Lighting

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48. Do you know the name/type of bulbs used on fairground carousels? The high-street fashion chain All Saints also uses them for its shop signs. Any ideas where I could buy some? They're a moulded plastic and referred to as Cabochon Lighting (a form of gemstone). All the manufacturers I've ever come across tend to be Italian, such as Imel Park and VSV. In the UK, talk to Remco Signs, which produces bespoke lighting for the amusement industry, and which may be able to knock up something fabulous for you, too.

49. I saw some amazing huge wooden lattice-like lanterns above the escalators in Topshop on London's Oxford Street recently. I'd love some for my house – do you know where I can buy them? The pendants you refer to are by New Zealander David Trubridge – many people already know his Body Raft chaise for Cappellini, which was inspired by a background in boatbuilding. His lighting, though, is far less widely available, so you need to specially order them in from places like Viaduct and Chaplins. Prices for the Koura light you liked are from around £1,500.  

50. When I redecorated my living room, I chose a Marimekko fabric for the curtains. I have some spare, and wondered whether it would be possible to make a pendant shade with it? It's probably not worth fudging it yourself. Lightingworks.co.uk allows you to specify shade shape, covering and size to produce a bespoke shade in your chosen fabric for as little as £30. If you're set on doing it yourself, you can sandwich fabric between the clear layers of Le Klint's Undercover shade.

51. I am very keen to do my bit for the environment and replace the light bulbs in my home with long-life ones, but they are often too big for my lampshades and fittings and ugly bits of bulb stick out. I don't really want to replace the shades - what can I do? Green Shop sells a large range of sustainable and low impact products for household use, including an extensive choice of energy-saving light bulbs. It has bulbs with bayonet and screw fittings that are the same size and shape as traditional bulbs - tungstens, candle shapes, spotlights are all available, and it has mini spiral candle bulbs, again in screw and bayonet fittings, for wall lights, small table lamps and bedside lamps.

52. I love candles and have a lot around my house, but I've noticed they just melt through the centre and lots of wax is wasted. Can you suggest a way of extending their life? You can do two things to extend the life of a candle, according to prices-candles.co.uk. First, make sure it has a large wick - on cheaper candles a thin wick might be used that won't heat up enough wax around it, causing only the middle to melt. Second, when you first light a large candle, leave is to burn for about four hours. This will ensure the maximum amount of wax is melted around the top of the candle so when it's re-lit, it has been 'trained' to melt evenly.

53. I live in a Thirties mansion block and recently wanted to replace all the light switches with dimmers. When I removed one of the switches, the recess behind it was too shallow to contain the modern dimmer. Are there shallower switches or will I have to get all the recesses made deeper? Most standard fittings are relatively thick unless you go for more complex electronic sensor switches, which we wouldn't recommend in your case. Any electrical work needs to be undertaken and certified by a qualified person (this is all to do with the Part P building regulations - find an electrician at niceic.org.uk). And also get the electrician to sort the recesses, too, to be on the safe side. 

54. I'm searching for a product I know is available, but whenever I ask at local builders' merchants, they look at me as if I'm talking a different language. The product is a cylindrical tube that has a mirrored internal surface and a clear tile cover to the top and the base. It's used to provide natural light in a dark internal space. The product you're looking for is called a sun pipe. It's basically a very highly polished/mirrored tube with a lens on top that collects light and funnels it down the tube. You can buy them online at sunpipeshop.co.uk, and typical supply and installation should cost under £1,000. 

55. I want to install chandeliers in our period living room, but my partner says we'd need additional support for their weight, which would mean taking up the floors in the rooms above. Can this be avoided with lightweight chandeliers? However heavy the fixture, pulling up the upstairs floorboards isn't always necessary. Joists, which can be accessed from the ceiling side, are the most secure fixing point – use brackets, hook and bolt fittings to create your hanging point. So, don't limit yourself to a lightweight chandelier – find the design you want and, when buying it, take advice about adequate fitting methods. An experienced electrician should be able to fit, and test, the hanging points securely for you.  

56. I've been looking for a decorative hanging light to add some extra colour and atmosphere to a conservatory in a Victorian house. Any ideas? Right now, my favourite lights are the handmade lanterns that originate in Morocco. The rough construction, perforations and coloured glass create an interesting ambience that works well in a period setting. Be careful not to go overboard with colours, though. For a decent selection of imported lamps, check out maroque.co.uk.  

57. I'd like to get some bespoke, fabric-covered lamp shades made up. Do you know where I could find a specialist to do this? I get a number of people who contact me when they find a fantastic old lamp shade and want to cover it with a bespoke fabric. Finding the skilled craftspeople is tricky, but not impossible. For more contemporary designs, I'd choose A Shade Above.  

58. Our outside space consists of a covered balcony area. It could do with a bit of colour and we fancied getting some traditional Chinese lanterns to hang up. The problem is, we've looked high and low, but have drawn a complete blank. Do you know of any shops or mail-order companies that stock them? Cox & Cox sells colourful Chinese paper lanterns in packs of 12. If you're after something a little more hard-wearing, Graham & Green has some fantastic fabric and wire ones, which will probably last much longer than the paper ones. They're available by post, too, so get ordering.  

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