How would you like to cut your lighting bills by as much as 75%, yet still have an attractive lighting scheme.

Here are some tips from Sally Storey, (Design Director at John Cullen – Britain’s leading lighting company) to help you avoid possible pitfalls.

If you are thinking of redecorating, then now is the best and cheapest time to install more efficient lighting before you start.

The future of energy efficient lighting lies with LED fittings, which can last for as long as 20 years. They appear more expensive than regular products, but over their lifetime will more than make up for the initial outlay with energy savings.

John Cullen’s brand new, next generation Polespring LED downlight, sets new standards for energy efficient lighting. It uses just 12w of energy and gives you the equivalent of a traditional 50w halogen bulb at a fraction of the running costs. With its improved colour rendition and clarity, it is suitable for lighting throughout the home – even for paintings and other artwork.

If you don’t like compact fluorescent light bulbs, then replace traditional light bulbs with energy saving IRC (infra-red coated) bulbs. They come with all the usual fittings and give out the soft and attractive light we all recognise and love. A 40w bulb will give you 60w of light output – still helping you to keep your bills down.

Make sure all your lights can be turned off with the flick of one switch; if you have to turn lamps off individually, you will end up leaving them on even when you are not in the room.

Sensors are also an effective way of ensuring that lights are only used when they are needed. They are particularly useful in corridors, bathrooms and gardens, as well as in areas in the home where children (or adults) regularly forget to turn off the lights.

Good task lighting, such as a desk lamp or reading lamp by your bed, means that you don’t need to have the whole room lit up just to work or read. The new floor-standing 4w LED Pocket of Light floor lamp provides a well-directed beam of light, which won’t dazzle the person next to you. It is ideal as a freestanding task light by a bed or a sofa.

Finally, don’t think energy efficiency is all doom and gloom. For the first time ever, you can transform a roof terrace for as little as 7w, or bring your garden to life at night time with just 60w – no more than just one traditional light bulb! So get planning before the summer!
Prices: LED Strip Streamer, £72 per metre; Polespring LED, from £110;
Plaster Flat, £132.

For further information about John Cullen Lighting, please visit the website.

Stockist Enquiries: Tel: (020) 7371 9000

Here are some additional home lighting tips from Sally Storey, Design Director of John Cullen Lighting:

Fireplaces

• A fireplace can resemble a gloomy large black hole in the summer without a cheerful fire to light it, but all you need to bring it back to life is two plug-in highlights that can also create an immediate uplifting impact all year round. (Square Highlight, £93 from John Cullen).

• Fireplaces with architectural features look particularly good when up lit, so consider using a 5 amp circuit, so that the lights can be switched on by the door.

• Also recommended is to add two small 1w LED up lights in the hearth. (Lucca, £97 from John Cullen).

• If up lights aren’t recessed into the hearth, make sure they blend in as much as possible with the fireplace.

• Up lighting a fire surround works particularly well when you have a painting hanging above it that is lit with a down light, which helps to balance the overall effect.

About
John Cullen Lighting, founded in 1981, is Britain’s leading lighting specialist and offers a complete service for all aspects of interior and exterior lighting.

Sally Storey took over as Design Director from John Cullen in 1986. She is one of the world’s leading lighting experts having written three books on the subject. She has since been joined by fellow Design Director Lucy Martin and is supported by a team of ten designers.

All John Cullen light fitting designs are manufactured in Britain.
John Cullen Showroom Address: 561-563 Kings Road, Fulham, SW6 2EB.

To view the truly inspirational John Cullen lighting designs, please visit the website.

Stockist Enquiries: (020) 7371 9000

Ingarden has added a new product range of beautiful Indian inspired parasols that were used in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland film.

Each parasol is handmade and decorated in a spectacular manner - sure to bring stylish charm to your garden for the summer:

Featured here is the strikingly vibrant Bali Red parasol, edged with coconut hearts and assorted cream and wooden beads. The finial and hand-carved wooden pole is also painted with gold decorative detail. Priced at £225.

