On Wednesday October 22nd, the incandescent light bulb turns 129 years old.  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 one flip of the switch...

Think back to the last time the power went out at your home - what’s the first thing you did?  Find a flashlight?  Light a candle?  It’s only when we lose light that we realize how important it is to our general level of comfort.  I live in the great Northwest, and it’s a certainty of Northwest living that the power will go out several times each winter, spring, and fall.  And believe me, getting dressed in the dark is not nearly as bad as trying to put on make-up in the dark…  Light is essential to functioning in our everyday lives, and without it we're lost.

I think we may take for granted the convenience of simply turning on a lamp when we wake up in the night for a trip to the bathroom, a midnight snack, or to check for boogeymen under the bed.  It's a convenience that mankind lived without for thousands of years, and it's only within the last century that we've had the privilege of instant light. 

Light is necessary.  It not only allows us to see, but gives us safety — it's a beacon that keeps ships away from shorelines, directs planes, and can even summons superheroes.  Without light, baseball teams would never play night games, doctors would perform surgeries outside, and old Hollywood stars would have never seen their names lit up on marquees.  We owe a lot to that tiny glass bulb. 

Our ancestors used fire as a source of light, and while effective at producing light, fire just isn’t nearly as portable or as safe as our trusty light bulb.  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 129^th birthday, Incandescent Light Bulb, because I’m sorry to say your days in this form are numbered.     

Lighting your home isn’t just a convenience, it’s a necessity that deserves our appreciation.  So join us on October 22nd to celebrate the birth of perhaps the most important American invention of all time.  Each time you flip a light switch, take a moment to think about how your life would be different without the light bulb.  We know we will.

Happy 129th birthday, Light Bulb...  Your future looks brighter than ever!

 

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I’ve worked for ATG for about a year and a half now, and I just realized that I’ve become... a “Lighting Nerd.”

It all started when I walked into a local restaurant and recognized the track lighting over the bar.  Instead of enjoying my dinner and drinks, I spent most of the time staring at the fixture and trying to figure out whether it was the Spencer pendant by LBL, or the Nest Two-Circuit T-Track Pendant by Tech Lighting.  I'm sure you can see how that would get distracting...

Then a few weeks ago I was watching TV and saw a Pantene commercial where a woman with perfect hair was sitting on a couch talking about perfect hair.  To everyone else it’s a typical hair commercial, but because I’m a Lighting Nerd, I focused on the fixture hanging in the middle of the room behind her… I got excited, pointed at my TV (mind you, no one was around at the time), and shouted out (to no one, except my dog) “Look, it’s the Ether Pendant from Eurofase!”  See the ad here.

But it didn’t end there. Last week one of the movie channels was showing the 2005 spy movie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and I noticed the Starburst Pendant by ET2 right there over Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s dining room table.  In another scene, I caught the Supernova Table Lamp by AF Lighting on a table next to the couch.  My attention was actually taken away from Brad Pitt and onto the lighting, and I kept watching in hopes that I'd see another light I could identify.

Now I can’t go anywhere without checking out fixtures.  I look at plumbing brands in my friends’ bathrooms. I examine their chandeliers, table lamps, and sconces.  I tell them how picture lights would really bring out the most of their artwork…

Yes, I’m a Lighting Nerd, but at least the first step is admitting it.

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When I was in the fourth grade, Crayola held a contest to name 16 new crayon colors that were to be unveiled in their new 64-crayon box.  I remember one of the crayons was a distinct orangey-yellow, and I thought I was pretty clever when I came up with “School Bus.”  My mom helped me fill out the form and submit my contest entry — then all that was left to do was wait.  So everyday I waited with anticipation, with hope, dreaming that my color would be picked and I would go down in history as the most famous kid in my elementary school… only to find out months later that Jason Riggs, age 6, had won with the name “Macaroni and Cheese.”  My glorious color name had been beaten by a kid 4 years younger than me.  I remember the day I first saw that crayon in the box with the wrong name, and it may possibly be one of the saddest moments of my entire childhood…

Sometimes I wonder, what happened to Jason Riggs?  Did he land a high-paying job at a nail polish company coming up with names like “Maneater” or “Frostbite” or “Oil Slick”?  Or maybe he’s the guy who dreams up all the different finish names for our lighting products?...

