Astro Lighting Pendants

It might come as a surprise to you, but we're huge fans of colour and maximalism here at Sparks Electrical. We hope you understand - and if you do, then you're going to enjoy this post. But if you don't, maybe you'll be converted today.Note: some or all of the light fittings featured below may no longer be available at Sparks; see the full offering here.   We're highlighting the less subtle items in our store in this post: five of our favourite modern light fittings, whether colourful or just bold and dramatic. 1. Balun Pendant The large Balun ceiling pendants dominate our Archway showroom, drawing the attention of our customers as they walk through the door. And for good reason: the Balun is huge, like a giant UFO floating at low altitude. In our store we have light grey, red, orange, blue, matte black, matte white, and pink versions available. 2. Foglio Wall Lamp The Foglio wall light, designed by Tobia Scarpa for legendary design house Flos, really pushes that black/white contrast with a transparent pressed steel construction. It's also available in a white finish, which loses the contrast but remains interesting. 3. Nessino Table Light Another legendary design house, Artemide, offer the Nessino table or desk lamp, which are constructed from polycarbonate in transparent orange or yellow.4. Ripasso Pendant The Ripasso carafe-style pendant light comes from Nordlux, known for their minimalist design philosophy. The Ripasso range (in red, white, black, or green) is hand-blown, so every one of these fittings is ever-so-slightly different from the others. 5. Funk Color Pendant Nordlux is at it again with the Funk pendant light, which sticks to one colour throughout: its lampholder, cord, and ceiling rose are all the same bold colour. Blue, red, turquoise, and yellow versions are available, but more monochromatic sensibilities will enjoy the black, silver, and white pendants. Which is your favourite, readers? Cast your votes in the comments! Ours is for the funk, in turquoise, but we're the ones who wrote this post in the first place.Order Designer Lights at Sparks

During the design phase of a new pub or bar (or a refurbishment) it's important to pay attention to the lighting. The light quality in a social establishment is essential to creating the atmosphere on which a bar thrives.Pendants Fitted over the bar itself, pendant lights naturally draw attention to the area. The most common question is: how high or low should these pendant fittings hang? The simple answer to this is: to reduce glare and maximise comfort, they should hang at about eye level. Of course, the question now becomes "how tall is my average customer"? Since we don't have that data, we don't know how tall your average customer is. Sparks Electrical recommends you err on the side of caution. Accent Lighting  One thing that caught our eye today was this blog post, which showcases an Indian cafe in Shoreditch. There, the bar has glass shelves which are illuminated by what seem to be tiny light fittings. It looks great! But it's not just an aesthetic consideration: items under bright lights tend to sell better (it's why spotlights are often used in retail). Highlighting spirits in this manner could drive up sales of spirits and premium cocktail ingredients. Photo by Marcel Germain on Flickr (Creative Commons) Some under-cabinet lights can be co-opted for shelves, or some X-Flex strips will serve the purpose in a choice of colours. Bar lighting is an essential part of the design process, so if you're thinking about opening or refurbishing a pub or bar, Sparks Electrical is here to help.Pendant Lights for Bar Lighting