Randall Whitehead's Lighting Solutions

One-stop Shopping for Solid-state Lighting and Dimming

2012-01-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've been advocating for a while now is the idea of having one company that makes both SSL (solid-state lighting) fixtures as well as dimmers and dimming systems. That way we as lighting designers, architects, contractors and interior designers would be able to comfortably specify products that we know will be able to communicate clearly with each other. I was surprised and happy to find out that Lutron had started to manufacture recessed LED fixtures under the umbrella of their recently acquired Ivalo collection. The series is called Finire. I don't yet have one in hand, but I'm very excited about what is being offered. As a designer working in California my first question was to see if these fixtures met the efficacy requirements of Title 24. I was told that they do, which is good news. Here are some of the features that they list on their website:

Smooth, flicker-free dimming from 100% down to 1%
Extended LED driver and lamp life- the fixture is rated for 50,000 hours
Downlight, wall wash and adjustable trim options, suitable for a variety of applications
Immediate light output (without warm-up time)
Flexible with field interchangeable light module, driver and beam spread
15W or 18W LED options providing light output equivalent to 60-90W incandescent lighting
Energy-compliant meeting ENERGY STAR and California Title 24 standards
3-year warranty

Stay tuned, and I will give you my feedback on the fixture once I've had a chance to test it. Having compatible fixtures and dimmers in the same family would be a wonderful marriage!

Lights without Ladders

2011-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Bliss Light Spright in this installation is agumented
with a filtered green luminaire to illuminate the trunk

For those of you who dread the idea of hanging holiday lights in the trees. I have good news for you. There's a company out there called Bliss Lighting (http://www.blisslights.com/) that offers an exterior rated fixture that uses a laser to project thousands of pinpoints of green light way up into the tree branches. And I mean way up... Easily 50, 60, 70 feet up into the canopy of foliage. It offers instant gratification without the hassle of climbing up ladders and stringing lights through the trees. Ans as much as I dislike hanging lights, what I like even less is the idea of taking them down after the holidays are over. For residential size projects, they offer the "Spright". They also have other versions for commercial settings, as well as other interesting projection devices for interior spaces. Using this product, for me, helps relieve a little of the stress around the holiday season.

The 'Spright' by Bliss Lighting

High-Tech Green Lighting Solutions Transform a Traditional Home

2011-09-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Green Means Go for this California Re-Design!
In these hard economic times homeowners are not moving into the next bigger house but are instead staying put and investing their hard-earned (if somewhat deflated) equity into upgrading their present residences. If budgets are tight, sometimes green design isn't first on the list, as there's a perception that it's more expensive. But with a bit of savvy design expertise, energy efficient lighting can be both within the budget and warm and inviting. Designers are learning how to integrate efficient lighting into all styles of projects, not just high-end modern design, for new construction as well as retrofits and remodels. This is a positive trend, as building codes, led by California (where Title 24 requires the use of high efficacy lighting in kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor areas), are gradually changing to require more efficient lighting and other systems. In this post I talk about a traditional remodel project where highly collaborative teamwork produced a result that is beautiful, green and affordable.

Exterior- Traditional homes reap benefits from being energy conscious. Here, exterior lanterns use two 8 watt CCFL by Litetronics, providing 45 watts of light, lasting 25,000 hrs. Resembling standard household bulbs, they dim with a standard incandescent dimmer.

Design magazines looking to remain current offer up contemporary architectural layouts and stark, eye-catching interiors. While it’s true that futuristic modern design and green design often seem to go hand-in-hand, modern design is not for everyone. How does the owner of a more traditionally styled house make use of today’s earth friendly lighting and interior design techniques? Can progressive lighting design be applied to non-cutting edge spaces to enhance the sense of warmth and comfort that these cozy interiors inspire? Absolutely!

Breakfast Nook: The Pendant fixture and sconces use dimmable CFL’s in a flame tip shape by Litetronics. Five watt bulbs provide 30 watts of illumination with a lamp-life of 25,000 hours

My technique for those clients with a fear of fluorescents is to use what I call stealth energy efficient lighting design. I hide compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) and light emitting diodes (LED) within traditionally styled fixtures and behind architectural details. If they can’t see a bulb that looks like a softy ice cream then they won’t instantly hate it!

Many of today’s fluorescents can be dimmed, do not hum or flicker and have a wonderful warm color. The key here is that the best bulbs on the market do not come from the dollar rack at the big box stores. Lighting-wise, I like to think of the decorative fixtures as the architectural jewelry for a home. This allows the chandeliers and table lamps to give the illusion of providing a room’s illumination.

