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Home Decor
How to use the right pendant lights for your home
Read MoreA light fixture can greatly enhance the look of any space, provided it is the right one. The perfect light fixture can not only add to the functional aspects of your home but also beautify it. Using a pendant light is one such way to improve and embellish any corner in your house with a simple design fixture.
A pendant light is a distinct light accessory that is hung or supported from the ceiling with the use of a chain, rod, or decorative rope. It is used to focus light on a particular area of your home or to decorate a room. Pendant lights are available in a variety of styles and designs for all home needs.Tips to use the right pendant light
Placement You can use pendant lights anywhere in the house: over a dining table or a kitchen counter top, in a hallway or staircase, over a sitting area in your living room, one or both sides of a bed, in the bathroom (by the vanity or the entryway), or a pool table.
The placement for pendant lights also depends on the functionality of the fixture you want to achieve. For instance, you might need a pendant light in your kitchen as task lighting, but in your bedroom, just as a decorative fixture. For proper lighting, hang the fixtures at the height of 30 to 35 inches or so depending on the room. For instance, if your dining area or kitchen island is large, you can use multiple pendant lights and slightly higher than usual.Function To use a pendant light for providing adequate support, light for a task such as over a kitchen island or in the bathroom, you need a light that not only illuminates the area for your target task but also manages to not produce harsh light at the same time. For such purposes, you can use a pendant light with a translucent bottom or a light that comes with a dimmer. If your kitchen is well-lit, you can use a pendant light that is more decorative and acts as a center piece for your kitchen or any space. Of course, a pendant light can act both as a task light as well as a decorative piece at the same time.
To create distinctive looks using pendant lights with proper illumination, use single-drop lights in narrow or short hallways or spaces and multiple light at varying heights for a dramatic effect. Always consider the ceiling height for proper functionality. For instance, if the ceiling height is at eight feet, choose a light that will hang at least 12 inches below it or more.Types Use glass pendant lights as excellent task lights or fabric lights in jute or hemp for a softer effect. Choose a lantern shape to illuminate the entryway or drum-shaped pendant light in wood for a soft yet functional effect. Mini pendant lights can act both as task lights and for fashioning your home decor with a unique look.
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Home and Garden
Your guide to choosing the best kitchen paint colors
Read MoreJust like choosing an ideal color scheme for the other rooms in a home, picking the best kitchen paint colors is also downright overwhelming. As you will be adding color to the walls, cabinets, and ceiling, together with furniture, crockery, appliances, and other items of your kitchen, you must be careful while making choices. Your color choices should be such that they end up creating a cohesive kitchen. To achieve this objective seamlessly, the following are the factors that you need to consider.
- Your home style
While choosing kitchen paint colors, you must take into account your home’s overall style because not all colors and color schemes suit every style. Some colors go well with the modern home styles while the others interfere with a traditional home style.
- Timeless colors
If you do not want to regret your choice of kitchen paint colors, it is better you go with timeless colors. Additionally, opting for such colors is beneficial from the point of view of resale. For instance, you may love the purple colored cabinets in your kitchen, but other people may find this color choice weird. Therefore, such unique color options can serve as resale barriers.
- Color of the adjacent rooms
To ensure that you choose the best kitchen paint colors, you must consider the color scheme of the adjacent rooms. For example, if your kitchen shares a wall with your living room, you need to find out how good the colors of the kitchen look when you see them from your living room and vice versa. You need not choose same colors, but they can be complementary. Making complementary color choices is easy. Imagine the color of your living room is blue. You can take blue as the base color and then look at the color wheel to choose the ideal kitchen color.
A kitchen is not just a place where you cook meals, but it also serves as a space where families create memories. Therefore, just like other areas in the house, the kitchen also demands careful planning and designing, including the color choice.
- Your home style
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Finance
3 reliable investment options for retirement
Read MoreWhen it comes to investing money, you can find thousands of different choices that promise to help grow your money. However, when you are investing your hard earned money to make your retired life more secure, you need to be extra careful about it. You need to find the safest and most rewarding investment plans for that, so you can enjoy your retired life in peace and security.
Why invest in retirement plans
Many experts suggest that the future investment scenario may not be favorable to investors. The interest rates will go higher, and the income growth will be slower than expected. Considering the rising cost of healthcare and maintaining a normal lifestyle, you will need to have enough money to live comfortably. That is why making the best retirement investments is very important. You must start to plan and find the right options to invest your money in, so you can comfortably finance your retired life.
The three best retirement investments choices are as follows:
- Annuities
When it comes to the best retirement investments, putting your money in annuities can significantly benefit you. It is an insurance policy that guarantees returns for the amount of money you have invested. The payments are made to either you or your beneficiaries after and for a specific period. Your contract may mention that you will start to receive the payments after retirement. The annuities come with different choices that you can decide on based on your needs. They have great benefits, such as tax benefits, lifetime returns, and survivor benefits. It is a flexible investment option that ensures your financial security.
- Mutual funds
You cannot make a list of the best retirement investments without mentioning mutual funds. The mutual funds are managed by professionals, who help you create investment portfolios depending on your financial needs. You can either invest in getting the best possible returns while accepting some financial risks or create a portfolio that balances return with risk. These funds are regulated by the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the mutual fund providers have to be registered with the Securities Exchange Commission. These funds make it a safe investment option. The investment portfolio allows you asset allocation, which makes the mutual fund even more popular.
- Individual stocks
Stocks have always been one of the most popular choices for best retirement investments, as they can offer rather high returns. When you buy a company’s stock, you become a part-owner, which allows you to benefit from the company’s financial growth. When the company makes a profit, the value of the stocks rise, and you can benefit from the difference. You also earn from the dividends the company offers to the stockholders. You can buy the stocks through brokerage houses, who invest the money on your behalf in exchange for commissions.
The one thing that you must keep in mind is that the returns you receive from your investments depend on a lot of factors, like your ability to manage the assets and how much risk you are willing to take. You have to decide which investment option is best for you, depending on your individual needs.