When it comes to selecting the right lighting system for your commercial space, there are a number of key factors to consider in order to ensure that you choose the right lighting system for your needs. Since lighting plays such a vital role in a wide range of commercial environments, it's important to know what to look for. Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers the best commercial lighting for your office needs. Learn more below, and schedule a free consultation with a certified lighting designer at our Charleston showroom today!

As the summer comes to an end, it's time to gear up for the back-to-school season. Whether you're a student, teacher, or someone simply looking to refresh their workspace, having the right lighting is essential. At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, we offer the best lamps for your needs here in Charleston, South Carolina. A well-lit study or work area can boost productivity and create an inviting atmosphere. Here are some back-to-school lamps you'll love, and shop all lamps today!

Freshen up your home with unique and beautiful home accents! Home accents are a great way to bring life and personality to your living spaces. Whether you’re looking to add a bold splash of color or a subtle but stylish touch, home accents can help you create a space that is truly your own. Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers the best home accents for your living spaces in the Carolinas. Learn how to freshen up your spaces with home accents below, and stop by today!

Gather Ideas

When it comes to finding the perfect home accents, the options are seemingly endless. From wall hangings to sculptures and from throw pillows to area rugs, there’s something for every style and every budget. Home accents give you the freedom to express your individual style and personality in your home. In addition, they’re a great way to add visual interest to any room.

Consider Your Home's Interior Design

When selecting home accents, consider the overall color palette and design style of your Charleston home. Keep in mind that accents should complement and enhance the look of your home, not overpower it. If you’re looking for something bold, consider bright colors and eye-catching patterns. If you’re going for a more subtle look, opt for muted tones and natural textures.

Decorating with lights for a festive New Year's party can be a fun and easy way to add some extra excitement to your celebration. Charleston Lighting and Interiors is the best lighting store in the Carolinas, offering a wide selection of indoor and outdoor lighting, including landscape lighting and more. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing and hanging your lights for a festive new year's party. Browse our selection online today!

Decide On Indoor and Outdoor Lights

When selecting lights for your new year's party here in the Carolinas, be sure to decide on if you want indoor and/or outdoor lighting. Also, be sure to choose lights for indoor use that are specifically designed for indoor use. Outdoor lights may be more durable and weather-resistant, but they can also be a fire hazard if used indoors. Look for lights that are UL-approved for indoor use, and be sure to follow all manufacturer's instructions for safe use. Some great outdoor lights can be hanging lanterns, and for indoor lighting, lamps make a great option, too.

For many, the best time of year is approaching: the holidays! With the holidays comes a time for relaxation with family and a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate accomplishments, and set goals for the new year. Here at Charleston Lighting and Interiors, a local lighting store in Charleston, South Carolina, we offer the best outdoor and indoor lighting for the holidays. Below, we'll take a look at wonderful pendants you can add to your dining room, entryway, kitchen or other space this holiday season. Shop with us today!

Choose Your Style

There are dozens of styles of pendants you can choose from to add cheer to your Charleston home this holiday season, and we've got you covered! From traditional and transitional to nautical, rusic, and Victorian, no matter your preference, we can help. Schedule a free lighting consultation today!

The Perfect Finish

Finishes can really add to the look and feel of your space. Choose a pendant this holiday season that will help your guests relax and feel right at home. From black matte finishes to a colored finish or light to match the season, Charleston Lighting and Interiors can help point you in the right direction. Stop by today.

When it comes to your home's entryway, you want to not only have functional lighting, but you want to be sure to make a first great impression with guests and to set the tone. Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers excellent home entryway lighting to fit your every need. Learn some simple entryway lighting renovations below, and shop with us today!

Upgrade to a Chandelier

Chandeliers naturally give off a sophisticated and elegant look, whether they are elaborate or simplistic. One great entryway home renovation you can do for your Charleston home is to upgrade your entryway lighting to a chandelier to give off a classic, refined feel right from the get-go.

Go Ultra Subdued with a Flush Mount

If you want other items to be the focal point when guests enter your home, a flush mount is a great entryway lighting that can get the job done in terms of lighting, but fade into the background and let your other decor take center stage.

