ATG Stores Blog

The first successful test of Thomas Edison’s carbon filament occurred on October 22, 1879, lasting for 13.5 hours. Thus, 130 years ago the light bulb was born!  While that’s only a tiny speck in earth’s history, it’s hard to imagine how our lives would be without electric light.  Edison’s invention changed life as we know it with a single flip of a switch…

The invention of the light bulb changed our lives forever, and it’s not nearly done evolving.  New technology such as spiral Compact Fluorescent bulbs and LED technology are quickly taking favor in today’s homes, so enjoy your 130^th birthday, Incandescent Light Bulb, because I’m sorry to say your days in this form are numbered. 

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As the days are getting shorter, consider throwing some pathway lights to your yard.

Black smithing is a long lost art that has been revived in Vermont’s oldest continually operating forge.  Each piece is hand-forged for ultimate elegance and beauty.

Too much fun! What a great way to decorate the kid’s room.

Justice Design lets you turn the light fixture into an artpiece.  These ceramic lights can be painted however you want!

Cheery Tree Design has some of the coolest looking products out there.  This one is based on a malaysian design.

A heavy-duty solid brass lizard accent can be used to light up decks and break up walls or other points of interest. Depending on specific climate conditions, this accent light may ultimately turn verdigris. Patinas over time and may turn verdigris.

I recently received an excellent tip from our friends at Hinkley Lighting.  I wrote an outdoor lighting guide a while back where I discussed how to pick outdoor lighting, but Hinkley takes this one step further and has a great way on how to size outdoor lighting.  Considering the size of the fixture is important to ensure it doesn’t stand out too much compared to the doorway, yet still provide enough light to be functional.  So how do you determine lantern size for a front door?  As with so many other things, the answer depends.

Single Sconce Entries

If you’re only placing a sconce on one side of your doorway, the physical lantern should be 1/3 the height of the door from top to bottom.  Be sure to consider any artsy long tails or top scrolls with the fixture when determining size.  The center of the bulb should rest 66″ above the threshold of the door.

Double Sconce Entries

If your doorway has space for sconces on both sides of the door, then the 1/3 rule may be slightly overpowering.  In this case you should look for lanterns that are 1/4 the height of the door, but still make sure that the base of the bulb is 66″ above the door’s threshold.  Again, be sure to consider the artful use of materials on the top or base of the lantern’s size.

Hinkley also says that it’s a good rule of thumb that your lantern should appear to be half the size of your doorway from 50 feet away.  Be sure to check out Hinkley’s information page on Lighting Universe, where you can browse their great selection of outdoor lanterns and other lights.

Inspired by the designs of Mariano Fortuny, which were originally conceived in silk, Archeo Venice creates replicas like this beautiful chandelier in Murano glass.

The Fanimation Torto. Click here to learn more