The Lilac Rose is decorated with luminous hand-carved mother-of-pearl hearts and assorted beads.

The beautiful Cream Pearl was justifiably chosen to feature in Tim Burtons ‘Alice in Wonderland’film. Made from unbleached cotton and decorated with mother-of pearl hearts, coconut beads and tassels, it is truly pleasing to the eye at £199.

The Eau de Nil is finished with beautiful aluminium cutwork elements that jingle in the breeze as you relax under it. £225.

About
The Ingarden company offers an exceptional online range of inspirational, high quality and beautiful modern patio furniture and accessories that look fantastic, but are also low maintenance and functional.

To view the complete range of these gorgeous Indian inspired parasols,
please visit the website.

Tel: 01732 832299

These days, thanks to advances in external lighting technology, even a sizeable garden can be brilliantly lit, using less energy than a 60w light bulb. Therefore gardeners needn’t feel guilty about enjoying their garden night or day, thanks to the latest 1-watt products from John Cullen.

John Cullen, the leading UK lighting expert, has developed two new energy efficient LED garden lights, which are ideal for lighting your plants, pathways, steps or even a small tree:

The first new energy efficient garden light is the Kew – a flexible 1w LED spotlight on a spiked fixture – making it easy to move around.

The second new 1w LED light, the Hampton is a small, directional flood light also with a spiked fixture, which when angled can wash either a wall or path with light.
Both the Kew and the Hampton are miniature and have been designed in a custom green colour to blend in with plants, making them discreet as well as energy efficient.

Sally Storey, Design Director, at John Cullen says, ‘As well as saving energy, our new 1w lights produce a better light than more powerful and less efficient alternatives, with the added advantage of producing no heat to scorch your plants. Lighting the garden at night creates a whole different magic.’

Lighting plants
The key to successful garden lighting is flexibility, so that you can change your lighting with the seasons. Spiked fittings can be easily moved to suit the changing seasons and growth of plants.

Steps, walls and pathways
A 1w Hampton can easily be directed down to highlight a path or wall and it can also be angled towards shrubs.
Another light ideal for washing a wall with light is the 1w Lucca – it works particularly well when used in conjunction with the spiked Kew and Hampton LED fittings.
For steps, a 1w Siena, recessed into a side wall, skims light across the step to create atmosphere as well as reducing the risk of tripping.

Keeping your lighting discreet
Most garden light fittings are black, but you should choose green or olive fittings to ensure they literally disappear in amongst the planting.

Copper fittings can also be good as they patinate to a neutral green colour with age.

Bronze fittings often blend in particularly well with the colour of tree trunks, making them an ideal choice for downlights, mounted high up in a tree to create soft pools of discreet light.

Water features
Water can be a wonderful medium for light, as the movement and refraction create patterns, which reflect on the surrounding area. You can use a simple 20w Pond Light under a water flow, or consider using fibre optics within water jets.

For further information about John Cullen’s new energy efficient LED garden lights, please visit the website.

John Cullen Showroom: 561-563 Kings Road, Fulham, SW6 2EB

Tel: (020) 7371 9000 for stockist enquiries.

The passing of the summer solstice sees a new range of outdoor and indoor lanterns and hurricane lamps – of all shapes, sizes and finishes – at the specialist home accessories online boutique Nordic House.

The traditional teak lanterns, with a contemporary look and a stainless steel top, are part of the Danish Designer Collection at Nordic House, while there are more than 30 hurricane lamps and lanterns to choose from within the Lanterns and Hurricanes range.

Materials and finishes include stainless steel, glass, whitewashed, distressed paint, wood, rattan, metal, rusty, ceramic, retro, classical and contemporary style.

• In our picture is the Retro Candle Lantern:
  These are a limited edition! - A.gorgeous retro style metal, pale taupe lantern with a chalky, painted finish.
  Sizes:
  Medium: H20×14x14cm.
  Large: H32×21x21cm.
• Recommended Candles:
  Large lantern: 8×12cm pillar candles - Medium lantern: Large tealights or the 6×12cm pillar candle.
  Priced at: £24.50 – Medium. £34.00 – Large.

