Are interior designers and lighting designers competitive or complimentary? I am on my way home from my first trip to High Point Market and the relationship between interior designer and lighting designer is at the forefront of my mind, a direct result of the interactions I had at Market. Interior designers were everywhere – in […]
The first article in my series on residential lighting for Designing Lighting is out, and I am honored to be a part of this magazine! Getting the series together was not easy, however, and I have a long way to go before all six articles are complete. What makes this hard? Writing for a peer […]
A few weeks ago I had fun detailing what happens in children’s bedrooms and why typical lighting falls short of serving human needs. This week I take another crack at the kids’ rooms, this time for my 1THING: Plug In solutions series. Honestly, it is a little tougher to light a child’s bedroom with plug […]
What makes a pretty good house? My first exposure to the Taunton Press was as an avid reader of Sarah Susanka’s The Not So Big House books. Taunton is also responsible for Fine Homebuilding (to which I subscribe and for whom I have written) and Fine Woodworking, among others. Now Taunton has published a new […]
My children are at the age where calling them kids becomes increasingly dubious. Sixteen and twenty-one years of age, they spend more time away from home every year. That doesn’t mean that stepping on LEGOs is a past hazard- the threat is still very real. (And yes, I know that the correct term is LEGO, […]
Today marks a continuation in my 1THING: Plug In series and a reminder that my quest to simplify lighting can result in oversimplification of the profession. Why? I focus in this post on one plug-in solution for landscape lighting, boiling down to the most essential, most beneficial, or most impactful solution that can be achieved […]
My 1THING: New Build series title is a bit awkward when it comes to the great outdoors. Seldom are trees and shrubs and lawns built…rather, they are grown. Oh well, I never promised literary quality, just lighting ideas. If it makes you feel better, call this my 1THING: When-you-hire-professionals-to-do-the-work series. Wow, that has a nice […]
“What is the lighting budget for our new home?” “We have 68 recessed cans at $150 each.” The Lord of the Rings books and films are staples in our household. The kids share LOTR memes, we have the extended-way-too-long movies, and there are copies of all the books strewn about the house. The beloved stories […]
I could make this my shortest blog post yet: the 1THING I recommend for home office lighting that does not require an electrician is to simply add a pair of table lamps to your work surface. The end. Explaining my reasoning might take a few more words and conceptually mirrors my recommendation for hard-wired new […]
I am continually amazed at the lack of color in our lighting, at home and at work. We wear colored clothing, drive colored cars, paint our homes and cabinets in color, and hang colored photos and art on our walls. We choose colored carpets and colored ceramic tile, we buy colored backpacks and purses, some […]
Ouch. This post, more than others, paints me as a rather entitled and spoiled person. I’ll work on that, but for now let’s just assume the best- that the lessons I learned can help others live better lives. That is what lighting design – and this blog – is all about. A few years ago […]