So much of our modern lives is digital that we scarcely stumble across the archaic digital versus analog debate. No one uses an abacus in high school math class. Finding a land line to make a phone call is increasingly difficult. Clacking typewriters have given way to silent computers. Some of us wear watches that […]
This series of posts may lead you to believe that I am always looking at lighting and that would be a false impression. I also look at billboards for injury attorneys, the back of the airplane seat in front of me, the speedometer, the GPS. I usually do not set out intentionally to look at […]
It all started with a sketch. I wanted to add glow to a table that would be easy for clients to use every night, like candles but without the dripping and smoking and constant replacing. It is easy to sketch, but something altogether different to make happen in reality. Then we moved into our current […]
Human Centric Lighting (HCL) is a nebulous term quickly replacing Circadian Lighting as the go-to language for describing lighting strategies intended to improve our lives. The more expansive idea behind HCL is that it includes circadian rhythm science but also accounts for moment-to-moment human wellness, comfort, and needs. Human Centric Lighting sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Recently […]
Read More… from Human Centric Lighting…or Profit Centric Lighting?
“But we already have an interior designer who is helping us with lighting. Why should we hire a lighting designer?” Here’s the answer: Lighting Designers are lighting designers and Interior Designers are…interior designers. Make sense? Okay, let’s put it another way: Interior Designers craft and coordinate the entire look of a home. Lighting Designers make […]
Read More… from Endgame: Lighting Designers vs Interior Designers
We take light for granted: we assume it will be bright enough to see whenever we want it so, even in the middle of the night. We assume entrances will be lit, lobbies will be illuminated, restaurants will glow. Sometimes, despite being taken for granted, we notice something that catches our eye. I call this […]
Imagine the future: light helps you keep your balance as you age, cuts down on point sources that cause glare, minimizes sleep disturbances, and helps you see what you are doing better than ever. Wouldn’t it be nice? Pushing these boundaries requires experiments like our recent lighting makeover at my parents’ farmhouse in Illinois. The […]
January is a good time to fly south and check out Lightovation at the Dallas Market Center. The annual event for buyers is focused primarily on showrooms and distributors but integrators are beginning to show up- especially those that also do decorative lighting. I was at Lightovation to share my passion for linear lighting with […]
A few years ago I heard a simple phrase from a leading lighting researcher: “Light is a drug.” Like most drugs, light causes chemical reactions in our brain and body. Moods change, biorhythms change, migraines disappear. Wait, migraines? Dr. Mohab Ibrahim, director of the chronic pain clinic at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, has an […]
WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS SENSITIVE TO ACRONYMS. I like control. A lot. And it all started in theater many, many years ago when I moved to my first computer-controlled light board. It was love at first “GO.” I have not lit a traditional show in years, but […]
If you have read other posts on this blog you might be thinking “this guy hates all normal lighting.” You would be mostly correct. Take stairways for example. My previous home had a light at the bottom and a light at the top. That made the landings well lit and the stairs themselves, well, dark. […]