Ceiling Fans Cool the Air in Style ARA(ARA) - Want to stir things up around the house this summer? Add a ceiling fan. It's true stirring up the air will make you feel immediately cooler. But ceiling fans do more than just bring about breezes. Designed with the latest home decor trends in mind, these overhead fans move in fashionable circles.

"Fans today are design pieces as well as functional appliances," says Patrick Wilson, vice president, sales and marketing for Minka Aire, a ceiling fan manufacturer based in Corona, Calif.

John Pearson agrees. "Customers are interested in using fans as design elements," says the vice president for marketing for Casablanca Fan Company, a Pomona, Calif.-based fan manufacturer.

High-tech, contemporary designs have become popular in the last few years. As a result, brushed nickel, steel, and sleek pewter finishes get thumbs-up approval from trendsetters. Earth tones like rustic copper and bronze are also hot-sellers. Ditto painted finishes and washes. "People are more inquisitive than ever about ceiling fan possibilities," says Troy Lee, general merchandising manager for Progressive Lighting, Inc., a retailer in Kennesaw, Ga. "People want something attractive on their ceiling and they are concerned about matching the fan's design to their decor."

Ceiling fans work well in any home, thanks to a variety of design options. Ornate filigree blade holders offer a graceful, turn-of-the-century ambience. Brushed steel housing and light-colored maple blades offer the ultimate in contemporary styling. Classic polished brass finishes work well in more traditional homes.

Todays fan customer seems less interested in price and more concerned about matching their ceiling fan to their home dcor. I think its great to offer a product that makes a home more comfortable and adds beauty at the same time, said Cliff Crimmings, vice president of marketing, Craftmade, a fan manufacturer from Coppell, Texas.

The soaring ceilings and expansive great rooms in today's newer homes have increased demand for larger fans with bigger blades and longer down rods. Manufacturers comply, creating phenomenal fans that move massive quantities of air and work well in 30-foot tall spaces and lofts.

Fan design isn't the only thing that's expanded. Places to put ceiling fans have also increased. These fans bring a breeze to almost any home space, inside or out -- from kitchens, bathrooms and dining areas to porches, patios and gazebos.

"We are seeing more fans being used on patios than ever before," says Kathy Held, manager, buyer and vice president of South Dade Lighting, a 10,000-square-foot lighting showroom in Miami. "People are using their porches and patios as extra rooms. They spend money on landscaping and landscape lighting, then add the fans so they can sit out and enjoy it all."

With more than 14 million ceiling fans sold annually, most do double-duty, lighting a room as well as moving air. "Our research indicates that a majority of ceiling fans are sold with a light fixture because consumers are usually replacing a light in their room," says Mark Jeffrey, general manager for Emerson Electric Company Air Comfort Products Division, a St. Louis manufacturer.

Little wonder. Ceiling fans today offer a wide variety of lighting options that add interest to any home. Mission-inspired fans look great with mica or stained-glass light fixtures. Art Deco styles boast white frost fixtures for a clean look. Glass shades etched with flowers add a romantic touch to a little girl's room.

"Ceiling fans have become an important part of the lighting scheme in homes today," says Held, who often works with customers to combine recessed and decorative lighting with ceiling fans. Some fans feature built-in lighting. Others work with light kits, allowing dwellers to mix-and-match light fixtures and fitters to create a customized look.

When choosing lights for your ceiling fan, be sure they meet the room's needs. Workspaces like kitchens and home offices demand bright light. Bedrooms and dining rooms, however, require more subdued illumination. Dimmer switches also allow you to adjust the light on a fan to fit your mood.

To create more relaxed lighting, consider the latest introduction -- ceiling fans with indirect uplighting. "The uplight bounces ambient light off the ceiling to create a comfortable mood," says Jeffrey. Emerson debuted uplighting last year, combining it with more traditional downlighting in several models this season.

Like garage doors and television sets, some ceiling fans utilize remote controls to not only adjust lights, but operate the fan itself. "Everything else has a remote, why not a ceiling fan?" says Casablanca's Pearson.

Tall ceilings and aging Baby Boomers make remotes a good idea. "The older population and couch potatoes don't want to jump up and down to pull a chain on a fan," says Minka Aire's Wilson. In addition to turning fans on and off, some remotes automatically adjust the fan based on changes in the room's temperature, turn lights on and off when you're not home and dim lights as you leave the room.