For this modest two-story home I was very fortunate to work with interior designer, Nancy Satterberg. She believes that the trick in a remodeling project is to keep the upgrades subtle so that wall colors, floor finishes and well integrated lighting enhance the existing architecture.

Living room - A pair of alabaster pendants by Lightspann provides decorative and ambient light. Each uses four dimmable CFL’s by Maxlite, with 400 watts/fixture, but consuming only 96 watts worth of power. Track lighting at the apex beam is fitted with LED MR16’s bulbs by Philips/Color Kinetics-- accent light without harmful UV.

There was nothing more satisfying to the owners than working with the highly collaborative team of interior designer, lighting designer and contractor (in this case, Forde Mazzola Inc), to update and transform the overall feel of their home without losing the charm of the existing architecture.

While some homeowners may want their homes restored to their previous splendor; these owners decided to go a different way– creating a feeling of smooth traditionalism with unexpected warmth using innovative, energy efficient lighting. They also relied on Satterberg’s skilled hand to mix contemporary furniture and Asian antiques. The use of much of the owner’s furniture, as well as their treasured artwork and objects, collected from around the world, brings an element of personalized grace to this beautiful home. This was also a big help for a modest design budget. The 9 month-long project updated the look to what Satterberg calls “new millennium traditional”, meaning that the hard-edged look of the home’s 1950’s architecture was now softened with warm wood molding, saturated colors and the contrasting finishes available today.

Dining room- An alabaster pendant by JH Lighting was converted to a hard-wire fluorescent using locking sockets for GU24 bulbs manufactured by Maxlite. The reduced heat output of CFL’s prevents the alabaster from discoloring.

The lighting was designed for versatility in all areas, without overpowering the traditional look and feel of the space. We went beyond the requirements of Title 24 and applied energy efficient lighting to all the rooms. The result is dramatic, inviting and warm, while saving on power consumption.

For example, the flat ceiling of the master bedroom was replaced with a deep coffered detail offering greater height to the room, along with the restful glow of illumination from both indirect LED lighting and decorative CFL pendants. This dramatic yet cost sensitive change blends beautifully with the existing architecture. The whole design stayed within the confines of the existing unused attic space.

Kitchen: Fluorescent puck lights by Tresco provide both task lighting for counter tops and ambient light above cabinets. Warm color blends seamlessly with the incandescents used in other parts of house.

The experience of “juxtaposition” is a prevalent theme throughout. Here, in this project, the use of richer colors and finishes is dramatically different than what is typically used in homes of this period. In the kitchen for example, the existing warm-toned granite countertops are complimented by freshly-painted existing cabinetry, with updated hardware. The kitchen is lit with a combination of 100% fluorescent and LED lighting.

Satterberg took care to choose natural cotton and wool blend upholstery fabrics for their durability, to stand up to constant use by children and pets. The varied textures are complimented by the lighting, both day and night, as well as season to season. The interior designer’s selection of Asian-inspired textiles enriches the owner’s collection of rugs. Satterberg’s decision to refinish, instead of replacing the existing floors, helps unify all the rooms and adds a rich textural quality, while saving a few trees as well!

Bedroom: Raising the flat ceiling added architectural interest to master bedroom. Pendants by Christina Spann of Lightspann have dimmable CFL’s. The perimeter cove LED lighting is the Color Kinetics/Philips EW Cove GLX Powercore.

She believes that, when art is introduced in a room, the scheme for the furniture and walls should be stylishly neutral, so not to detract from the more important focus on the art and accessories. My job as the lighting designer was to make sure that the owners and their guests felt welcomed and not overpowered by the other elements. Good lighting draws more attention to what it is being illuminating, rather than focusing attention to the lighting fixtures, themselves. What helps pull all the design elements together at night is a well integrated interior lighting plan and a Dark-Sky-compliant exterior lighting plan.

There are three elements within each space that need lighting: art, architecture and people. Think about lighting the people first – you must humanize the light. A layer of ambient light softens the shadows on people’s faces, as well as softening the otherwise hard edges of the architecture. The addition of accent light can add drama, but should remain subliminal, only attracting attention to objects, artifacts and artwork or other dramatic design details in the room.

Bath and Vanity: Wet location-rated recessed LED fixtures by Cree Lighting illuminate tub. These LED’s rated for 50,000 hours and are dimmable; CFL’s may burn out prematurely when enclosed, as in these sconces by Metro Lighting, but Maxlite makes a CFL specifically for enclosed fixtures.

The well-integrated layering of decorative, task and accent lighting within each space created a unified and inviting design. For this project, an additional, inviting layer of ambient light created just the right balance. In the living room, indirect dimmable LED lighting is mounted on top of the beams to help bring the gabled ceiling details to life.

