david k warfel
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... Continue Reading →
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!
We used to have a better language for light, but lately we stick to words like LED, lumens, and color temperature. Necessary, perhaps, but not particularly inspiring. In history, we used words like Helios, Prometheus, Zeus, and Ra that belied our dependence on light. We organized our temples, our festivals, our stonehenges around light. We wrote... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I get questions that seem simple but are complex to answer. A recent Houzz reader asked me "what spacing should I use for my recessed downlights?" Yep, this post is definitely on the practical side. Hmm. A lot of "designers" have rules of thumb for spacing downlights- perhaps you need one for every so... Continue Reading →
Most folks I know never ask me to advise them on lighting their living rooms, but I get called in often to take a look at kitchens. Modern lifestyles place a much higher emphasis on kitchens than when many of our homes were built, and it makes sense that lighting these spaces has become more... Continue Reading →
CFLS: Ceiling Fan Light Syndrome. Great for vacuuming the carpet, awful for everything else. Everyone uses their living rooms differently, which means everyone’s idea of great lighting will be different. In your living or family room you might watch television, read books, play games, relax on the couch, surf the internet on your iPad, knit, snack,... Continue Reading →
Do you know how many footcandles you need to read a magazine? Most likely not, and there is no reason you should. But you are an expert at what you do in your home, and you need light to see it. You need a certain kind of light to read your magazine, light that illuminates... Continue Reading →
Professional lighting designers have a secret language. We use our coded language to streamline our conversations with other insiders, and like a secret handshake that lets us identify other members of our inner circle. Outside of that circle, the language is utter nonsense. “I would love to find an LED with a 3000K-1600K variable CCT... Continue Reading →
the language of light 