For instance, I took a quick look at LightingUniverse.com and challenged myself to find as many different bronze finishes as I could. In just 5 minutes I came up with Warm Bronze, Antique Bronze, Colton Bronze™ (yes, it’s actually trademarked), Weathered Bronze, Royal Bronze, Oiled Burnished Bronze, Antique Dorian Bronze, Venetian Bronze, Forged Bronze, English Bronze, Imperial Bronze, Aged Bronze, Painted Bronze, Vintage Bronze, Oil Rubbed Bronze, and Corinthian Bronze — that’s 16 different names for various shades of bronze, and I’ve just gotten started!

And as you can see, each shade of bronze is actually quite different. If we called the finishes all simply “Bronze” you’d expect the colors to be close to uniform. But just like you wouldn't grab a Goldenrod crayon to color in a picture of a School Bus (yes, Jason Riggs, I bet even you'd use the Macaroni and Cheese crayon for that...) Venetian Bronze can be a completely different shade from Vintage Bronze.

So when choosing fixtures for your home, pay close attention to the actual color of the product to make sure that it will fit with the rest of your décor. If your existing fixtures are bronze, take a closer look at which shade of bronze they are so that you don't end up choosing a product with a conflicting finish.  The names of the finishes are intentionally different because there are slight variations amongst them.  Most manufacturers have their own Jason Riggs on staff to name the colors, so one manufacturer's "Antique Bronze" may look just like another's "English Bronze," or they may both have an "Antique Bronze" that look quite different.  There's no standard when it comes to naming colors. As Jason and I both know, color is all about interpretation...

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It's cold and rainy.  There is a hurricane outside.  It's snowing!  It's 90 degrees outside....and I need to change a light bulb!  What color temperature bulb do I need? 

Well- um....
Honestly, color temperature and and outdoor temperature have nothing to do with each other.  So what's the point?

Actually, the color temperature of the bulb will have an effect on how you feel.  No, it can't refrigerate the air or replace your furnace, but it can have a direct effect on some of the activities you do in your home — cooking, art, office work, and other visual activities.  Have I got your attention?  Great!  Read on.

COLOR TEMPERATURE

Nowadays, we are all doing what we can to be more environmentally conscientious and energy efficient.  Fluorescent bulbs play a major role in our society.  Historically, there has been a bit of a negative connotation to the light these bulbs cast, and there's a reason for that.  Until recently, technology only allowed for one tip of the color temperature scale- the exact opposite of a traditional light bulb.  That is no longer true, and you can buy fluorescent bulbs in several temperatures.   The trick is, understanding how and what to choose.

Color temperature describes how "warm" (reddish) or "cool" (bluish) a tint of white appears. Color temperature is a reference number that "quantifies" the appearance of light. The terms "warm" and "cool" in lighting refer to subjective experiences, such as a warm flame or a cool winter sky.  

The COLOR TEMPERATURE of a light source is measured on the scientific Kelvin scale.  Imagine a piece of metal heated to a high temperature: it glows. At a high enough temperature, it will give off light (or incandesce) as when heating an iron at a forge or when sterilizing a needle by holding it over a flame. As the metal is heated, the higher the temperature, the bluer the light.

Think of the cooking gas flame in your kitchen oven. The inside is blue and the outside is orange/red. Which is actually hotter (higher degree temperature)? Blue. But when we think of a warm pleasing fire, we think of orange/red colors.

Blue is a color that makes us think of cold. Ice is bluish, for example.

"Cool light" is considered blue — a high color temperature. Warm light is more reddish, yet the color temperature is low. I know this sounds confusing, because it's the opposite of Fahrenheit's perception of warm and cool.   You'll see what I mean.