Wall Sconces

Wall sconces have been around for hundreds of years — and for good reason. They are simple to hang and immediately can give your home a rustic, old world feel. They glow beautifully, setting the mood to your liking, too.

Most of us here in Charleston and the surrounding areas use fans during the hot summer months to help keep us cool and comfortable. But did you know you can save money by investing in energy saving fans? Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers the best energy saving ceiling and floor fans for your needs. Learn four reasons to invest in energy saving fans, and stop by today!

Save Money on Your Utility Bills

Energy saving fans have been shown to help you save money on your utility bills. Not only do they use less energy than traditional fans, but they also allow you to increase your thermostat and thereby use your AC unit less while staying at the same comfort level — which offers cost savings, too.

Better for the Environment

If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, energy saving fans can help. They use less energy, which means you will be saving on fossil fuel use. This then saves habitats from destruction and conserves these resources for future generations.

Better Air Delivery

Charleston Lighting and Interiors is proud to be the lighting store of choice for Charleston, the Low Country, and beyond. We offer a huge selection of high-quality lighting products from the best brands that include both indoor and outdoor lighting. We also offer home accents, furniture, and more. Learn more about our local lighting store, offerings, and services below, and shop with us today!

Catered Lighting Products

Our expert lighting designers understand the unique needs and tastes of homeowners and business owners in the greater Charleston area. As a local lighting store, we cater to your exact needs and offer a great unique variety just for you.

Personalized Service

Our lighting designers treat everyone who walks through our doors like family. We offer free lighting consultations, so if you are in the middle of a home renovation or just are looking for the perfect home accent piece, we can help.

We Support Local Businesses

When you shop for lighting at our local lighting showroom, you'll be helping to reinvest in our community. Not only will more of your tax dollars stay local, but you'll be helping us to help local charities, too.

Charleston Lighting and Interiors is a lighting store located in Charleston, South Carolina, and serving all of Charleston and the Low Country. We offer the best in exterior and interior lighting, including bathroom lighting. Below, we’ll take a look at unique ways to brighten your bathroom lighting. Stop by our lighting showroom today!

Bathroom Lighting for Small Mirrors

For optimal viewing, your bathroom mirror should be lit on both sides. This helps eliminate dark shadows and makes the lighting even on your face when you peer into the mirror. Our lighting specialists recommend choosing sconces or pendants to meet this lighting need.

Different Temperatures of Light Bulbs

Light bulbs offer different color temperatures, each of which is designed for a specific need. There is soft white, bright white/cool, and daylight. Soft white lights offer a warmer, more diffused look; whereas, daylight will make your space brighter. Choose the color temperature of your light bulbs that best match your preferred ambiance for bathroom lighting.

Odds are, you’ve heard that matte finished fixtures and lighting is one of the most popular trends for homes and offices. But do you know the pros and cons of a matte finish? Charleston Lighting and Interiors is the Carolinas’ Top Rated Local® lighting showroom, boasting the largest showroom in the Carolinas. Below, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of matte finishes. Stop by today!

Pro: A Great Match With Your Decor

One of the best features of matte finishes is that they match almost every style of home or office decor. With their naturally muted tones, they often complement or draw attention to other items in your space. Consider a great matte chandelier from our lighting store today.

Pro: Easy to Clean and Maintain

Matte finishes are easy to keep clean and easy to maintain, which is good news for busy homeowners and business owners. Matte finishes don't show fingerprints as readily, nor do they show ugly water spots. This is due to the surface of the material. Plus, matte finishes resist scratches, too.

Con: Can Fade Over Time

Matte finishes often fade over time, and when it does, you'll have to refinish or replace your matte finish. One way to help your matte finish stay looking new is to wipe it down often, keeping the dirt, grime, and moisture away.

When you’re looking for new lighting, there can be seemingly endless possibilities to consider. You may have done some online browsing or visited a local big box retailer, but you weren’t able to find exactly what you wanted. At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, our local lighting store can offer you everything you need for any space in your house!

Expert Staff

When you visit our lighting showroom, you’ll have the opportunity to work with a member of our expert staff. Our team is composed of experienced lighting professionals who can answer all of your questions about design, layout, installation, and more.

Amazing Selection

You might be looking for a specific light fixture, such as a new chandelier for your dining room or bedside lamps for your bedroom. Our store is stocked with an amazing selection of all types of fixtures, from chandeliers and lamps to pendants and wall sconces.