Ceiling fan prices are as diverse as the styles. Experts agree, however, that quality counts. "Customers are more educated than ever about the different grades of fans," says Allan Margolin, president of M&M Lighting, Inc., a Houston retail establishment. "Fans can cost up to $600 for a quality, deluxe model at a lighting showroom. Customers seem to be turning to the lighting showrooms and trading up to better merchandise, replacing ceiling fans that wobble, make noise and don't move air as well as top quality fans."

In fact, independent research from the American Lighting Association (ALA) indicates that 70 percent of consumers do not mind paying more for a higher quality product. The ALA points out that consumers will have the ceiling fan for many years so quality and style should be key factors in the buying decision.

ALA-member retail showrooms offer expert advice on ceiling fans with the latest innovations in technology as well as style. Consumers can visit the ALA Web site at www.americanlightingassoc.com for the name of the nearest lighting/fan showroom or call the associations hotline at (800) BRIGHT IDEAS (274-4484).

Courtesy of ARA Content

Landscape Lighting Design Ideas to Showcase Your Home ARA(ARA) - Landscape lighting used to be simple. A few recessed can fixtures lining the front path, a couple downlights tucked in the trees, and you were done. Not anymore. When it comes to the great outdoors, homeowners have seen the light.

"Today, the biggest excitement in outdoor lighting is the whole artistic aspect," says Dan Blitzer, education consultant for the American Lighting Association. "Think of it as painting a picture of the landscape at night, using lights to achieve the look a homeowner wants."

Night-lighting your landscape offers a creative way to showcase your home and property after dark. Properly placed, lights can dramatize trees, highlight favorite shrubs and accent statuary, fountains and flowerbeds. Like any creative work, the options abound.

"The challenge with landscape lighting is that most people don't immediately see all the possibilities," says Joe Rey-Barreau, American Lighting Association consulting director of education and director of the Lighting and Design Center at the University of Kentucky. "Outdoor lighting can be both functional and aesthetic. It's an art to understand how much light to place on a house or determine where the focal points are."

To light correctly, key in on architectural features. Consider uplighting an arbor, archway or facade for a dramatic effect. Wash the side of the house with a splash of light. Graze a textured fence or wall with a focused beam. Illuminate the water in a pool or pond with submersible lights. Silhouette a tree or bush by placing lights below and behind the object. While some lights take a fashionable approach, others focus on function. Low voltage lights installed under handrails, stairs and bench seating on decks help lighten things up for outdoor entertaining. Stronger beams designed to shine over an outdoor activity area like a basketball court add extra hours of post-dusk fun.

"If you cook out at night, position a spotlight in the eaves of the house to send a beam directly over the BBQ,'' says Rey-Barreau.

A well-lit home is also safer and more secure. Illuminated steps, paths and driveways prevent after-dark accidents. Motion detectors light up obscure spots when someone passes by. Photocells automatically turn on fixtures at dusk and off at dawn, providing protection even when youre away from home.

If your home is not properly lighted, there is a greater chance of someone breaking in, says Daniel Lecian, ALA Lighting Specialist for the Hermitage Lighting Gallery in Nashville, Tenn.

The key to attractive outdoor lighting follows a less-is-more philosophy. Soft, natural light should mimic moonlight on the property.

"It's important not to over-light," says Todd Langner, vice president of marketing for Kichler in Cleveland. "What you should see is the landscape, not the lights so that the outdoor lighting tells a visual story at night."

When installing outdoor lights, conceal the light source behind shrubs, tree branches or other foliage -- unless the fixture is a decorative element.

"You should see the light effect, not the source," says Richard Lentz of Lentz Landscape Lighting of Dallas. "The bulb and fixture should disappear when the lights are turned on. All that should be visible is the glow of light on the flowers, the wall or the path."

More people staying at home has helped foster the current fascination in landscape lighting. "The trends have been very home oriented," says Blitzer. "People are interested in dressing up their homes even more."