There was also an extensive use of adjustable low-voltage LED lighting on this project, to accentuate the artwork throughout. CFL sconces and hidden, linear indirect LED and fluorescent sources were implemented for general illumination. The window coverings were minimized to allow a generous amount of natural light into all areas, while also allowing the subtle, shielded exterior landscape lighting to draw guests outside at night.

Effective lighting is an integral design element and needs to be planned along with all the other design components at the beginning. Well-done lighting design has to accommodate all the practical and aesthetic needs of the homeowners. Exciting new technological advances in luminaires (light fixtures), lamp sources (bulbs), and controls can make lighting versatile enough to meet any need. In other words, effective lighting is critical to creating the desired in any home, especially at night.

Ultimately though, I see the role of the interior designer as primary. Without an experienced and inventive interior designer there may be little worth lighting. The result of a collaboration between interior designer, lighting designer and contractor is a home, which, when combined with the latest in lighting technology, creates a unique and dramatic kind of understated glamour.

Credits:

Photographer- Dennis Anderson www.bluewaterpictures.com

Interior Designer- Nancy Satterberg, Satterberg Desonier Dumo www.satterbergdesign.com

Contractor-Forde Mazzola Inc. www.fmabuilders.com

LightingDesigner- Randall Whitehead, Randall Whitehead Lighting Inc. www.randallwhitehead.com

Randall Whitehead is a nationally known lighting designerand author. He has written seven books on lighting, the latest beingResidential Lighting- A Practical Guide to Beautiful and Sustainable Design(John Wiley and Sons). For more tips on lighting visit him online athttp://www.randallwhitehead.com

He has also has published his first book of photographycalled, Lost Dolls- The Hidden Lives of Toys. See images from the book andwatch a two-minute video at http://www.rwfoundimages.com.

To learn more about Title 24 lighting requirements, go to:www.energy.ca.gov/title24

To learn more about Dark Sky Compliance, go to: www.darksky.org

Lighting Resources noted in captions:

Exterior and Breakfast Nook: www.litetronics.com

Living Room: www.lightspann.com, www.maxlite.com;www.colorkinetics.com

Dining Room: www.jhlighting.com,

Kitchen: www.trescointernational.com

Bath: www.creelighting.com: www.metrolighting.com

MasterBedroom: www.lightspann.com; www.colorkinetics.com

LEDs as task lights

2011-08-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Lost in the Shadows

For me, using LEDs as task lighting is still a developing technology. I am very happy with the lumen output that we are starting to see now, along with the color quality. I personally lean towards a warmer color tone that is close to that of incandescent (2700° Kelvin), but many others do prefer the slightly cooler color temperature like that of halogen (3000° Kelvin). Still others who are doing fine detail work, such as jewelry making, like to have a color temperature close to that of daylight (5000° Kelvin).

A single LED may not produce enough illumination

Where I am seeing room for improvement is how to deal with the creation of multiple shadowing when more than one LED source is used in a task light. Those fixtures on the market with a single source LED act like a single source incandescent or fluorescent. One source equals one shadow, which is what we have all grown up with and is what we are used to seeing. But a single source LED may not provide enough illumination for many people. When multiple light sources are used, as we are seeing in the LED task lights that are coming onto the market, you get a shadow image for each light source. The more individual LED diodes you have in a fixture the more shadowing you get as well. When reading a book or a magazine this really isn’t an issue, but if your hand, pen or pencil comes in between the light source and the work surface it can have a lot of disconcerting shadowing with which to contend.

The individual LEDs create multiple shadows

Although I am not lighting fixture designer, per se, I think of myself as an informed consumer who is constantly testing what is available out there on the market. My suggestion to the task light designers is that when multiple LED sources are used then some sort of diffusion material, in the form of a lens, will help ameliorate the problem. As individual LED sources become stronger and only one source is used, then shadowing will no longer be an issue.

Many manufacturers of recessed LED fixtures have seen that this multiple shadowing was an issue and have produced fixtures with an integral diffusion lens. It would be a good idea if the manufacturers of LED task lights would take a look at what the recessed LED fixture manufacturers are doing and see how they can incorporate the addition of a diffusion material into their products.

Manufacturers like Cree use a lens to hide the LEDs and eliminate multiple shadowing

I still am a very strong advocate of using LED sources for task lighting. I would just like to see the next step in refinement; so that when people make the investment they are getting something that they can live happily with for the next 16 or 17 years. Since LEDs last for so darn long I want to make sure that my love will last as well.

The Future of Light Sources…What's on the Horizon?

