No matter if your main interest lies in being stylish or in protecting your home and family, the garden lamppost does both.  Lampposts are an incredibly elegant way to shed light on your outside space, adding a definite ‘up-market’ feel to any landscape.

Whatever your style and taste, there will be a lamppost out there that fits.  You like old colonial?  There are lampposts in that style.  You favour Victoriana?  No problem.  You like up to the minute minimalism?  Well, you’re catered for too.  As for construction materials: bronze, copper, iron or aluminium lampposts are all easily available on the market.

If the main reason for installing a garden lamppost is safety or security, then the best places to site it would be at the beginning of a driveway or the end of a walkway – anywhere that increases visibility for people using your garden.  Not only will you prevent trips and slips but you will deter loiterers too.  For highlighting garden or architectural features, you’ll find that the wide light-arc given by a lamppost can create some stunning lighting effects.

If you’re definitely a non-electrician, choosing a solar powered lamppost will absolve you from the installation of any electrical cables.  Current solar powered lamps are far brighter than their earlier counterparts too, so don’t be put off.

When it comes to installing your new lamp, you need to prepare yourself for some manual work; in order to ensure that your lamp is secure and  below the frost line as recommended, you need to dig down to between two and three feet.  You have been warned!

Only once you have dug deep enough can you consider laying the armoured cables.  We won’t pull our punches here – we strongly recommend that you employ a fully experienced and qualified electrician.  If you do intend to lay the wires yourself it is vital you consult the local building regulations, which will be very specific about exactly how deep the cables should be laid.  And whether you or your electrician is doing the installation, don’t forget to buy enough cable.  We recommend that you allow additional length to allow for stripping back at both ends to permit the relevant connections to be made.

Next you need to decide what type of bulb to use in your lamppost. We have to confess that our bias here is towards the GLS style of low-energy lamp, which are rather more aesthetically pleasing than the spiral or stick type varieties.  The manufacturers have tried to mimic the style of traditional light bulbs and the result is rather pleasing.

Last but not least, why not add a sensor to your lamppost?  Whether a PIR (movement detector) or a daylight sensor, you will be increasing the security profile of your home.  When you forget to switch the lamppost on (and you will) the sensor will ensure that your security is as tight as ever.

It has to be said that, when it comes to choosing a desk lamp, halogen lighting is truly fit for purpose. Having made such a bold statement, it also has to be said that, whilst halogen lamps do indeed have many advantages, this form of illumination is surrounded by many myths, which this article aims to dispel. The first thing we must do is clear up a common misunderstanding - just… Continue reading this article..

Shower lights are the new bathroom lighting must have; you'll have to read on to find out about the purple rain.   In the meantime, here's a question for you: when you designed your bathroom did you think about shower illumination?  If you're like most people, the answer will be a bemused but emphatic 'no.' The thing is, you need light to shower by, just as much as you need it… Continue reading this article..

If you don't have outdoor lights, you're not only missing a trick or two, you're not maximising the value or the potential enjoyment of your property either.  The fact is, garden lighting will at least double the amount of use you can get from your outside space, even in summers as miserable as the two we've just experienced. And, according to the pundits, there are more such summers to come. It's… Continue reading this article..

If you suffer from low light levels in your bathroom, help is at hand in the form of illuminated bathroom mirrors;  all that leaning over the wash basin and squinting as you try to get your mascara in the right place can now be relegated to the past. With modern homes getting smaller, many bathrooms now get little natural light; in fact, some bathrooms don't get any daylight at all.  Something… Continue reading this article..

It's a fact: a property with a well-designed, well-maintained exterior lighting scheme will sell for more than it's poorly lit neighbour, and outdoor wall lights are as good a place to start as any. Then, of course, there's the indisputable fact that good garden lighting will encourage you to make more and better use of your garden., turning it into that often quoted but less often realised 'extra room.' And with… Continue reading this article..

Despite the continued popularity of recessed lighting for bathrooms, they don't give enough clarity around the mirror area, which, let's face it, is probably the most important part of the room; add mirror lights, though, and you'll have all the clarity you need. Your bathroom is the place where you put on your public face and prepare to launch yourself onto the world.  For women this generally means, at the very… Continue reading this article..

When you buy a bathroom shaver light you're getting more for your money - not just extra and more efficient bathroom lighting but somewhere to plug your razor as well! As with all bathroom light fittings, shaver lights are assigned an IP rating.  Electrical regulations divide the bathroom into a series of zones and these zones correlate to the IP ratings.  It is vital, therefore, that before you go to purchase… Continue reading this article..

Remodelling your bathroom can be as simple or as complicated as you make it; you'd be amazed at the difference simply installing a new ceiling light will make. Mind you, with the choice currently on offer, installing the light may well turn out to be easier than choosing it! Continue reading this article..

Bathroom lighting has some interesting challenges, it needs to be bright enough to show you in the best light first thing in the morning making grooming a simple task. But bathroom lighting also needs to be soft enough to let you relax in a bath at the end of the day. Continue reading this article..