In lighting, we measure the cool/warm spectrum in Degrees Kelvin (K), and we can "see" between 2500 K to 7500 K.  That is the "visible light spectrum." We can measure light sources (including light bulbs) on this scale.  As mentioned above, "Cool" light is a high degrees Kelvin (7500K) and "warm" color would be about 2500K.

Don't let the "daylight" fool you. True, daylight comes in at 6500K. But that is not a desirable color for an indoor application because there is simply too much blue in 6500K. There are reasons why it's wonderful outside — it has to do with reflectance, spectral power distribution, color rendering index (not to get off on tangent — this is not the place for it), which is very different when the light source is indoors as opposed to outdoors. (Thus the need for a good lighting designer)....

To summarize, let me ask you a question:
If you buy a "full spectrum" Fluorescent bulb, what does that really mean?
Does it mean you are getting more bang for your buck? The whole kit and caboodle? Sunlight in a bottle?

NO.

It means you are buying a bulb that is 7500 degrees Kelvin. It's merely a very high color temperature.  And you got it — cool, blue, eerie and high contrast.

Great for reading, because of the high contrast between the black letters and the white page.  Sure to keep your eyes focused on that page.  But what if you need to see "true colors?" 

For example, let's say you were painting a portrait.  Paint it under a bulb  6500 K and above, and then take it into broad daylight.  Ever been in the twilight zone?

The face will likely be full of yellow and pink because you will have over-done those warmer colors, since you couldn't see them under the blue light.

And for all you gourmet cooks out there? (never mind, I don't want to go there)...

Oh and one other thing — that "full spectrum" also includes UV rays.  So to all you SAD (seasonal affective disorder) sufferers, beware.  Use the bulb but don't sit right in front of it.  I'm a Seattleite, we get a lot of SAD cases out here.  My own doctor uses a huge full spectrum lamp for a half hour each day in her office.  I like coffee instead (just kidding!)

"I HATE FLUORESCENT"
On the flip side, I hear this a lot. 
No need. Fluorescent used to not be available in lower color temperatures.  A standard regular non-energy efficient bulb is about 3500K.  You can get fluorescent bulbs with that color temperature nowadays.   Just check the box.

RECOMMENDATION
In summary, when lighting a home office, artist studio, or kitchen, you will want to create a comfortable environment that is free of harsh contrasts and distracting glare. You will need task lighting for art, food prep and serving, etc., and general lighting for the surrounding area. You may also want to include accent lighting for art on the wall. For an average sized room, two large ceiling fixtures, containing energy-efficient fluorescent tubes (3500K so they are a comfortable color temperature) will provide plenty of well-diffused general lighting, while eliminating shadows on the desk or work area. Place the fixtures overhead and to the right so the light comes over the shoulder.  Lighting placed in front of the desk will cause troublesome shadows.  Track lighting will illuminate artwork.  A desk lamp will provide task light. Pendants over an island and undercabinet lighting follow the same principal.  Position an office lamp so it does not reflect on your computer screen. The best type of lamp for this is a reading lamp with an opaque covering above, not a shade (as you would use on an end table). The best type of bulb to use is Halogen or Xenon, because they have the best color rendering index of all man-made light sources.

Well, there you have it. My little lighting sermon. Hope it was at least enlightening!

Questions? Contact me at rmizrahi@atgstores.com.  I would be happy to help you.

 

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Well, things are changing quite a bit around here.  Just six months ago ATG ran only 5 websites – LightingUniverse.com, FixtureUniverse.com, FloorsandSurfaces.com, KnobsandHardware.com, and DecorUniverse.com, together offering over 1 million products for the home.  But by today’s count we now have 70 websites operating under the ATG Stores umbrella, and we’ve expanded into the worlds of home furnishings and outdoor living - taking us to over 2 million products and counting! 