Fixtures From Top Brands

New lighting not only needs to look right — it also needs to last a long time. After all, you’re making an investment by purchasing new lights, and whether you live in your home for another 50 years, or you sell it within the next six months, the lighting should look great and work properly. With options from top brands such as Kichler, Hinkley, and Quoizel, we can offer you the very best when it comes to modern lighting

Outdoor lighting is essential to the style and safety of your home. Here at Charleston Lighting, we have all of the outdoor lights and accessories needed to illuminate your home and create a truly unique aesthetic that fits your style. From wall-mounted lanterns and sconces to outdoor chandeliers and landscape lights, the choices are endless to bring your vision to life.

When looking to add new lighting to your home, it can be hard to know where to start. Fortunately, our expert staff is ready to help you determine your style and find you the perfect array of lights and accessories to impress your friends and family for years to come.

Choose Your Style

With so many choices, it can be a challenge to decide what style to choose. That’s what we are here for. You tell us the environment you are wanting to create, and we will point you in the right direction. Here’s an overview of a few different outdoor lights you can choose from, depending on what you’re looking for. The best part? A combination of different lighting features will create a one-of-a-kind getaway in the comfort of your own backyard.

Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers the best home lighting and outside light solutions for your needs. From ceiling fans to desk lights, we offer an amazing plethora of lighting options. But did you know we also offer some unique lighting decor items for those occasional needs? As Carolinas’ Top Rated Local® Lighting Showroom, we promise to exceed your expectations in lighting. Below, we’ll review some of our eclectic lighting options. Visit our lighting showroom today!

COOL LIGHTING AND HOME DECOR ACCESSORIES

• Night lights. From owls to angels and Christmas, Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers some of the coolest night light accessories. Light up your hallways, bathrooms, and stairwells so you don’t miss a step in the middle of the night.

  Door chimes. It’s nice to have a lighted doorbell for your guests who arrive after sunset to alert you to their presence. Without a light, your guests might not know you even have a door chime, leaving them to knock awkwardly at your door and hope you hear their knock.

• Fountains. The sound of running water can be soothing and peaceful after a long day at work. By adding a lighted fountain, you’re instantly creating a relaxing mood, as well as a home decor item that can serve as a talking point.
• Bathroom vents. Why not save space with a lighted bathroom vent? Charleston Lighting and Interiors offers this all-in-one solution that not only saves space, but also adds elegance to a room not usually known for its elegance.
• Lamp shades. The options are limitless with lamp shades. We offer lamp shades in a variety of materials, such as cloth shades and glass lamp shades, as well as a variety of styles from elaborate to minimist. Say something about your style with a custom lamp shade from Charleston Lighting and Interiors.
• Chandelier lifts. Do you have a low-hanging chandelier that sometimes gets knocked around when your kids are playing tag in the house? With our chandelier lifts, you can safely lift your chandelier out of the way, utilizing your space more effectively and protecting your beloved chandelier from the hazards of life.

Have you ever turned on the light in the middle of the night, only to experience temporary blindness? Wouldn’t it be nice to flip a switch and the amount of desired light in your room would be perfect? Controlling the amount of light in a room is possible with lighting controls. From lamps, chandeliers, and recessed lighting, you can install lighting controls to end the midnight blindness. Charleston Lighting and Interiors is Carolinas’ Top Rated Local® Lighting Showroom. We offer home lighting, outside lights, ceiling lights, landscape lighting, and so much more. Below, we’ll review the benefits of lighting controls and how you can install them. Contact us today!

