We recently lost a potential client to a manufacturer who offered “free” lighting design services (so long as you purchased fixtures from them, of course, which have the cost of service buried into the sale price). My first reaction was indignation but, as is often the case, a closer look revealed a much more nuanced […]
Category: Design Theory
Dogs, Dust Bunnies, Downlights, & Disc Lights
In most of our kitchens, we prioritize our dogs or the dust bunnies that inevitably collect on top of cabinets, range hoods, and refrigerators. At least when planning light. We might put more money into our countertops, cabinets, backsplashes, sinks, and appliances than our floor, but we are systematically using the best light in the […]
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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 […]
The Circle of Light
Not all that is new in lighting is much better. One of the newest trends in architectural and residential lighting is tubes of light about 1” in diameter. When I started my career a rather good number of years ago, we called these T8 Fluorescent Tubes, and they were universally loathed for their institutional feel. […]
We Need Commercialized Lighting Design.
Lately I have heard others describe my work and the work of my company as “not as good” as some others. They are right. That is my goal. I suspect that the average citizen, when asked to describe the work of an architect, might wander into descriptions of skyscrapers and art museums. Frank Gehry, Zaha […]
EXPOSURE: Daring to go Digital
It is time for our lighting systems to move out of the analog Stone Age and into the Digital Era. I’m working on a new CEU focused entirely on the topic and actively exploring the case for change, the systems, and the benefits. I got a jump start writing for Residential Systems in January’s issue […]
Fine Homebuilding Downlight Guide
Fine Homebuilding Magazine is a well-crafted publication focused on the craft of building better and I was honored to be included for my fourth article with them. This time, I focused on products more than applications, a bit of a departure for me and a fun exercise. The result is an 8-page guide to recessed […]
Breaking & Entering – with Light
Are you trespassing on your neighbors every night? I love my neighbors, mostly, except when they stand in their yard and go about watering their plants but send half of the water over the fence and on to my hamburger. Just to be clear, that never happens. Because I have good neighbors. And usually eat veggie burgers, […]
Vote NO to Layers of Light*
*Why TASK, AMBIENT, and ACCENT should retire and make room for the next generation. We all know people who stayed in positions of authority a little too long, folks who maybe served well in their prime but lately just seem to be preventing those with ideas and energy and enthusiasm from making much-needed positive changes. […]
We All Need Control
It is time to retire your light switches and dimmers…if you want to get the full benefits of good light back into your life. Get them back? Yes, you and I lost out on natural light’s benefits when our ancestors decided houses were better than tents and offices were better than fields. They moved indoors, […]