So why all the stores?  Wouldn’t one lighting store be enough?  Well, let’s say you’re looking for a table lamp for your office, and your style is modern.  You go online and type in the words “table lamp” and are taken to LightingUniverse.com.  Now let’s think of Lighting Universe as a large hardware store, and each category as an aisle.  Aisle one is stocked with only chandeliers, aisle two has only wall sconces, aisle three is filled with outdoor lighting, and so on.  Since you already know that you want a modern table lamp, you wouldn’t want to go up and down each aisle hoping to stumble across the lamps, so you’ll need to take the time to look at the store directory in order to get to the right aisle.  But when you get there, the first lamp you see doesn’t interest you because the style is traditional, the second is a kid’s lamp, and the third is a crystal lamp.  Since that’s not what you’re looking for, you may get frustrated and decide to look elsewhere for the modern lamp you want.  Now let’s say you go back to your search engine and type in the words “modern table lamp” instead (since that’s really what you want.)  The first site that pops up is ModernLampStore.com.  You click on it and discover that this is a much smaller store with far fewer aisles, so you’re able to find exactly what you’re looking for quickly and easily. 

So in a nutshell, that’s why we’ve been working to turn out all these new sites each week.   Today’s shoppers typically have an idea as to what fits their needs before going online, and they want to find it with the least interference as possible.  Time is important, and being able to locate the item you want with the least possible steps is a convenience we all enjoy.

 

Like me for example.  I’m 5’3” (on a good day) and due to my vertically challenged status I often have difficulties finding clothes that fit the way they’re supposed to.  A few years ago I noticed a new clothing store open up in downtown Seattle called ‘Tall Girl’ and thought – what a great idea!  If I was a taller than average woman I could shop there and find a whole store full of clothes that I knew would fit me perfectly beforehand.  …I just wish they would have opened a sister store called ‘Small Girl.’ 

For a complete list of all our new stores, check out www.ATGstores.com.  

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As these days get shorter, I find myself using the "outside" lights more and more at home.  And with Seattle's well-chronicled clouds and rains, I am sure to be relying on the lights by our front door more and more.  As kids, we always called these the"outside" lights, and now that I am a proud professional member of the lighting  industry, I know that they are called "Exterior Sconces".  But on those late and stormy nights, they always feel like my personal lighthouse.  That beam of light that says "You are almost home.  Don't step in the mud!"

All of this comes up because we were working with one of our great vendors yesterday. Northeast Lantern is based in Exeter, NH (where they know a bit about long cold winters!) and they have been handcrafting high quality fixtures for over twenty years.

The fixture shown at the right is an exterior sconce from their classic "Onion Series". It's "onion" because of the onion-shaped glass bowl that protects the bulb.  In addition to being a striking and classic fixture, it is built weather tight.  Made by hand with "manpowered-tools" and the best materials, these lights look beautiful and make a great statement. 

Here is another picture that shows some of the craftsmanship that goes into these American made fixtures.

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First of all, I reserve the right to add to or change my mind about this.  One really can't be monogamous when it comes to lighting!

But for some time now, I have been in love with this table lamp from  Cherry Tree Designs:

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Perhaps now would be a good time for some mutual introductions!

We are ATG Stores.  The parent company is actually called Allied Trade Group,  Inc. but we like to shorten it up to ATG Stores.  Hopefully, you are familiar with our largest store LightingUniverse.  Lighting Universe was started in 1999 and has grown into the largest online lighting store in the world.  We opened FixtureUniverse a few years later to showcase plumbing fixtures for kitchens and bathrooms.  While we were thinking about kitchens and baths, we got to thinking about Cabinet Hardware and that got us started with KnobsandHardware.  And then...., well, you get the picture.  We now have a huge number of stores from the super-stores that I have already mentioned to some specialty sites like TowelWarmerStore.com (more on that in a later post).

Our primary purpose in starting this blog is to start a conversation with You!  We are in the business of offering you the items you need to improve your life at home and at work.  We try to do that by making it easy to find and compare various products and then we offer them at the best value possible.  More than anything, we want you to find what you need and then be happy with it AND WITH US for many years.

There will be several contributors to this blog as we go along, but for now I will kick things off.  My name is Michael Pinkowski and I am the Director of Marketing for ATGStores.  Along the way we will introduce you to other members of our team and to some of our great vendors.

So who are you?  We would love to hear from you.  We are going to start by keeping comments open, but you can also write to us at blogfeedback@atgstores.com

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