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Lighting: Useful, Harmful, or Both?

Coffee, when poured into a mug and consumed, delivers a strongly desired boost of energy through caffeine. The same coffee, when poured onto the laptop, can be ruinous. The question of usefulness or harmfulness, applied to coffee, is answered by the use. The same can be true for light, especially outside. But indulge me a […]

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Light for Doing

A photograph of a desk underneath a slanted ceiling with a skylight. A lamp in the corner provides additional light.

Do you know how many footcandles you need to read a magazine?  Most likely not, and there is no reason you should.  But you are an expert at what you do in your home, and you need light to see it.  You need a certain kind of light to read your magazine, light that illuminates […]

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Theory: Red Velvet Cake

An illustration of a slice of red velvet cake on a plate

I can talk about lighting theory and ideas for hours (just ask my former students), but all my lighting knowledge can be encapsulated in a single piece of delicious Red Velvet Cake.  If you read just one post on this blog, or remember just one idea, I hope this will be the one. Red Velvet […]

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The Language of Light

The top of a white mantle with a small cut crystal lamp and dark vase on top of it

Professional lighting designers have a secret language.  We use our coded language to streamline our conversations with other insiders, and like a secret handshake that lets us identify other members of our inner circle. Outside of that circle, the language is utter nonsense. “I would love to find an LED with a 3000K-1600K variable CCT […]

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Light Can Help You