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Light in the Stone/Digital Age

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 […]

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Kitchen Counter Lighting

The Right Light for Kitchen Counters (Read the companion story on Houzz.com) After the paint is dry and the counters are set in place, the kitchen becomes the most difficult place in the house to change.  Getting lighting on the countertops has to be done right the first time, and here are a few tips […]

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Long Nights Need Better Lights

A bedroom with a ceiling fan, several large pieces of art on the wall, and a low wide chest of drawers with a lamp on it. There are two lamps on either side of the bed.

My latest Houzz article shares four ways to brighten up these long, dark nights at home.  I forgot to add that wearing an LED headlamp might also help, but anyone who lives with you will get very annoyed.  On second thought, stick with the four options in the article.  Click on the image below, and […]

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Lighting & Darkness

A mantle with three photos of icy pines above it. There is a long garland of fake pine and holiday lights along the top behind several glass lanterns and a wooden candle holder with a camel

It is winter, between Christmas and New Year’s, and a perfect time to write about lighting and darkness.   All around town, otherwise nondescript homes are festooned with thousands of tiny lights.  Twinkle lights on downtown trees add glow to the sidewalks and storefronts, and in many living rooms are even more trees and more […]

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5 Tips for 1 Chandelier

An illustration of a table with a candle style chandelier labelled "glare and bright" with a bowl of fruit labelled "dark" on the left. In the middle is an uplight chandelier labelled "bright" and a bowl of fruit labelled "dark". On the right is a downlight chandelier with the space above it labelled "dark" and the fruit on the table labelled "bright".

I am delighted that Houzz.com continues to publish my stories in their news feed and newsletters.  This week I pulled together information from several of my languageoflight.blog posts and a handful of images from the vast photo library on Houzz to simplify chandelier/dining room pendant purchasing.  I made use of common wisdom and a few […]

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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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Light Can Help You