The Simple Gift of Light #10 There is a part of me that wants lighting design to be so complicated, technical, and artistic that no one else tries it, leaving all of the opportunities to me. In this fantasy world- the one where lighting is too complex for ordinary citizens to grasp- I get to […]
A few weeks ago I got to geek out a bit with some lighting colleagues during dinner, a rare treat for someone who works mostly remotely. My Zoom conversations are almost always task-oriented, designed to accomplish something and then move on to the next one, and that makes unscripted, unmeasured, non-billable communication somewhat unusual- and […]
I continue to explore the overlap of lighting business and lighting language in the April/May 2024 issue of designing lighting in an article on light, values, and stories. The article is based on writing from the blog, but each time I circle back to the same topic I make new discoveries and find new ways to think and […]
It is no big secret that I love light and enjoy finding new ways to deliver it to our lives. As a professional lighting designer, I spend a good deal of energy dreaming up solutions to everyday challenges and spend time regularly learning about new products and new techniques. There is plenty of discovery in […]
Yesterday I saw a LinkedIn post from another lighting designer featuring a photograph of a hallway under construction, with three parallel ceiling joists running down the hall. Each was filled with a round duct for heat and air conditioning. There was no explanation; there need not be. One look and I understand the pain: there […]
History and literature are full of great tales of adventurers seeking the unattainable. There is the quest for the Holy Grail (“We’ve already got one.”), the search for the fountain of life (find it or die trying), and the hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure (he spent it on rum, I think). Right up there with the […]
Lighting designers could help builders…if we can change our ways. Residential builders are often the most reluctant of the major stakeholders to support custom lighting design, and with very good reason. In a previous post, I meandered through the overlapping territories of lighting and building and thought about how lighting design is often a threat to […]
Lighting designers and builders often complain about each other…instead of partnering for the benefit of all. Custom residential lighting design – the way it is normally done – can be the enemy of a builder’s desire to complete the project on time and on budget. Great lighting requires more planning (adding cost and time), better […]
I am continually grateful for the opportunities to write for magazines, including my longest-yet run with designing lighting. Randy Reid and the team at dl does a great job putting together this industry publication, and the results always look beautiful! My latest article is now live and revisits the promises that light can help us focus clearly and […]
This blog is dedicated to changing the way I think and talk about light, perhaps helping a few others along the way. In the February/March 2024 issue of Fine Homebuilding, just released as I write this post, I was given the chance to push my language of light one step further. I have spent much […]
On a recent Sunday evening I checked my email to discover a number of inquiries from prospective clients. It is not unusual for me to see those inquiries come in, but the quantity was far higher than usual. I chalked it up to a fluke. The fluke continued the next day and I asked my […]