.

Photo Credit: My Hunter Gatherer