david k warfel
Disclaimer: I am a lighting designer. I want you to hire me (or a lighting designer like me) because I need to eat. But I am not writing this article to get more work. I just want you to think about light and lighting differently. There are two schools of thought on why you might hire... Continue Reading →
I was thumbing through the latest issue of This Old House last night and stopped cold at a beautiful advertisement for a lighting company. "Good Lighting is Everything," it said. That may be a stretch, but I'll take it. And then I got just a bit angry (with apologies to my wife for the outburst)... Continue Reading →
You've got the wrong professional. A long time ago I spent several years as a full-time construction supervisor responsible for training volunteer crews and building new homes from the ground up with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi. I learned how to pour slab foundations, rough in plumbing, wire a breaker panel, install cabinets, put on... Continue Reading →
Here's the scenario: you finally decide to trade in your car for new one, and make the decision to go electric. You're thinking you'll get a Tesla: high tech, fast, beautiful and long range. But without knowing it, you bought a golf cart. It's electric, like a Tesla. What's the difference? "We're getting LEDs." When... Continue Reading →
The locally quarried stone and stained concrete shapes that make up Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Fallingwater are key ingredients of its success, but the maintenance is expensive. Natural stone needs care and mortar; concrete cracks and spalls. So last year the Foundation that oversees Fallingwater made the sensible choice to reduce maintenance costs. They covered the house in... Continue Reading →
COMMON MISTAKES THAT STEAL YOUR COMFORT AND JOY They are all around us, lurking in our homes and threatening to harm us every day and every night! Be very afraid! Stay tuned for updates! Oh no! I like to think of myself as the Evangelist of Light, spreading the good news that light- the first... Continue Reading →
I finally found it: a light bulb that performs just like the beloved 60-watt incandescent. And I am very, very unhappy. Angry. Because this pack of bulbs costs me $4 to buy but will lock me in to spending an extra $300 over the next decade. And that's not the only downside. Let me explain. I... Continue Reading →
My mother has carefully and meticulously curated a style for the family farmhouse over the past 45 years of residency (we've had the farm since about 1882, but none of us remember that). In the 1970's and 80's when I was growing up it was, well, very 1970's. Then, when we finally all went off... Continue Reading →
The most common lighting malady I diagnose is CFLS, or Ceiling Fan Light Syndrome. Statistically speaking (and I am completely making this up), CFLS affects three of every four Americans at some point in their lives. If you or someone you know is suffering from CFLS, please contact your designer immediately. One common side effect... Continue Reading →
