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: Living Rooms & Great Rooms
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 […]
Read More… from Dogs, Dust Bunnies, Downlights, & Disc Lights
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 […]
DON’T/DO THIS: Living Rooms
I confess that sketching for the Don’t/Do This series is as fun as it is challenging. While this series allows me much greater freedom than last year’s 1THING series, that freedom comes packaged with a desire to “say it all” in a single room, a single sketch, or a single post. And if I know anything about lighting design, […]
1THING: New Build Living Rooms
This post is the third in my 1THING: New Builds series designed to boil better lighting down to the bare essentials. And I promise I’ll get to the subject – living rooms – in just a moment. But first, I owe you an apology. One of the benefits of blogging – at least the way I blog […]
1THING: Plug In Living Rooms
If the idea of ripping into a finished ceiling, pulling new wires, installing fixtures, repairing drywall, and repainting is discouraging you from improving lighting in your home, I sympathize. When I was a tad younger (okay, twenty years younger), I thought nothing of crawling through my attic, hacking away at decades old plaster, and pulling […]
Living with Light
If you’re looking to review the layers of light and apply them to your living room, my article on Houzz.com (link below) would be a good place to start. In addition to my oh-so-nifty sketch, you’ll find photographic examples of each layer from multiple projects in multiple styles. Enjoy! How to Light Your Living Room […]