Plumbers Doing Lighting

Photograph of a bathroom with white and lavender walls, a white sink and white door. Two sconces rest on either side of the mirror, both turned on.

You’ve got the wrong professional. A long time ago I spent several years as a full-time construction supervisor responsible for training volunteer crews and building new homes from the ground up with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi.  I learned how to pour slab foundations, rough in plumbing, wire a breaker panel, install cabinets, put on […]

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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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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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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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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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4 Reasons Light Should Change

A photo of the same branch of a tree taken at different days. Far left, the sky is cloudy and the branch is cast in silhouette. Middle, the sky is clear and the buds on the branches are highlighted and green. Right, another clear sky with full foliage on the branch.

Adapting to changing lighting conditions is so critical to the human visual experience that we have a body part designed just for this task- the iris. Each eye has a constantly changing aperture- opening- that allows us to see easily at sunset and at mid-day. The iris allows us to appreciate a candle-lit dinner and […]

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Light for Knowing: A Dining Room

A dining room where the far wall is almost entirely windows.

Most dining areas, whether small traditional rooms or large contemporary spaces, have one thing in common: a table.  It is easy, therefore, to begin lighting the dining room with light above the table that provides light for doing,but stopping there would leave the room unfinished.   If we do not address light for knowing, the dining room will […]

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Light Can Help You