2011-08-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Advances in light sources had been in stasis for a long time. It wasn’t until the introduction of the improved compact fluorescents and warmer colored LEDs that we really started seeing a shakeup of the status quo. Incandescent sources have been around for more than 100 years and the first fluorescents made their way into regular usage in late 1930s. Even LEDs have been around since the 1960s, although at that time they were only available in red, yellow, blue and green.

Warm colored LED and CFL sources are being seen more and more in California bathrooms and kitchens due to California's Title 24 requirements.

The GU24 lamp is small and dimmable.

Keep your options open
As I see it, the future of lighting will not be determined by one light source alone: there will always be a need for various sources to provide the types of light that we want and need. For one thing, I don't think that incandescent lamps ("lamp" is the industry term for "light bulb") will totally be eliminated as some people are predicting. I believe that manufacturers will work hard to create higher efficacy versions of the incandescents we all know and love. Maybe people who suffer from migraines, as a result of exposure to fluorescent lighting, will be issued medical incandescent cards, like medical marijuana cards.

Not your father's fluorescent
I see that fluorescents are evolving as well. First off, there was the introduction of the GU24 lamps. Their socket and lamp assembly fits very well into the space normally taken up by standard incandescent lamp. So now many manufacturers are offering many of their decorative fixtures that use a GU24 alternative. These lamps can be dimmed down to 70% with a standard incandescent dimmer.

CCFL's like these from Litetronics.com can hide inside a standard A-lamp, G-lamp and B-10, with clear or frosted glass envelopes

Then there are the CCFLs (cold cathode compact fluorescents) which have a much fuller range of dimming than standard CFLs; and are available in warmer color temperatures than what seems to be the standard issue 2700° Kelvin. The truth is that most people do not operate their lamps at full blast which would be in the 2700° Kelvin to 2800° Kelvin range. They instead dim them down to 2200° Kelvin to 2250° Kelvin. Having lamps available that are the color of dimmed incandescent will make the transition from incandescent to fluorescent (and LED) much more palatable to the general public.

The other big change in fluorescents is the availability of a fluorescent lamp that is mercury-free. This will make a lot of people happy. I have mentioned the mercury-free dimmable lamp by the VU1 Corporation before, but it doesn't hurt put their name out there again because I think the general public and the lamp making industry as a whole should take notice.

Making room for LEDs

LED reading lights are one of the many inventive items coming onto the market. I am very excited about all the possibilities that LEDs offer. While they may not be quite in their infancy, they are still in the toddler stage. Every six months LED products are improving. They are providing better lumen output, better color rendering, better color consistency (a.k.a. binning) and are becoming available in a wide variety of fixture types. I think the biggest challenge for the LED market as a whole is dimmability. People do like to control their light levels. Companies that make LED components and light fixtures are only just now talking to the companies that make dimmers and dimming systems. It would be a wonderful world if all LEDs dimmed the same way and could be controlled with a variety of products from regular wall box dimmers through to home integration systems. We are not there yet, but I am hopeful.

This LED A-lamp (eco-story.com) becomes yellower in color when dimmed.

Until very recently, I could state that LEDs like CFLs do not get warmer in color when dimmed. Now at least one company, I've been made aware of, can do just that. The Eco-Story company has introduced the Eco-Hybrid A- lamp that does actually get warmer in color temperature as you dim it. It's not perfect. The transition between colors is not perfectly smooth, but like I said before… I'm ever hopeful.

a CFL as ART

2011-07-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm always interested to see what is coming out of the European market…especially in the realm of lighting. Take for example the Plumen, a wonderful reinterpretation of the standard CFL lamp. They have taken what has been the standard swirly ice cream cone shaped lamp that is now been the American industry standard for years and turn it into something rather beautiful. The glass tubing is been elongated and flows away from the socket like the plumage of a bird. No longer does the CFL have to hide behind some sort of shade material, now it can be loud and proud saying, “here I am take a look”.

The first Plumen lamp was added to the permanent collection at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, and the second was featured at the Victoria and Albert museum in London. How often does a light bulb make it into a museum?

For a while there was only a 220 V version of lamp available for those people fortunate to be living in Europe. Now a 120 V version has been introduced for the US market. You can adopt some of your own at Hand-Eye Supply (info@handeyesupply.com), located in Portland, Oregon.

I'm excited to see what lighting designers and manufacturers made do to incorporate this lamp into their designs. While the Plumen lamp by itself is pretty beautiful, the idea of suspending it within a glass cylinder or perhaps used in multiples gives me a lot of hope for the lowly CFL.

It's pretty exciting for me to see something reinvented. My hat is off to Samuel Wilkinson, who designed the Plumen lamp and the people at HULGER, a forward thinking London based company,
who developed it and brought it to market.

Whoever thought a CFL could be downright charming?