Nordic House collections reflect the best of Scandinavian design and are strongly focused on natural elements and textures.

Collections are limited and constantly evolving as each season progresses.
Boxed gift vouchers are also available for those special gifts or treats.

Visit the Nordic House website to view the stunning new ranges of lanterns and hurricane lamps.

Tel:   (0844) 209 2027

Nordic House has selected the very best on offer from the land of the midnight sun, choosing limited-edition contemporary artefacts from well-known Danish designers, adding a stunning array of outdoor lighting, wall sconces, lanterns and hurricane lamps.

While the summer solstice is celebrated all over the world, it is particularly important in Nordic countries where, on the longest day, the sun dips below the horizon for only a short while and the sky never properly turns to night.

These long summer days and long dusky evenings are the time for contemplation, a time to recharge the batteries and relax outdoors.

The unique huge handmade outdoor candles, as feartured here, look wonderful bunched together as a mixed-height group. They come in black as well as white and there are six sizes in this outdoor only range. The largest candle is 50cm high and it will burn for 280 hours.

These superb large outdoor candles are hand made in Sweden and are for outdoor use only; they look absolutely stunning dotted around the garden or patio.

Colours: White or Black sizes from:

15×10cm burns approx. 60hrs weight: 1.5 kg - £10.00 - to

15×80cm burns approx. 450hrs weight: 12 kg - £66.50.

The Danish Designer Collection, speaks of natural textures of sculpted slate, stone and wood, as well as burnished and glowing metals used to create oil lamps for long term outdoor use.

All of the new lamps house a unique air system to ensure the proper burning of the oil wick, while a little purpose-made lid can be used to extinguish the flame safely and protect the wick from the elements, as these stunning lamps can be left outside all summer.

The complete new collections can be seen online at the Nordic House website They will be limited and constantly evolving as the season progresses.

Tel: (01872) 870834

With summer nearly upon us, it’s time to embrace the great outdoors in style, with the new Jme collection of outdoor accessories available through Jamie at Home.

From garden parties to informal gatherings and BBQs, make sure you have the best equipment this season to make alfresco dining a fun and stress-free occasion.

The Jme Summer 10 collection has all bases covered when it comes to outdoor entertaining:

• The Big Chill Cooler Bucket (£25, far left) complete with bottle opener will ensure your guests always have a cool, refreshing drink to hand.

• While the coordinating Ice Bucket and Scoop (£20, right) is a must have for topping up glasses.

• Serve drinks from the Fancy A Top Up Carafe (£10, right) – a fun and decorative way of presenting wine, water or other soft drinks, and use the Round Tray (£12.50) to carry everything out from the kitchen.

• The brilliant Buzz Bamboo Food Covers (£22 for set of three) are also perfect for outdoor dining, as they’ll keep food protected from sunlight and bugs, whilst letting it breathe at the same time. They’re also easy to wipe clean.

• Ensure your garden is decorated in style with the new Scents of Summer Outdoor Candles from the Scent & Savour collection. Offering an alternative to citronella, these outdoor candles contain a natural insect repellent to keep bugs at bay, and are made from a 100% natural blend of soy and botanical waxes making them completely toxin free. (from £28)

• Additional outdoor lighting ideas include the new Mini Pail Lights (£22). Available as a set of 5, these cute, mini wax filled buckets are ideal for scattering around your outdoor dining table.

For more information on Jamie at Home, or Jme products, please call:

Tel:  (0844) 871 2010.

All Jme homeware products are available through Jamie at Home parties.

Jamie Oliver’s new direct-sales format, builds on Jamie’s passion for getting people together in the home, to share in his enthusiasm for cooking and entertaining and most of all to have fun.

Lively light in the garden creates a cosy atmosphere all year round.