5 BENEFITS OF LIGHTING CONTROLS

1. Convenience. Being able to adjust your lights allows you to control the amount of light to suit your needs. Between Smarthome devices and apps on your cell phone, you can now control the amount of light in your room with merely a tap on your screen.
2. Layering light. Dimmers allow different lights in your room to be layers, which adds depth and beauty to your space. Home accents can be highlighted and atmosphere and mood created with layered light.
3. Simplicity. Do you remember the light switches on your walls as a kid? Some stood out worse than a green M & M in a Valentine’s Day mix. Switches are now compact and stylish, matching your home’s decor. Switches today are also becoming more user-friendly with touchpads and keypads becoming more frequent.
4. Safety. Some lighting controls and apps now have a “vacation mode,” which randomly turn on lights in different rooms in your home to give the appearance someone is living there. Lighting controls now can be integrated with your home’s security system, with lights automatically turning on in the event of a fire, or flashing lights when the intruder alarm is tripped.
5. Save on energy costs. Anyone have a parent as a child who non-stopped harped on turning off the lights? Do you have a child who constantly leaves the lights on? Lighting control allows you to turn off all the lights in your home as your leaving with one touch. Dimmers on your lights allows your light bulbs to use less energy and prolong their life.

Even though we’re lucky enough to live in a state that doesn’t see as many below freezing temperatures or as much snowfall that other states do (looking at you, Wisconsin), we still need to ensure our outdoor lighting is well maintained before the colder months officially hit us. In this blog post, we’ll go over five outdoor lighting maintenance tips you should practice once wintertime hits.

At Charleston Lighting & Interiors, we are well-known in the community for offering unrivaled customer service, lighting products from some of the best manufacturers in the nation and for our broad selection of outdoor lights. If you’re need assistance finding the perfect lighting for your home, schedule an appointment with one of our lighting experts today.

Continue reading below for our five tips for maintaining your outdoor lighting during the winter to keep your lights looking fresh, bright and brand new all season long.

1. Clean Glass Lenses.

Throughout the year, the glass on your exterior light fixtures collects debris, dirt and dust, which ultimately dims the illumination coming from your outdoor lights. Use a cloth and CLR cleaner to clean these lenses, and you’ll immediately notice how much brighter your lights will get.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home.” As cliché as that might sound, the kitchen is a room of your home you’ll use for several occasions and tasks. Whether you’re cooking dinner to wind down from a long day or hosting a social gathering, you might find you wind up utilizing your home’s kitchen area more often than any other room in your home. That’s why finding the perfect home lighting for your kitchen is more important than you might initially think.

At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, we offer a large selection of home lighting products, so you’re bound to find lighting solutions you fall in love with. Let our team of lighting specialists help you with your next kitchen lighting project — schedule an appointment today.

In this blog post, we’ll provide you with information on how to find an ideal lighting solution for your home’s kitchen.

Go over your kitchen’s floor plan.

There are several practical questions you should ask yourself before determining what kind of home lighting you’ll need for your kitchen.

We all love spending our summers outdoors in the Carolinas, but you might have forgotten about your outdoor patio during the cold winter months. It’s time to dust off your outdoor space and transform it into summer mode! With some touch-ups, maintenance and new outdoor lights, it shouldn’t be too hard to turn your outdoor patio into the Southern getaway of your dreams.

At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, we offer a wide variety of outdoor lights, which is why we’re Charleston, South Carolina’s Top Rated Local® Lighting Showroom. Let us help you find outdoor lights that will perfectly complement your outdoor patio — visit our showroom today!

In this blog post, we’ll go over a few basic steps that should help you take your outdoor patio from winter to summer mode.

Do Some Spring Cleaning

The first thing you need to do before you can start adding personality to your outdoor patio is to clean the space! Take the time to wipe the dust off any existing outdoor furniture, sweep any leaves or clear any debris.

When you live in a small space, there are a lot of obstacles you have to overcome to keep your apartment looking trendy and not cluttered. You don’t have a lot of space to work with, which sometimes means sacrificing certain pieces of furniture or types of lighting fixtures. But don’t worry, we’re strong believers that bigger isn’t always better.

At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, we have a large collection of lighting fixtures for small spaces in our Charleston, South Carolina, showroom. Our team of lighting experts can help you figure out what lighting fixtures will look best in whatever space you might have. Contact us today for more information, or shop our online catalog to find a lighting fixture that will best suit your home’s style!

In this blog, we offer a few tips to optimize the space you have while also giving it a personal flair.

Opt For Track Lighting

Track lighting is a blessing if you’re living in a small space or if you have a smaller room in your home. It’s a type of lighting most commonly seen in modern-style homes, and the light fixture places multiple individual light bulbs on one single track or railing.