Lighting for the Bath

2011-07-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, bathrooms are getting their due in the design world. Kitchens have enjoyed luxury upgrades for many years, but the bath has always seemed somehow less important. It has been seen as a purely functional space where you shower, shave, apply make-up and use the toilet. Why spend money here when there are lots of other rooms that felt more deserving? Now homeowners, in much greater numbers, are realizing that the bath can be a soothing retreat, a little oasis away from the chaos of day-to-day living. It has become the one room in the house in which you can lock the door and keep the rest of the world out without feeling guilty...at least for a little while.

The Task at Hand
Well designed bathroom lighting is of the utmost importance. Take task lighting: more often than not people use inadequate lighting techniques for much-needed illumination at the sink. How many times have we seen a dramatic photograph of a vanity with a recessed downlight directly over the basin? It makes for a great shot, but imagine yourself standing at the mirror with that harsh light hitting the top of your head. Remember when, as a child, you would hold a flashlight under your chin to create a scary face? Well, with strong overhead single source illumination, the same thing happens, only in reverse - long, dark shadows appear under your eyes, nose and chin. This type of lighting is extremely bad for applying make-up or for shaving and can make for a depressing start to your day.

Another typical arrangement is the use of one luminaire (what the lighting industry calls light fixtures, in order to confuse consumers) surface-mounted above the mirror. This is only slightly better than a recessed light. At best, it illuminates the top half of the face and makes the bottom half fall into shadow. This is an especially hard light by which to shave, as there are only so many ways to tilt your head to catch the proper light.

For the best task lighting, use two luminaries, flanking the mirror area above the sink, to provide the necessary cross-illumination (see photo). These can flank a hanging mirror or be mounted on a full-wall mirror. Many new, well-designed North American and European luminaires are perfect for this type of application. In addition to incandescent versions, both compact fluorescent and LED options are becoming more readily available. To protect the homeowner from electric shock, specifiers should ensure fixtures located this close to water are installed with an instantaneous circuit shutoff, called a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter).

Mount the vanity lights at 5' 6" above the finished
floor.

The ceiling fixture provides both ambient and decorative light.
Lighting Design: Randall Whitehead

Interior Design: Nancy Satterberg

Photo: Dennis Anderson

Lighting Over the Tub and Shower
While it's most critical to correctly illuminate the task area at the vanity, lighting other areas of the bath also require your careful attention to design: for instance, tubs and showers also need good task lights. For this purpose, recessed luminaires with white opal diffusers are commonly used and relatively effective. One drawback is that many of the units on the market project approximately 2 inches below the ceiling line and may not be visually comfortable.Those who are sensitive to bright light might prefer a luminaire with a lens that is flush or regressed into the ceiling. However, with such a fully recessed unit, the upper third of the shower or tub area will end up being a little dimmer, but these luminaires do reduce glare Some companies, such as Lucifer, Juno and Halo,have developed a watertight, recessed, adjustable luminaire that uses an MR16 lamp or an LED source. This allows the light to be focused. Make sure that all luminaires in the bath are listed for damp locations by CSA, UL, ETL or other approved testing laboratories. You don’t want the fixtures to show signs of rusting.

The Bottom Line
While task lighting is the most crucial for the bath, don't forget about adding some decorative and ambient light, in order to create the best lighting scenario. The ambient light will fill the room with a warm glow, while the decorative lighting adds visual sparkle. There are ceiling mounted fixtures and wall sconces that can provide both decorative and ambient light.

With the right lighting in the bathroom, you can always put your best face forward!

Light Layering, The Secret Sauce to Great Design

2011-06-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

The pendant fixtures adds both ambient and decorative light for this family room. The recessed fixtures provide accent light, while the floor lamp provides task light for reading.

Lighting Design: Randall Whitehead www.randallwhitehead.com
Interior Design: Jessica Hall www.jessicahallassociates.com
Photo: Dennis Anderson www.bluewaterpictures.com

There is no one light fixture that can give you everything you need to illuminate a room properly. The trick is using a variety of light sources to create a flexible, inviting space. This is called light layering.

A detail shot of the copper floor lamp shows how

it offers glare-free task light for reading.

Lighting Design: Randall Whitehead
Interior Design: Jessica Hall
Photo: Dennis Anderson

Light performs four functions. Here is a list of what they are and what it is that they do:

Task- Lighting by which you do work, such as the under cabinetlighting in the kitchen or a reading lamp.

Accent - Lighting used to high light objectsin a space. This adds depth and dimension to an environment. Recessedadjustable fixtures, track lights, portable uplights and directional landscapelights all fall into this category.