Menu’s new round outdoor light ball is discrete and elegant, and burns with a fascinating flame, creating a special atmosphere.

The elegant Lighthouse Balls burn like small fires in the dark, spreading cosy light on short winter days and long summer nights - a welcome new addition to the Light House range designed by Christian Bjørn.

The ball itself is made of porcelain and available in black or white, it is frost proof so it can be left out in all weathers.

It has a large removable oil reservoir in weatherproof stainless steel and plastic that is easy to fill.

The lamp burns steadily with its thick fibreglass wick, which is not easily extinguished in windy conditions.
The Lighthouse balls retail at £59.95.

Christian Bjørn has created a series for menu, which from its launch, wowed people worldwide.
After a few months on the market, his Lighthouse series has already been awarded two of the most well-known design prizes in the world; the Red Dot Award and the IF Industrial Design Award.

• For further information visit the Menu website.

John Cullen Lighting the leading lighting expert, designs, schemes and supplies cutting-edge products for everything from kitchens, drawing rooms and bathrooms, to swimming pools and gardens, creating the perfect atmosphere for the house and garden, including home automation.

Not since the arrival of the low voltage tungsten halogen in the early 80s, has there been such a revolution in consumer lighting. Improvements in LED technology, now make it suitable for the home.

At the forefront of this innovation, John Cullen offers a comprehensive range of LED products, all designed in-house and manufactured in the UK.

The latest LED fittings are compact, revolutionising opportunities for introducing lighting into joinery, stairs and gardens.

They offer a warmer colour of light, which can be controlled with manual dimmers as well as preset systems; with a 50,000 lamp life, regularly fitting new bulbs is a thing of the past.

Light your stairs and terrace, with the latest LED fittings using only 14w of LED, instead of the 260w of traditional tungsten halogen lamps.

The energy efficient shelving unit in the picture, is lit with the latest LED strip Contour with its excellent colour rendition:

• Individual shelves are lit with 1w LED Eyelids at the top and LED Footlights at the bottom.

• These shelves are now lit with only 120w using LED products against 1020w using low voltage fittings.

LEDs can also add interest to a kitchen scheme.

• 1w LED Oslos to wash light under the island at low level.

• 1w LED Eyelids light the work surface and sink.

• At high level warm white energy efficient fluorescent strips provide a fresh boost of working daylight into the space.

John Cullen also offers an award winning design service.

Visit the John Cullen website to view the latest design effects and inspiration.

Tel: (020) 7371 9000

With the new trend of taking a ‘’staycation” replacing the ”vacation”, there’’s never been a better time to give your outdoor space a much needed modern makeover, with contemporary garden furniture, the latest barbecues and eye-catching garden accessories.

Think ‘’sunny days” drinking pink lemonade on the patio and taking shade under the large canopy of the Casa Mesh Lattice Patio Set, £1099, featured; or cool breezy evenings socialising in the garden with friends, providing plenty of seats for everyone with the Casa Teak Extending Table Set, £899.

When it’s time to entertain, serve up a barbecue to make the mouth water, by investing in an excellent outdoor cooking accessory, with the Weber Spirit Gas BBQ, £349, with it’s easy to assemble dual burner.

When the evening draws to a close, light up the garden path and create an outdoor space to dazzle guests and children alike, with Leekes’ range of outdoor lighting.

Whether it’s paving the way for a stylish garden path with contemporary stainless steel décor Solar Lanterns, £12.99, or prettying up the flowerbeds with funky Solar Flower Glows, £4.99 each, you can guarantee your garden will look just as good by night, as in the day.

Then take a much needed rest and ”pack up a picnic” with a handy Monsoon Picnic Basket, which includes everything you’ll need for lunch on the beach, or strawberries and champagne in the park – including tableware, cutlery and wine goblets for four, £40.

To view the range and the current sale prices visit:

Web: http://www.leekes.co.uk/Shop/Garden-Living/icat/garden&bklist=icat,3,,garden
Tel: (07946) 512004