Everyone knows where to expect a chandelier in a home — above the dining room table, in the living room, above the kitchen island. We’re all about routine, but if you’re looking for unique and crafty places to put chandeliers in your home, our team at Charleston Lighting and Interiors can help! We offer chandeliers in all shapes, sizes and designs, which is probably why we’re Charleston, South Carolina’s Top Rated Local® Lighting Showroom. Let our team of lighting specialists help you find the percent chandelier fixture — call us today!

In this blog, we’ve listed at least eight unique rooms or places in your home that would look great with the addition of a chandelier! Consider giving these areas a try if you want to easily jazz up the space in your home.

1. The Bathroom

Though this might seem unconventional, the bathroom is a room you visit and use daily. By adding a chandelier to the space, you’ll feel like royalty every time you step into your bathroom due to the natural beauty of a chandelier fixture! We offer chandeliers in a variety of finishes, sizes, shapes and designs, so we know you'll definitely find a fixture that aligns with the style of your bathroom.

Ceiling fans are best known for serving a functional purpose, but they are also a great way to jazz up the aesthetic appeal of your home. Choosing the right ceiling fan for your home might seem like a daunting task since there are so many different styles, colors and types of ceiling fans out there to choose from. At Charleston Lighting and Interiors, we have a large ceiling fans collection in our Charleston, South Carolina showroom, and our staff specialists would be more than happy to help you find the perfect one for your desired room. Contact us today for more information or shop our online catalog to find something that will best suit your home’s design!

Until then, we recommend you utilize this blog post, where we give some tips and insight on how you can choose the perfect ceiling fan for your home.

Determine Your Ceiling Height

Ceiling height is an extremely important factor when determining the ceiling fan you choose. You want to make sure the fan you fall in love with will fit the room’s size and not cause any practical issues. Ideally, your ceiling fan’s blades should be about 8 feet from the floor to avoid any complications for the taller folks in your life. By measuring the height of your ceiling, you’ll be able to choose an appropriate mounting option for your fan’s downrod size.

We spend so much time inside that it’s easy to forget that the outside of your home needs great lighting, too. At Charleston Lighting & Interiors, our lighting experts can help you design outdoor lighting that will make your home look as great outside as it does inside! Contact us or come by our showroom to find the fixtures that fit your existing style or that will work as a great jumping-off point for a redesign! As a Top Rated Local® lighting store, Charleston Lighting & Interiors will do whatever it takes to make sure that you are happy with your new lights, home accents, and furniture!

The Front of Your Home

While you probably have lights near your front door and above your garage, you aren’t limited to just those two options. If you live on a dark street, pathway lights add a touch of functional style that will help your family and your guests make their way safely to your front door.

Show off your flowers with accent lights that will add a splash of color to the front of your home even at night! You didn’t spend all of that time planting and nurturing flowers to only be able to see them during the day. Accenting your yard with lights that show off your landscaping is a great way to stand out on your street.

Lighting your home isn’t always as easy as it seems. Here at Charleston Lighting, we want to help you make the most out of your home, so we have put together this handy guide to help you understand the three main types of lighting. Check out the infographic on this page for a visual breakdown of the different types of lighting.

When you need expert help determining the best ways to light each of your rooms or you’re looking for the very best light fixtures available, come by the Charleston Lighting showroom. We’ve been helping our fellow Charleston residents light up their homes for years, and we can’t wait to help you, too! In this blog, we will go over what makes the lighting in a room work and why balancing the three kinds of lights is necessary.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the main source of light in a room. Chandeliers are a fairly typical source of ambient light, as are other ceiling or wall fixtures, including sconces and ceiling fans with lights. Good ambient light makes a room safe to walk around in and illuminates it well enough to accomplish most tasks. Ambient light is the base of any perfectly lit room. We tend to recommend that people choose lights with dimmers for almost every room because it allows for a great deal of flexibility.

While bedrooms used to be a place where we slept and relaxed, the modern bedroom has taken on many extra roles that can make it challenging to properly light. At Charleston Lighting, we’re dedicated to helping you figure out the best ways to brighten up every room in your house. In this blog, we will go over some of the best ways to light your bedroom in a way that will make it as useful and comfortable as possible. Stop by our showroom in Charleston now to talk to our lighting experts about all of the ways that we can improve your home!

