Lighting designers and builders often complain about each other…instead of partnering for the benefit of all. Custom residential lighting design – the way it is normally done – can be the enemy of a builder’s desire to complete the project on time and on budget. Great lighting requires more planning (adding cost and time), better […]
When it comes to light, it is hard to tell exactly how much we throw away. The International Dark Sky Association estimates that 35% of lighting energy is wasted making the sky glow. This is energy that has no discernible positive effect on humans, but a huge negative effect on our lives, our wallets, the planet, and […]
What is the best color temperature for electric light? My answer is “all of them.” In this Gear Talk post I share photographs from a single business trip to Dallas, Texas. Call it a Lightseeing post…and I saw warm-dim everywhere. I think warm-dim should be a minimum standard, not an add-on. To explain, I’m going to […]
I am a dreamer. I dream solutions, I dream new ways to share the gift of light, I dream new ways to use light. I also dream about running the Boston Marathon. Some dreams are more realistic than others. On the flip side of the dreamer is the doer. I like getting checkmarks on my […]
A key component of human sight is the flexible iris that opens and closes the pupil, constantly adjusting the amount of light that enters the eye. I am an unabashed lighting geek. I love learning about the science, technology, art, and technique of lighting design, I dig into light and health, and I always, always […]
Center downlights on kitchen cabinet doors for better illumination inside the cabinets – and a better look. IF YOU CAN ONLY DO ONE THING TO IMPROVE THE LIGHTING IN YOUR NEW KITCHEN…put the recessed downlights in the right place. Getting great lighting in a home can be a little intimidating and overwhelming. Homeowners will often […]
Would you be concerned if you had to eat McDonald’s hamburgers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of your life? Did you know you are probably doing the equivalent with your light? Without food, we die. We need food, regularly and sufficiently, to survive. Many of us now have the privilege of moving […]
I want you to buy my car. It is white, has 18″ wheels and a hybrid motor, and I want you to pay me $50,000. Pretend that you do not know much about cars, so you ask the friendly clerk at a nearby tire shop. It turns out that they can also sell you a […]
I was recently asked to define the catchy term Human Centric Lighting, or HCL. We love lighting acronyms in the lighting world, so I came up with a few more than my previous post on this subject. Consider yourself warned. At its most essential, Human Centric Lighting is an attempt to undo our mistakes of […]
I am excited to share a milestone with you but also wondering if the three plus years I’ve been blogging has been a waste of time. I started writing as a selfish endeavor to help me be a better lighting communicator. Maybe I should have just built better lighting instead. In a perfect world, I could simply […]
Whoops. I just spent a lot of time re-designing the “light and health” section of our design presentations to include updated sections on the latest research, examination of snake-oil-sounding miracle products, and in-depth explanations of our six strategies for incorporating the science into our design work. I was very proud of the finished product. “Pride […]