Decorative- These are what I like to call architectural bling. Their main purpose is to look pretty. They add sparkle to a space. Chandeliers and candlestick-type wall sconcesfall into this category. They should not be used as the work horses forlighting a room. When they are too bright they can visually overpower the otherelements of the design.

Ambient-This is the gentle fill light for a room. It softens shadows on people’s facesand fills the volume of the space with a warm glow, as if the room was beingfilled with the light of a roaring fire. Ambient light comes from illuminationthat is bounced off the ceiling. Such sources as opaque wall sconces,torchieres, pendant hung indirect fixtures, and cove lighting can be used tocreate the ambient light.

Note- Some fixtures can serve more than one function, such as analabaster pendant. While most of the light is reflected up to provide ambientlight, some of the illumination backlights the stone to create a decorativeeffect.

The Bottom Line- By layering these four functions oflight together you can create an environment that welcomes visitors into thespace, while providing usable light for day-to-day activities.Getting a feel for these terminologies will get you on the right path to understanding how light can work for you.

Well done light layering keeps your eye moving around the room

Lighting Design: Randall Whitehead www.randallwhitehead.com

Interior Design: Turner Martin Design www.turnermartindesign.com

Photo: Dennis Anderson www.bluewaterpictures.com

CFL goes ESL... The first mercury free fluorescent

2011-06-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

After many years of waiting patiently, I am now holding in my hands a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) that is mercury free. I've been following the development of these lamps by the VU1 Corporation for around three years now. I've been pretty excited about the possibility, but the actual production date kept getting pushed back. Now it is finally available to consumers. I think that this is a huge step in the right direction.

Note: I keep using the word "lamp", which in the lighting industry means "light bulb", just to be clear.

Officially they are calling it an ESL (electron stimulated luminescence) lamp. I figure that's to separate their products from fluorescents in general. That's A-OK by me. The first type of lamp they have released onto the market is an R30, which is a very popular lamp for recessed fixtures and track fixtures. Even though it's a lamp that I don't use very often in my design, I can see where it makes sense for it to be the first one to be introduced.

This lamp offers 65 watts worth of illumination for 19.5 watts worth of energy usage. The color of the light is very incandescent ( 2800° Kelvin) which I think is a good thing. The front of the lamp is made of a thick glass, which when screwed into a recessed fixture or track light looks very much like the reflector lamps that were all used to seeing. From the side it has a plastic collar on it which I feel gives it a little more durability. It says right on the collar mercury free and disposable. It can go right in the trash. Yeah!

The lamp is dimmable as well. I tried it out on a number of dimmers, including the cheapest one I could find and it really seemed to be doing a fine job at dimming. The lamp has a rated light of 11,000 hours which is a 1000 hours more than a standard CFL. I won't really be able to personally verify this for another 10,000 hours or so.

It also shows on the box that is UL listed. Also a good sign. The one thing I noticed that surprised me is how hot the lamp gets it warms up like incandescent lamp, much more than I'm used to with the standard CFL's.

If you want to learn more about this lamp go to www.VU1.com. They have a video you can watch. I do believe that this lamp is a valuable addition to the emerging category of earth friendly, energy-efficient light sources.

Scale is Everything

2011-06-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Consider using a textured glass to hide the bulb

People often have a hard time choosing the right size decorative lantern for the exterior of their home. It can be a little overwhelming at the lighting store. There are lots and lots of choices, often all crammed together. What I typically see is that homeowners tend to choose fixtures that are too small: when installed they look dinky on the house. Here is my recommendation of what to do when trying to select the right size fixture:

Before purchasing the fixture, see if you can borrow a sample or two from the lighting showroom to take home and try out. I would recommend selecting fixture that is one size larger than you think is the right size. The fixture doesn't have to be the exact finish that you're looking for, prior to ordering, it just needs to be put up against the façade and tested size-wise.

This 'Auberge' fixture by Hans Duus Blacksmith
hides a GU 24 CFL inside a resin candle
www.hansduusblacksmith.com

Some of these fixtures tend to be a little bit on the heavy side so ask a strong family member or friend told that the fixture in the approximate position it it will be installed while you run out to the street and take a look at how the fixture looks in proportion to the house. Try make a quick decision since, like I said, these fixtures tend to be heavy.

If the show room won't let you borrow a sample then take the measurements and create a template made out of cardboard. It's really worthwhile taking this additional step when making a long-term investment like this.

Sometimes a modern fixture is the right choice, like the Aliante by Ivalo

www.ivalolighting.com

Alluring Energy Efficient Lighting for More Traditional Homes & Gardens

2011-06-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

The addition of landscape lighting of this adobe inspired home in Arizona

subtly blends interior and exterior spaces, helping to eliminate the black

mirror effect where you eee your own reflection instead of the view

beyond. LED accent lights and decorative fixtures lamps with LED sources

provide dramatic illumination while saving money and maintenance.