What Kinds of Light You Need

When you’re lighting a room, you generally need a combination of three types of interior lights: ambient (general) lighting, task lights, and accent lighting. By balancing these kinds of light, the room will be functional and comfortable in the most number of circumstances.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the main source of light in a room. In the bedroom, you’ll often find a central fixture (a chandelier or ceiling fan with lights) that puts off enough light to make the room easy to move around and accomplish most general tasks.

Task Lights

Task lights are lights that help you perform specific tasks that are more difficult to do with general lighting. Bedroom task lighting can take many forms, including bedside table lights for reading or lamps that illuminate a desk.

Overhead ceiling fans are commonplace in homes across the United States. From those sweltering hot July days to the frigid temperatures in the winter months, ceiling fans are useful for temperature regulation and keeping you and yours comfortable, no matter the weather. If you are in the market for a new ceiling fan, you may be stuck at a crossroads when it comes to one of the big categorical differences: ceiling fans with light fixtures, and those without. You may be tempted to think that you need a light on your ceiling fan or else there’s no point to buying one, but this might not be the case. Today, Charleston Lighting wants to take a quick look at these two different categories of ceiling fans and which one is right for you.

Fans With Lights

Fans equipped with light fixtures are a multipurpose appliance for your home. They heat, cool, and illuminate the room in which they reside. Bedrooms and living rooms can benefit from ceiling fans with lights, especially if they have taller ceilings or open floor plans. Rather than placing a lamp in every corner or cranking the air conditioner or heat up to spread across the whole room, a ceiling fan can illuminate the floorspace from above and redirect air in whichever direction you need in order to make the temperature as comfortable as possible. This option is also great for energy efficiency, as you have one source for all of these needs, while also not having to fluctuate the thermostat or toggle multiple on/off switches.

When summer rolls back around, you are sure to face a timeless dilemma: sit outside and enjoy the weather, but suffer from potential heat stroke, or stay inside and miss out on the warm temperatures. Even if you are not planning on doing anything physical and simply want to sit outside on your patio, you may still be overwhelmed by heat or humidity. A great solution that you may overlook is installing an outdoor fan to circulate the air and save you from being scorched. The Charleston Lighting team has some tips to help you decide if an outdoor fan is right for you and how to select the right one.

Outdoor Fan Weather Ratings

Any old fan won’t do for your needs. It is important to remember that Mother Nature is fickle and does not care what your plans are, so you have to be ready for what she has in store. To make an informed decisions, you need to look at the ratings of fans in regards to how they handle the elements. There are three major categories of fan ratings:

• Dry Rated: these fans are not what you are looking for when it comes to your outside needs. Dry-rated fans are more electronic in nature and made with woods and parts that are more conducive to your living room or bedroom than a patio.
• Damp Rated: These are the middle-ground of the fan kingdom. These air circulators are good for outdoor spaces that are covered, like a built-out porch or under-deck space. It is important the fan is not exposed directly to the elements or else it could meet a grisly fate.
• Wet Rated: The tanks of our outdoor fan club, wet-rated fans are made to withstand any-and-all outdoor weather. From salt to sleet, this category is an all-purpose fan that will make it through the harshest of conditions.

When designing or refinishing your bedroom, adding a new light fixture can be the finishing touch to complete your room. Sure, overhead fans and circular light fixtures are the go-to choices for your bedroom’s ceiling, but there is another option that can really brighten a room. Chandeliers make great choices for bedroom light fixtures and can really add a new life to a room, whether you have remodeled, repainted, or left it without any new additions. The team here at Charleston Lighting wants to give you some tips if you are considering a bedroom chandelier and how to make the most of a new fixture in your space.

Chandelier Size Matters

You can’t approach a bedroom chandelier in a cavalier fashion. Unlike a dining or living room, bedrooms are often more enclosed spaces, not lending themselves to high ceilings or open floor plans. With the ceiling and overhead space limited, it is important to take into account the size of your chandelier and if it will fit the space in your bedroom. To get the optimal measurement for your chandelier fixture circumference, the general rule of thumb is simple. Measure both the length and width, in feet, of the room in which you will hang the chandelier, which in our case is the bedroom. Once this is done, add the measurements together, and that number, in inches, will be the ideal diameter of the chandelier you hang in the room. Choosing a light fixture that is too big will overpower the room, while one that is too small can verge on useless.