Lighting showrooms and manufacturers have expanded their stock as well, resulting in more outdoor options for consumers. "For a long time, landscape lighting revolved around do-it-yourself, low-voltage lights picked up at home centers and installed by the consumer in a line about two feet apart," says Rey-Barreau. "These were not really made to withstand the weather conditions and were not long-term solutions."

Styles range from large overhead cylindrical floodlights to minute spot or accent lights used for highlighting specific features. Spread and diffused units set low to the ground, line paths, flowerbeds and driveways and cast a broader glow. The latest looks in such path lights depend on fixtures that can be placed further apart to create a more attractive glow.

Some lights are patterned like three-leaf clusters or single leaf containers. Others boast more traditional lantern styles. Still others beam from within floral fixtures installed in flowerbeds.

"There have been new product developments,'' says Rey-Barreau. "Weather-resistant products and new plastic technology are both attractive and functional."

Bulbs have also improved. Newer 65- and 120-watt incandescent bulbs provide up to 25 percent more light. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce soft lighting, the highest energy savings, and last up to 10,000 hours. Mercury vapor bulbs supply a strong, cost-conscious light with a cool color that can last as long as 24,000 hours -- or six years burning dusk to dawn.

While most homeowners opt for pure white light, others like the hint of hue. Warm tones like yellow or red introduced properly can make the landscape come alive at night. Green lights can make foliage look even greener.

"Be careful with colored lights,'' says Rey-Barreau. "Unless they are done carefully, they can look garish."

The cost for installing outdoor lighting is as varied as the landscape designs. According to experts, highlighting a couple of trees in a typical suburban front lawn could run from $800 to $1,200. A one-acre property with an elaborate lighting scheme can cost as much as $10,000.

The American Lighting Association, a not-for-profit association of leading manufacturers, retail lighting showrooms and sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada, is dedicated to expanding public knowledge about lighting. To locate an ALA showroom near you, call toll free (800)-BRIGHT IDEAS (274-4484). Also, visit the ALA Web site for helpful hints and to find the nearest lighting expert at www.americanlightingassoc.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

When it Comes to Doors, Homeowners Want Privacy, Light ARA(ARA) - What do homeowners want in window and door blinds? Ease of maintenance and operation, privacy on the main living floor and window and door treatments that enhance their lifestyle and the look of their homes.

These are the research highlights gained by ODL, Inc., Zeeland, Mich., when developing the companys newly-enhanced ODL Add-On Enclosed Blind that can be added on to fiberglass and steel doors.

We really listened to homeowners, says Keith Early, ODL product manager. Homeowners do not want to dust or clean blinds, they dont want blinds flopping around when a door is opened or closed and they dont want exposed cords that children can get tangled up in. What they do want are blinds that are easy to operate and are enclosed between layers of safety glass.

The enhancements to our add-on door blinds accomplish all these goals -- plus theyre now 15 percent larger to maximize doorlight viewing area. And, if a homeowner wants, they can also paint the frame of the unit with acrylic latex enamel paint to accent the interior of the home.

The ODL Add-On Enclosed Blinds offer consumers the option of an add-on door blind that increases energy efficiency within the home and allows fingertip controls for privacy and light flow. Sandwiched between two layers of tempered safety glass, the lightweight aluminum blinds do not swing or bind, and there are no exposed cords which means increased safety in the home. New fingertip controls running up and down the left side of the unit allow people of all heights (including children!) to easily open, close and tilt the blinds to any level to encourage either maximum light flow or total privacy in the home.

Available as interior additions to steel and fiberglass full-view doors, the blinds are fast and easy for even novice DIYers to install. The installation process is totally screwless and can be completed in just minutes. The units come in six different sizes to fit half doors, full doors, half sidelights and full sidelights, and feature a five-year limited warranty.

These sleek blind units can enhance the look of any door in the home, says Early. Homeowners find them most appealing when added to kitchen doors, patio and deck doors, garage access doors and on sidelights connected with front entryways. Basically, any location where a consumer wants to easily control privacy and light flow, thats the ideal place for adding on an ODL Add-On Enclosed Blind. Also, homeowners wanting to gain even more privacy to their decorative glass in the home will benefit from this add-on blind.

Detailed installation instructions and product information are available to homeowners by calling (866) ODL-4YOU (635-4968). For general information, visit www.odl.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content