Dunbar 160 Matt Concrete Coastal LED Wall Light 6.3W 3000K IP65 for Wall Up-Down Lighting, Astro 1384020

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of living in a clean, safe environment. The air we breathe in our homes and workplaces can drastically affect our health and wellbeing.Pollutants such as dust, pollen and viruses can sneak into our homes at any given minute and cause a host of illnesses. If you’re reading this article, you may be wondering how to create a healthy living space for your loved ones. Below, we’ll look into how you can create a healthy living space in your home generally, and also through using the right lighting and ventilation systems.How to create a healthy living space So, generally speaking, how do you go about building a healthy indoor space? Here are the steps you need to consider:1. Personalise your living spaceWe spend most of our lives inside. So it’s absolutely essential to select an indoor space that reflects who you are. Whether you’re working from home, lounging around or having guests over, it’s those personal touches that really makes home a home.You can personalise your home by placing pictures and furnishings you love around the home, particular fabrics you like and ornaments you’ve collected throughout your travels.2. Purchase houseplantsWhy leave the great outdoors … outdoors? You can bring the outdoors into your home! Invest in a variety of quality houseplants to make your home feel a little more natural. Houseplants come in all different shapes and sizes, so there’s truly no limit here.Having plants around the home can also purify the air around you, so everyday you can breathe a little better, knowing that less toxins are circling in the air you breathe.3. Take advantage of lightingEvery home needs a good lighting source, whether that’s through natural light or artificial light. Lighting has been known to alter mood, and can transform negative vibes into positive ones. Having a home full of bright light can help lift your spirits and keep you feeling amazing.Below, we’ll look into how you can use lighting to create a healthy living space in more detail, so stay tuned.4. Invest in a ventilation systemSelecting the right ventilation system that’s appropriate for the size and layout of your home is a critical first step. It is important to ensure that the system you choose has sufficient airflow to effectively remove stale air and pollutants from your home.The ECO dMEV (Decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation) system, for example, is a ventilation system that uses fans to extract stale air and moisture from a particular room and replace it with fresh air. These systems are designed to be decentralised, meaning that they are installed in individual rooms rather than being centrally located. Traditional ventilation systems rely on natural airflow to circulate air throughout the building. This can be difficult to control, particularly in larger buildings with multiple rooms. ECO dMEV, however, offers more control over airflows, as each room has its own fan that can be adjusted to suit its specific requirements. This means that air can be directed to where it is needed most, ensuring that all areas of the building receive adequate ventilation.How ventilation systems can help you create a healthier living spaceVentilation systems offer several benefits, including improved air quality, increased energy efficiency, and better control over indoor airflows. We’ll outline some of these benefits in more detail below.Buy Envirovent Silent Fans1. Improved air qualityPoor indoor air quality can lead to a range of health problems, including allergies, respiratory issues, headaches, and fatigue.Ventilation systems can help improve air quality by extracting pollutants and moisture from the air, reducing the risk of health problems. They are designed to run continuously, ensuring a constant supply of fresh air throughout the home.2. Remove condensationCondensation is what happens when the air reaches a certain level that it no longer can hold in moisture. That’s why we see our windows and mirrors ‘condensing’.The problem with this is that it is responsible for creating mould throughout the home, which can lead to nasty smells and even health issues. A robust ventilation system can help you eliminate that condensation, converting a stagnant atmosphere into a fresh and healthy one.3. Alleviate hay fever symptomsHay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is caused by an allergic reaction to airborne allergens such as pollen, dust, and mold spores. These allergens can accumulate in indoor spaces and trigger hay fever symptoms.Ventilation systems can help reduce the concentration of allergens in indoor air by increasing the circulation of fresh air, in particular by exchanging indoor air with outdoor air. This can dilute the concentration of indoor allergens and is particularly important during peak allergy seasons when pollen counts are high.How to use lighting to create a healthy living spaceIn 2021, a systematic review was conducted on papers discussing the impact of lighting in the home on the health of the inhabitants. It was clear that poor lighting can negatively affect people's health and that lighting in general is a key aspect of housing quality.Home lighting affects both the aesthetics and functionality of a home, and can have a significant impact on mood, productivity, and overall well-being. Adequate lighting helps people regulate their normal day-to-day activities and is important for keeping the home safe.Buy Dunbar Wall LightBelow, we’ll outline how you can use lighting to create a healthier living space in your home.1. Consider natural lightNatural light is an excellent source of illumination that can improve mood and well-being. Consider installing large windows or skylights