I do not like messy things. You might not believe me based on the usual state of my desktop, but disorganization and messes slowly sap my strength. A freshly organized and cleaned desk invigorates. My team never sees my desk, as we are a distributed workforce (also known as work-from-home or remote workers), but they […]
I live by the rules. But am I wrong? One of those rules is to never mix warm white bulbs (yellowish) with cool white bulbs (bluish). I learned this rule back in the fluorescent day by looking at ceilings where some bulbs were pink and some were blue and the end result is that the […]
I frequently hear myself saying that lighting is not brain surgery, that getting it right just requires the attention of a dedicated experienced professional. I might be wrong. (Not literally. I could never do brain surgery because I would pass out as soon as the knife dug in. I’m getting faint just thinking about it. […]
I am as guilty as the next lighting designer. See my design above for proof. Once upon a time, light indoors depended on light through windows or flames from candles, lamps and fires. The windows were automatically scheduled to turn on slowly in the morning and turn off slowly in the evening. They changed intensity […]
Read the companion post on Houzz.com! Is Smart Lighting a Smart Choice for You? […]
No. Er, Yes. Wait a minute, is this a trick question? Retailers and websites are hawking new smart gadgets for our homes incessantly, essentially trying to do what Apple did for smart phones: make them cost a whole lot more. There are smart coffee makers, smart pet feeders, smart doorbells, smart thermostats, smart irrigation systems, […]
My mother has carefully and meticulously curated a style for the family farmhouse over the past 45 years of residency (we’ve had the farm since about 1882, but none of us remember that). In the 1970’s and 80’s when I was growing up it was, well, very 1970’s. Then, when we finally all went off […]
Light is a tricky substance. You cannot hear it, taste it, feel it, or smell it. You can only see light when it comes directly into your eyes or bounces off of something. It is predictable, so long as you can memorize the trillions of possibilities and recall the correct answer. I can’t. Lighting design […]
One of the reasons that light in our homes and workplaces is not good for us is that our primary considerations are 1) how cheaply can we get lighting and 2) how few watts can we use. I am often asked “will good lighting cost more than regular lighting?” Yep. Let’s say you hire a […]
The most common lighting malady I diagnose is CFLS, or Ceiling Fan Light Syndrome. Statistically speaking (and I am completely making this up), CFLS affects three of every four Americans at some point in their lives. If you or someone you know is suffering from CFLS, please contact your designer immediately. One common side effect […]
My latest story from Houzz.com shares the same information from my light bulb buying guide but in National Geographic Style (lots of pretty pictures). I think that helps the medicine go down a bit better! Read my version of the story. A Lighting Pro’s 5 Tips for Buying LED Bulbs […]