Lighting Design- Randall Whitehead www.randallwhitehad.com

Interior Design- John Martin, www.turnermartindesign.com

Photography-Jeff Zaruba www.jeffzaruba.com

Lighting Design Evolved

Thetechniques of lighting have greatly evolved beyond simple table lamps andchandeliers, yet many homeowners have not updated their thinking much beyondthis approach. It’s true that progressive design is a hot topic, but it’s notfor everyone. How does the owner of amore traditionally styled house make use of today’s lighting techniques inconjunction with newer light sources? Can new lighting techniques be applied to non-cutting edge spaces toenhance the sense of warmth and comfort that these cozy interiors inspire? The answer is a resounding... yes!

Thetrick is to keep the lighting upgrades subtle so that the decorative lightsources can remain the architecturaljewelry for a home. Chandeliers and table lamps are an important element tomost all styles of residences. They are needed to provide the ambience for aroom without necessarily providing all the necessary illumination on their own.This applies outside of a home as well. Adding a layer of accent lights, hiddenamong the plantings, allows the lanterns at the front door and by the garage toprovide the illusion of providing the main light without visually over poweringthe landscaping. Using high quality LED lamps, they can offer the dimmablity and warm color of themore traditional incandescent lamps.

Sometimesresidential lighting design takes a backseat to commercial projects as far asuse of emerging alternative lamps. Lighting for homes needs to be more subtle than what goes into publicspaces. A restaurant or theater project can dive headfirst into the realm offantasy design. Patrons want to betransported to a place that is a different world than what they experience athome. Yet, when homeowners are in their personal spaces they want to be able tohave various levels of functional illumination for the mundane, but ever soimportant tasks, that are a part of day-to-day living.

Lightingcan be a tremendous force. It’s the one factor that makes all the otherelements in design work together. Yet it has for so long been the last thingconsidered and the first item cut from the budget. Often less expensive, poorlymade LED and CFL light sources arespecified for a project. The result has left many homes drab, uncomfortable anddark. Too often the blame goes elsewhere, when improper lighting design andcomponent selection is the true culprit. Becoming better acquainted with the guidelinesfor good lighting, layered with a betterunderstanding of the companies who offer high quality energy efficientsources, will allow homeowners to workwith their designers and contractors to get the best of both worlds.

Lighthas four specific duties. They are to provide decorative, accent, task, and ambientillumination. No one light source, whether it is incandescent, fluorescent or LEDcan perform all the functions of lighting required for a specific space.Understanding what these terms mean will help homeowners make better decisionsthat will integrate illumination into the overall design and give them whatthey want.

First impressions are everything when lighting the entry of your home

2011-06-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

The entry is what sets the tone for the rest of the house. This is not normally a gathering space but more of a pass-through area, so you just have a few moments to give your guests a feel for how you live. Don't be afraid to be a little bit more creative in this space.

If you're foyer is small then use accent lighting adding depth and dimension to move people's eyes around the room. If you have the luxury of a very large space with a high ceiling then use a large decorative hanging fixture to help create a secondary ceiling line, giving a more human scale to the space.

Whether your entry is tiny or spacious, you want to create a sense of welcome. GOod lighting helps to draw people into the room, making them feel both intrigued and comfortable. Having interesting objects in the entry can certainly get the conversation going. Don't be afraid to use bolder colors here, you want that first impressionto be memorable. Often paintings and sculpture have a little more presence in a room when the wall color behind them is more saturated.

The lighting, while dramatic should always be subtle. Let the decorative fixtures create the illusion that they are providing the room's illumination. Use small aperture recessed adjustable fixtures to highlight the objects in the space. Create a setting that let you be the star of your own home.

This entryway in the image below is only 12' x 12 ' with an 8 foot ceiling. The twig and paper hanging fixture creates wonderful statement when guests arrive. Even though it feels like all the light in the room is coming from the central fixture it actually contains only three 8 watt compact fluorescent bulbs that provide 40 watts of illumination apiece. They are dimmable and last 25,000 hours. The real accent lighting comes from recessed adjustable low-voltage fixtures that highlight the red lacquer chest, the large ceramic jars and the mid century modern chair.

Even a little space can pack a punch

Taking a closer look at alternative light sources

2011-06-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye to the incandescent bulb is very emotional for many people

As the US government is beginning to phase out less efficient incandescent bulbs, people are looking at alternative sources and finding themselves less than satisfied.