in areas that can receive natural light to help reduce the need for artificial lighting during the day. Just make sure to have UV-protective films installed to prevent sun damage.2. Use energy-efficient lightingEnergy-efficient light bulbs and fixtures will help you reduce energy consumption and lower energy bills. LED bulbs are a good option for home lighting as they are long-lasting and consume much less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.3. Install lighting controlsLighting controls, such as dimmers and timers, can help regulate the amount of light in a room and reduce energy waste. They can also help create a more relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.4. Layer lightsLayered lighting can create a more comfortable environment that's suited to your specific needs. Experiment with a combination of ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting to find what your body needs for the day.Looking for more ways to create a healthy living space at home?Now that you know how to create a healthy living space, you can be confident that you know what to look for in choosing your lighting fixtures, bulbs, and home ventilation systems.By taking into account the size of your home, your needs for different rooms, and the types of lighting you require, it is highly possible to create a healthy indoor space that allows you to thrive while promoting your well-being.Here at Sparks Direct, we are committed to contributing towards healthier living spaces with the ECO dMEV, offering continuous ruling ventilation for the home, as well as a vast selection of energy-efficient LED lighting and Dimming systems.

Astro has a long history of stepping on the podium to receive awards from experts in the lighting design industry, and with the Dunbar Concrete wall light they proved again that "concrete is chic", while raking the award for it. As early as 2013 they received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and from then on, they would go on to many other award successes. One of the latest awards Astro has won is for the Concrete Dunbar 160, which highlights a new truth in the world of lighting: that concrete is now definitely chic. Astro’s Concrete Dunbar 160 receives Red Dot Product Design 2018 Award Astro’s Concrete Dunbar 160 won the globally renowned Red Dot 2018 Product Design Award, warding off strong competition. Red Dot promotes the very best in design across all fields, and the award provides an internationally recognised stamp of excellence for the Dunbar 160. It is hardly difficult to believe that Astro’s Dunbar gained such a high accolade once you have seen it in person. This fitting is an LED wall downlighter to behold; a solid and immaculately curved swathe of concrete, with a sharp linear edge from which exudes powerful, glare-free illumination. The Dunbar 160 proves that concrete can be chic: there is an innate character and charm in the raw materials that are used to construct this piece. It is IP65 rated, having been crafted in a meticulous manner where the raw concrete was reinforced by adding waterproofing additives. Due to its aesthetic and design brilliance, there are strong arguments as to whether it should be placed inside or outside. The IP rating and concrete build may suggest outdoors, but it is a showcase of lighting design that you may prefer to place in the interior of your home.Concrete Lighting Collection Astro Lighting Concrete Lighting Range Astro’s concrete range extends well beyond that of just the award-winning Concrete Dunbar 160. They have a variety of different designs with similar aesthetics to this wonderful piece. For instance, the Mast Concrete Wall Light has an equally interesting design; styled in the form of the mast of a ship that will proudly protrude from your home’s wall. It provides gentle diffused down lighting which appears majestic emanating from underneath its concrete exterior. The Dunbar 120, meanwhile, mimics the form of the Dunbar 160, just with smaller dimensions, having a height of 120mm. This more compact piece would make for an excellent reading light, fitting snugly on the wall of your bedroom or by a sofa in your living room. Astro also boasts the Oslo range, similar in style to the Dunbar, but with a rectangular rather than cylindrical shape. The Oslo 120 LED provides eco-efficient down lighting from its 3.9W LED bulb and – like the Dunbar 120 – is ideal for task lighting in your bedroom, living room or study room. Of course, they can also be installed outdoors, since they have a high IP rating. Then there is the taller Oslo 160 LED, which measures 160mm in height and will shed strong lighting in its immediate vicinity. With its IP65 rating, this excellently designed fixture poses the same conundrum as the Dunbar 160: should it be placed outside or inside? Either way, it is a good problem to have – and you can always purchase more than one.Buy the Oslo 160 Concrete Wall Lamp Why are concrete lighting fixtures suddenly in vogue? So it seems concrete lighting fixtures are in vogue all of a sudden – but why is this? Astro Lighting (and their designers) have found that concrete lights can blend an industrial look with elegance and functionality to create unique and exciting pieces. These are pieces that are deemed worthy of Product Design Awards from the most esteemed of judges. Concrete ‘chic’ fixtures are the latest lights in a trend occurring in home décor, which fuses different kinds of styles to allow for freedom of creative expression. By using the ‘raw’ quality of the building material concrete, designers can bring a hint of the dramatic to a home’s interior. This can clearly be seen with Astro’s range of concrete lighting fixtures, sold here at Sparks. They imbue an alliance of power and elegance to create something remarkable for their customers.

