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1THING: New Build Media Rooms

With just two months left in my 2022 blogging plan, I’m already growing nostalgic about my 1THING posts. The artificial constraints of narrowing all lighting down to just a single solution for new builds or plug-in retrofits for a handful of common spaces gave me focus and structure for the year, and the sketching exercises […]

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A diagram illustrating the different lighting zones in a living room, labelled "get in the zone"

Lighting…in Cars??

An illustration of a car going down a tree lined road at dusk, viewed from the back

T Brand, the paid content arm of the New York Times, recently launched a post on cutting-edge lighting in cars.  Paid for by Audi, the relatively short post has fabulous graphics and quotes from experts across the country on how light affects us. About half-way through the article there is a quote from an architectural […]

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Chandeliers and Umbrellas

A chandelier with a frame but no cover and candle-like lights in the middle

“Sacrifice for beauty,” someone once said. Not in my house. Lighting is not immune to questionable fashion trends, and we’re in the middle of one right now that makes many dining experiences less enjoyable. “Transitional” design has given birth to the open-structure chandelier, the philosophical equivalent of an umbrella without its fabric cover. You and […]

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Dark Sky, Bright Home

An exterior shot of a house with downward-facing outside lights.

I recently wrote an article for Houzz.com on how to make the outside of your home welcoming at night. It had been awhile since my article on downlights drew so many sharply divided comments, so I had grown complacent and used to the vanilla “great article” responses. Whoops. While many readers appreciated the article and the […]

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Buying Guides: Under Cabinet LEDs

A photograph of LED strip lights being compared to a quarter, which is presented for size and scale.

Straight from the depths of the mind of a lighting designer, here comes another fascinating, edge-of-your-seat, page-turning buying guide for the most exciting of all light fixtures: under-cabinet LED tape light.  Oh yeah! Buying LED tape light (those tiny flexible LED strips with adhesive backing) would be easier if it weren’t for the seemingly endless […]

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Welcome Home

DO: dimmed recessed downlights, pendant with frosted glass, large langern with amber glass, spotlights on features, concealed step lights, shielded path light DON'T: low profile downlights, glaring pendant, undersized lantern, spotlights add extra glare, glaring step lights, tiny ineffective path lights

While at a business lunch a few hours ago, I had to look up today’s sunset time so I could arrange to meet the client at the project site after dark to view the new lighting.  My weather app told me 8:15.  That’s good for tonight, as I won’t have to stay awake as long. […]

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Light Can Help You