Outdoor Living Archives - Page 3 of 3

1THING: New Build Landscapes

An illustration of the yard of a house at dusk, with a box that says "trip hazards" with arrows pointing to the ground of the entire yard

My 1THING: New Build series title is a bit awkward when it comes to the great outdoors. Seldom are trees and shrubs and lawns built…rather, they are grown. Oh well, I never promised literary quality, just lighting ideas. If it makes you feel better, call this my 1THING: When-you-hire-professionals-to-do-the-work series. Wow, that has a nice […]

1THING: Plug In Front Porches

An illustration of a front porch with a hanging lantern style light labelled "lovely glare bomb"

I just so happen to be in need of plug-in solutions for my front porch, so I’m going to read this blog post when I am done writing it and then go out and buy a few things. My 1THING: Plug In series is an exercise in doing more with less, or delivering better lighting […]

1THING: New Build Front Porches

three doors demonstrating three styles of porchlights. The first is a standard light, described as "Glare, Slip, & Waste." The second is a lantern with light shooting out the top and bottom, described as "Safe & Waste." The third is a modified version of the first with most of the light directed downwards to the path. This is described as "Glow, Safe, & Wonder."

I go on a nightly neighborhood lighting patrol. Sort of. When our family divvied up the dog duties, I drew the just-before-bed nightly walk. Albus, our 9-year-old cockapoo, gamely trots around the block while I curse the neighborhood porchlights. Okay, I do not curse the porchlights. But I do wonder how my neighbors would react […]

THINK LIGHT: Light Pollution

A satelite image of the contiguous United States taken at night. The city lights of metropolitan areas are lit up and visible from a very high altitude.

When it comes to light, it is hard to tell exactly how much we throw away. The International Dark Sky Association estimates that 35% of lighting energy is wasted making the sky glow. This is energy that has no discernible positive effect on humans, but a huge negative effect on our lives, our wallets, the planet, and […]

Buying Guide: Exterior Wall Sconces

A two story shed or garage with it's lights on visible through windows and on the outside, in a yard at dusk

Here’s a fun challenge to do when you should be washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or cleaning your teeth: Go shopping online for wall sconces and see how many of the product photos have the light turned on. Or you can skip the search and trust me. There are not very many. Most manufacturers and […]

Dark Sky, Bright Home

An exterior shot of a house with downward-facing outside lights.

I recently wrote an article for Houzz.com on how to make the outside of your home welcoming at night. It had been awhile since my article on downlights drew so many sharply divided comments, so I had grown complacent and used to the vanilla “great article” responses. Whoops. While many readers appreciated the article and the […]

Welcome Home

While at a business lunch a few hours ago, I had to look up today’s sunset time so I could arrange to meet the client at the project site after dark to view the new lighting. My weather app told me 8:15. That’s good for tonight, as I won’t have to stay awake as long. […]

Summer Nights, Patio Lights

A drawing of a patio lit up with fairy lights, tree lanterns, sconces, table lights, uplights, and footlights.

My latest story published on Houzz.com (link below) features photos from Houzz’s deep archive of photos and a sketch that simplifies patio lighting into six ideas. Writing the articles is a fun challenge. How do I make lighting design digestible? Any suggestions you have are welcome. 🙂 6 Ideas for Lighting Your Patio […]

Light & Health: The Easy Way

A photograph of a camper at a campsite on a lake. Across the lake is a mountain. The scene looks very pleasant.

If you or someone you know suffers from Social Jet Lag, Ambient Light may help. Talk to your doctor before using Ambient Light. Possible side effects include… I can hear the television commercial extolling the virtues of the latest miracle drug, Ambient Light. It energizes you in the morning! It is clinically proven to reduce the […]

Stone & Brick Featured on Houzz

An illustrated diagram featuring three different types of lamps that illuminate stone and brick: up-down sconces, reveal lights, and glows.

I enjoy crafting articles on Houzz.com for a number of reasons, including having access to millions of photographs of beautiful projects. When writing the most recent article (link below), I found dozens of examples of lighting stone and brick to include. But my favorite aspects of the process are figuring out how to simplify my […]

Category: Outdoor Living