As a company that started out in the basement of a Sevenoaks house in the late 90’s, Astro has certainly stepped leaps and bounds, as demonstrated by their flock of awards over the past decade. In 2013, Astro landed the Queen's Award for Enterprise. This award is widely considered to be the highest official accolade for any UK business, and is a fantastic achievement. It is also a broader recognition of Astro’s commitment to international trade and continual growth: and continue to grow Astro has, as demonstrated by their numerous achievements post-2013! In recent years Astro has been sweeping it in the awards department, receiving acclaim from some of the most prestigious experts in the lighting industry. Astro was delighted to receive the German Design Award 2018 for their exquisite piece, the Edge Reader wall light (which can be bought here), the second award it won in the same year.  The award is presented to designs that are considered ‘groundbreaking’ in the international industry; this is decided upon by a high-caliber international jury of experts, and chosen from over 5000 entries.  The second award the Edge Reader won this year was the ‘Red Dot Product Design’ award, whose judges were impressed by the combination of the 'direct functionality of its LED reading light and its ambient lighting'. 2018 has been a particularly decorated year for Astro, as they were also honored with the Queen's Award 2018 once again. Furthermore, Astro’s Concrete Dunbar 160 has won the Red Dot Product Design 2018 award.Buy Astro Lights at Sparks The Concrete Dunbar 160 combines a soft, curved structure with the crisp straight edge of its light output, where deeply recessed LEDs provide a forceful, yet glare-free illumination. 2018 has been a particularly award-heavy year for Astro, but they have been excelling throughout the entire decade. Achievements and Awards prior to 2018 In 2017, Astro won Manufacturer of the Year at the Lux Awards, beating such illustrious opponents as Luxonic, Samsung and FUTURE designs; this really cemented Astro's place amongst the royalty of lighting designers. Before this, in 2016, Astro were nominated for House Beautiful 2016 Award, with both their Atelier and Edge Reader ranges nominated. The House Beautiful Awards, as the name implies, celebrate the very best in quality, design and innovation for a range of different categories that include lighting, furniture, garden products and more. In 2015, the Edge 560 was awarded ‘Innovator’ status at the ETOP Innovation Awards. The Edge Reader range of lighting was seen as ‘innovative’ due to its ingenious use of the latest mid-power LED technology, and for their functionality: the ability to mount them both horizontally or vertically.Buy the Edge Reader Light Also in 2015, Astro won big in Hong Kong, taking home the 'Home Product Brand 2015', with previous winners including behemoths in the lighting industry such as Bowers and Wilkins and Philips. Astro also made an appearance in Lux's Power List as early as 2014, an early indicator of the recognition that would lead to their 2017 Manufacturer of the Year award with Lux. All of this goes to show that the Queen's Award for Enterprise awarded to Astro in 2013 was a smart and prophetic choice. Astro has gone on to achieve great things this decade and been recognised by some of the most respected experts in the lighting field for their work. As co-founder John Fearon stated when he won the Queen's Award in 2018 - 'To win the award for a second time is a real testament to the commitment, passion and energy that is part of Astro's DNA'. This is the exact attitude that has won Astro a slew of awards in 2018, and which means you shouldn't be surprised if they repeat this impressive feat in 2019! And if you want to see an extensive range of the wall lights, ceiling lights, floor lamps, table lamps, and LED lights that Astro does, you simply have to visit this link.

