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The Safety Zone

The Simple Gift of Light Series #11 PPE, or Personal Protection Equipment, is a term learned quickly by everyone who works even occasionally in hazardous jobs. Going to a construction site? Grab your safety vest, protective eyewear, and hard hat. Hanging out fifty feet above a stage? You’ll need your safety harness. Headed to the […]

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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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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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