I, like everyone else, have had a long love affair with incandescent bulbs. They are inexpensive, come in lots of shapes and wattages... and best of all, they get yellower in color as you dim them. For me, incandescent light is like fire light or candle light. Unfortunately, what people are finding in the bulb isle of home improvement centers, big-box stores and hardware stores doesn't even come close to what people want.

People want their bulbs to be warm and inviting like firelight

I think that one of the reasons for this is that the marketing behind fluorescent bulbs (also known as CFLs) has been to offer an alternative light source that costs about the same as a regular household bulb. The reality is that you can't make quality fluorescent bulbs for for such a small amount of money.

To get a fluorescent bulb that feels more like incandescent bulbs, people need to shell out about $12. It does seem like a lot of upfront money, but because these lamps are so energy-efficient you end up saving money over the life of the bulb in energy costs. If you're willing to spend this kind of money you can get fluorescent lamp that doesn't hum or buzz , is dimmable and has a color quality close to that of an incandescent bulb.

For me, the aesthetic challenge here is that I tend to gravitate towards the color of dimmed incandescent. Most people, when they screw in 75 watt household bulb they usually dim it down to about 60 watts worth of light. As the bulbs dims it gets warmer in color, which for me is very pleasing. CFLs don't get warmer in color when dimmed.

The color of all light bulbs is measured in degrees of Kelvin. A regular household bulb is 2800° Kelvin. The standard CFL alternative is 2800° Kelvin, which is actually a little bit warmer. The downside is that it stays that color even when you buy a dimmable version of the CFL.

The color of dimmed incandescent is between 2200° Kelvin and 2250° Kelvin. There is a subcategory of fluorescent lamps that most people don't know about. They are called cold cathode compact fluorescents (also known as CCFLs). I like them because you can get them in the color of dimmed incandescent. Also, the technology is different than standard CFL allowing them to have much smaller coils of glass tubing which can fit inside glass envelopes that look very much like standard household bulbs and flame tip bulbs. These are dimmable, down to 90% whereas standard dimmable CFLs are dimmable down to 70%. They also last longer than the more standard CFLs which have a life of around 10,000 hours, as compared to 25,000 hours for the CCFLs. Standard household bulbs have a life of around 750 hours. They cost around $12.

The glass envelope of the globe bulb on teh left is clear so you can see the inside, but this shape, as well as household bulbs

and flame tip bulbs, comes in a white glass version so they look very much like the light bulbs we are used to buying.

Now let's get down to one of the main drawbacks of fluorescents, and that is that they do contain mercury. This is no longer a universal truth. There is one company that is been working hard for many years to create a fluorescent lamp that is mercury free bulb.

It is called an ESL (which stands for Electron Stimulated Luminescence). My feeling is that they wanted to create a new category so that they do not get lumped in with standard fluorescents and the negative associations that go with them. Since it has no mercury it can be disposed of like regular incandescent bulbs. The first bulb they'vefirst introduced onto the market is a reflector bulb (known as an R30). It is dimmable and offers 65 watts worth of light for 19.5 watts worth of power consumption. The cost is around $29. They will be coming out with other bulb types in the near future. The company is called VU1, and you can learn more about them at VU1.com.

Improving your home through landscape lighting

2011-06-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

In today's economy people are reluctant to move to the next bigger homeor remodel their existing house. One way to get a lot of bang for your buck is to look and see what you have existing outside your windows. There is valuable real estate outside, waiting for an upgrade without a huge outlay of cash.

We are used to seeing our front yards and backyards during the day, but what happens at night is that they virtually disappear. This is called the 'black mirror' effect, where instead of seeing the view beyond you end up seeing your own reflection. By balancing the light inside and out you can take advantage of those exterior spaces at night. Not only will your interior rooms feel larger, but you will also have a greater sense of safety when you can see out into the yard space at night.

I recommend using two levels of illumination-

The first level would be a stronger layer of light coming from light fixtures mounted under the eaves of the roof. This lighting would be especially effective during those times of the year when the weather is too inclement to go outside.

By lighting outside your view is drawn outwards

The second level of illumination would involve the placement of light fixtures throughout the garden to provide up lighting for trees, highlighting sculpture and water features, adding task light for the barbecue and offering pathway lighting to get people safely from one area to the next. this is called 'light layering'.

A lighting designer or landscape designer who specializes in landscape lighting can help with the layout, showing where the lighting fixtures should be placed. Its best to put them in locations that prevents the light sources from causing glare for you and your neighbors.
With the correct lighting you can create outdoor rooms, which will expand your entertaining space without breaking the bank.

Use lighting to draw people through the garden

Highlight objects in the garden for guests to discover

Uplighting trees will add visual height to your yard