To choose the right light fitting, you first need to know where you want to install it. Not all the lights are created or made equal, and not all the light fittings can be installed in any environment. For example, it is not recommended to install a light fitting that doesn't have IP rating in the bathroom, since there's the danger of short circuit due to the vapors or steam reaching the electrical parts; it is not safe. Also, you cannot install a light fitting that has an IP rating lower than IP65 in the shower; where there's splashing of water, the light fitting has to be sealed. Similarly, you cannot just install any light fitting outdoors; there has to be a proper IP rating depending on the exposure to the wind, dust, rain, and splashing of water. It's best to be on the safe side, otherwise, you may install your favorite light fitting somewhere and, within a few months, you will have to take it off or worse, you may have to redo your electrical wiring. Introducing the Coastal Lights - Light Fittings Suitable for Coastal Lighting When it comes to choosing the right fitting for outdoor lighting, again, not all exterior lights are made equal; besides the IP rating (the degree of protection against dust, particles, and water), there's also the proximity to the sea or ocean. There is a particular range of light fittings that Astro Lighting calls, "Coastal Lights", which are designed to withstand whatever the weather can throw at them. Many of them are made of brass and can be safely installed within 5 miles of the coast since they are very strong. Why 5 miles from the coast? Installing any outdoor lights within 5 miles of the sea or coast - where there's a high concentration of salt in the air, the weather is harsher on the fittings, and corrosion is caused by the salt - will cause a build-up from weather and rain, and the physical parts of the fittings can deteriorate. The coastal range, however, is made to withstand anything that the weather throws at them; they are made of hard-wearing materials, suitable for salty conditions on the coast.Coastal Lights at Sparks Even if there are some stainless steel parts, they are contained and protected. Some of these Coastal Lights are: Jura Single or Twin Wall Light in Antique Brass taking GU10 lamps, great for coast lighting Malibu Oval or Round Antique Brass Coastal Wall Light taking a E27 Lamp, made of Brass Stornoway antique brass wall lantern, part of the Coastal Lights collection Thurso Round or Oval Wall / Ceiling Light fitting in Natural Brass, taking 1 x E27 lamp Bayville Single Wall LED Spotlight in Textured Black, Textured White, or Textured Grey, complete with 8.1W LED 3000K lamp Dunbar Concrete Single or Up-down Wall Light, complete with the LED lamp Gramos Round or Square Ground Light in a Natural Brass finish, ideal for Walkover Lighting Full Range of Coastal LightsSalt-Spray Tested Lights - not Suitable for Coastal Lighting Besides the Coastal Lights collection there are a number of "salt-spray tested" lights, many of them with a high IP rating. These are not recommended to be installed within 5 miles from the coast, since the corrosion from the salt may operate and damage them after the number of hours for which they were salt-spray tested. They have a three year guarantee, but this doesn't apply if the salt-spray tested fittings are installed within five miles from the coast or in a high salt environment. The closer you are to the sea, the more you enjoy the weather in the summer :) and you dread the winds in the fall and winter; also, the more protected and insulated the light fittings used outdoors have to be. The Coastal Lights are suitable for use by the coast and other exposed areas, combining outstanding durability with striking design. The salt-spray tested light fittings, however, are not recommended to be installed on the coast. Here are some of the most lovely salt-spray-tested light fittings: The Dartmouth range - Dartmouth IP54 single LED lamp in grey or black, and the Dartmouth Twin LED Up-Down textured black or painted silver wall light - 1000h salt-spray testing The Mast range - Mast Wall Lights in Antique Brass, Matt White, Textured black, and Painted Silver, with an IP rating of IP65 and taking max. 1 x 35W GU10 lamp (not included). 1000h Salt Spray Tested Buy Salt-Spray Tested Lights at Sparks