Your home lighting fixtures get a lot of mileage each day. From the bedroom to the kitchen, you illuminate nearly every room of your home at least once a day. You may not realize it, but you are probably leaving lights on for hours at a time, which is leading to an increase in your electric bill. Rather than paying more for an illuminated home, you can take some easy steps to fix this without breaking the bank. We know making any changes to your home can be daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. That’s where we come in. The team at Charleston Lighting is here to help you with any of your lighting needs, from finding the right fixtures for each room to how you can increase brightness and efficiency. When you’re ready to find the best lighting solutions in South Carolina, trust the experts at Charleston Lighting.

Choose the Right Bulbs

The lighting world has taken strides with countless new options in lighting, which means the bulbs used are also evolving. There are your traditional incandescent bulbs, the upgraded fluorescent lighting, and now we have LED lighting fixtures. While incandescent bulbs are easy to find and work for most lighting fixtures, they are also the least energy efficient. They use more electricity and burn out more quickly than their counterparts, which means they cost more in the long run. Fluorescent light bulbs fit into almost all of the same fixtures as incandescents, providing just as much light while using a fraction of the energy. LED lights are even more advanced than fluorescents, and last about five times as long. So, if you have fixtures that can use fluorescent or LED light bulbs, installing them could save your fixtures and keep your utility bill low.

We all have our favorite lighting fixtures. Some of us are strong advocates for the floor lamp, while some of us are more inclined to choose an overhead ceiling fan with a light for any given room. However, one light fixture is often overlooked when it comes to both function and aesthetic; sconces. You have plenty of spaces in your home in which your typical light fixture won’t be very helpful, which may leave you wondering what lighting solution could possibly solve your illumination woes. We know there are some spaces that present issues more than others, and sconces will be effective for almost all of these. From different styles and looks to the multiple sizes to choose from, almost any room can benefit from installation of sconces.

Today, the Charleston Lighting team wants to highlight some of our favorite spots where sconces can really make their presence known. When you’re looking for your next great wall lighting, trust the team at Charleston Lighting to help you find exactly what you need!

Staircases

You probably don’t think about your staircase lighting until it’s time to go to bed, or one of the overhead recessed lights burns out and you now have to become a daredevil to attempt to change the lightbulb. Balancing on a ladder is hard enough, but doing it with each side on a different step is a whole new challenge. Rather than dealing with that inconvenience, wouldn’t it be nice to have a wall lamp that you could reach with a small step stool or simply with a quick reach? Sconces are a perfect option for your staircases because of their accessibility and easy care. They also provide enough illumination to find your way up the flight without worrying about wasted light or too many bulbs bearing down on you for 20 seconds.

Planning your home’s landscape design can be a hefty task and once you’ve finished mowing the lawn and planting all of the flowers, it can be tempting to leave it for a while without a second thought. However, when the time comes to entertain, or you have people visiting your home after the sun goes down, a lack of outdoor lighting can bring about unwanted consequences. You don’t want your party to be cut short because you can’t see who you’re talking to or because someone missed a step and twisted an ankle. Instead, installing quality landscape lighting can make your patios and pathways look their best. Today, the Charleston Lighting team wants to give you some quick tips for lighting your pathways and patio steps to make sure your guests can see where they are going

Pathway Lighting Styles

When it comes to choosing the type of pathway lighting you want for your home’s landscape, you are presented with a laundry list of styles to choose from. This decision should consider several factors, but style and function are most prominent. There are some common exterior lighting options, which include:

