david k warfel
Human Centric Lighting (HCL) is a nebulous term quickly replacing Circadian Lighting as the go-to language for describing lighting strategies intended to improve our lives. The more expansive idea behind HCL is that it includes circadian rhythm science but also accounts for moment-to-moment human wellness, comfort, and needs. Human Centric Lighting sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Recently... Continue Reading →
There are more lighting products than ever on the shelves, but that can make it tough for a homeowner to make smart choices. Why is lighting getting harder? How can we wade through the hype and get better lighting in our homes? The last fifteen years have seen the biggest disruption in lighting since Thomas... Continue Reading →
I like to believe that I am a forward thinker and not a person who looks behind longingly at The Good Old Days. Most of the time. When it comes to architecture, I love where the world is headed. We're seeing modern homes with large expanses of glass, schools with huge amounts of daylight, factories... Continue Reading →
My latest Houzz article shares four ways to brighten up these long, dark nights at home. I forgot to add that wearing an LED headlamp might also help, but anyone who lives with you will get very annoyed. On second thought, stick with the four options in the article. Click on the image below, and... Continue Reading →
Another one just came across my desk: a kitchen where the plans call for lighting placed precisely in the wrong place. Chopping with large knives and dealing with hot pans is no place for poor lighting and obscuring shadows, and this is just one reason kitchens have the most at stake when it comes to... Continue Reading →
Experts tell me I should consider lighting as "the jewelry of the home." This has always bothered me instinctually, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I understood why. Jewelry is useless. Wait, wait, I am not advocating that we give up jewelry on our bodies and in our homes. I happen to... 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 →
"Do we really need all those lights?" If you ask me to help lay out lighting for your living room (or kitchen, or bedroom, or bathroom...), the probability of me increasing the quantity of light fixtures is about a million to one. Increasing the quantity of lights does not mean there will be more light,... Continue Reading →
Please note that I am not a doctor, nor a lighting researcher. I am a designer trying to understand how the gift of light works on our mind and bodies. Light will help you heal faster! Light will improve your test scores! Light will reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Dementia! Light will help you relax... Continue Reading →
the language of light 