• Traditional pathway lights: this option consists of numerous miniature lamp posts that line an outdoor walkway. Due to their style, these outdoor light fixtures tend to splash light on the edge of your pathway, as well as a little bit onto the lawn or garden they help keep feet away from. While they may not be the most powerful of pathway lighting options, they can be found in a variety of styles, including LED, solar, and traditional.
• Downlights: Do you have a tree near the walkway at the front of your home or another landscape addition that could be utilized in a secondary way? If so, utilizing a downlight is a great way to shed some light on most of your exterior pathways. Acting almost as a combination of spotlights and outdoor lamps, these light fixtures will splash a soft pool of light across a fixed portion of a walkway or porch. This can be great if you only need to illuminate the first few steps of a patio or a particular dark patch of sidewalk.
• Upward Spotlights: Like downlights and traditional pathway lights, miniature upward spotlights are used to splash light across a pathway while also lining the boundary. These lights face inward and upward, casting brightness across the length of your pathway without lighting any of the yard or garden itself.
• Stair Lights: Unlike sconces, these lighting options do not have a wall to decorate. Instead, these stair lamps are fixed into or on the side of your exterior steps, whether on a patio, leading up to your front door, or heading down the deck into the backyard. In the dark, judging the depth and height of a stair can be difficult, so illuminating them can be a smart, safe, and helpful choice.

Chandeliers are no longer just for the fanciest room in your home. Instead, with the numerous styles and variations of modern chandeliers, there are options for any lighting need in your abode. If and when you do decide to purchase a chandelier, you may be doing so for your dining room, foyer, or even bedroom. Whether you choose a drum shade, a pendant lighting chandelier, or a full-blown crystal fixture, you will notice that it sometimes requires a more intensive cleaning than recessed can lights or typical ceiling fans. Don’t feel overwhelmed by this prospect and decide to choose another fixture! Instead, let the team here at Charleston Lighting help you feel at ease with cleaning your chandeliers. We have some quick tips to help with this chore and make it far less intimidating.

Use the Right Material

Dish towels and cleaning cloths are commonplace in the household for typical cleaning chores. From dusting to drying dishes, you’re sure to find a towel lying around. You may even be inclined to use paper towels for your cleaning purposes. These are great when it comes to getting gunk off of your stove top or soaking up some spilled milk, but these are terrible for cleaning your shiny light fixtures. If you take anything out of this blog, it should be this: paper towels are awful for cleaning your chandelier fixtures. Paper towels are made to be abrasive, as you can tell by the patterns and texture they have. This texture is present to make picking up and wiping away dirt easier, but using these on light fixtures, especially crystal chandeliers, will cause them to become scratched and lose their luster.

Here at Charleston Lighting, we are all about making sure your home is well illuminated inside and out. We offer a wide variety of options for light fixtures in our showroom, which means you will never be without something you are looking for. However, you may be wondering what exactly is the best way to ensure your home is lit in the brightest and most efficient way possible. When it comes to any lighting in your home, from wall lamps to your modern chandeliers and even your outdoor lighting options, you have to take energy and brightness into consideration. Measuring these can be tricky, but we have a quick overview of how you should look at the output of your light fixtures and what these measurements mean. If you have any questions or are ready to purchase your next home lighting fixture, stop by Charleston Lighting and allow us to help!

Lumens and Brightness

One of the most useful measurements for homeowners when it comes to the efficiency of their home’s lighting is lumens. Lumens do not have anything to do with energy consumption and your home’s electric bill, but instead deal with how bright the output of your home’s lighting will be. Lumens are a measure of brightness, which is relatively new for the lighting world. Until recently, wattage was the major measurement for lighting and, as we will discuss in a bit, wattage measures energy consumption, not output. This is a more efficient way to know what you are buying for both your light fixtures and bulbs, as you can strategically place the more powerful lights where you need a better illuminated room.

Hello there, and welcome to the very first blog of Charleston Lighting and Interiors! We’re so happy you’ve found your way to our website, especially if you’re currently searching for high-quality home lighting and home decor products. Whether you’re searching for ceiling lights, wall lights, outdoor lighting, fans or other home lighting products, we’re sure you’ll find something you love in our Charleston lighting showroom.

In fact, we are the Carolinas’ Top Rated Local® Lighting Showroom, and we have a team of qualified and experienced lighting experts that can help you find home lighting that fits your home’s style and your preferred budget. If you have any questions or simply want to browse our impressive lighting and home decor selection, schedule an appointment with one of our lighting consultants today.

Continue reading below for more information about our lighting company and to see how we differ from our competitors in this region. We look forward to seeing you in our lighting store in Charleston soon!

About Our Home Lighting Products

Most homeowners forget about proper lighting in their homes, when really, it should be a priority. Lighting can make or break the atmosphere of your home, and we suggest optimizing your home lighting to ensure you’re getting the most out of every room in your home.