david k warfel
It all started with a sketch. I wanted to add glow to a table that would be easy for clients to use every night, like candles but without the dripping and smoking and constant replacing. It is easy to sketch, but something altogether different to make happen in reality. Then we moved into our current... Continue Reading →
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 →
"But we already have an interior designer who is helping us with lighting. Why should we hire a lighting designer?" Here's the answer: Lighting Designers are lighting designers and Interior Designers are...interior designers. Make sense? Okay, let's put it another way: Interior Designers craft and coordinate the entire look of a home. Lighting Designers make... Continue Reading →
Imagine the future: light helps you keep your balance as you age, cuts down on point sources that cause glare, minimizes sleep disturbances, and helps you see what you are doing better than ever. Wouldn't it be nice? Pushing these boundaries requires experiments like our recent lighting makeover at my parents' farmhouse in Illinois. The... Continue Reading →
We take light for granted: we assume it will be bright enough to see whenever we want it so, even in the middle of the night. We assume entrances will be lit, lobbies will be illuminated, restaurants will glow. Sometimes, despite being taken for granted, we notice something that catches our eye. I call this... Continue Reading →
January is a good time to fly south and check out Lightovation at the Dallas Market Center. The annual event for buyers is focused primarily on showrooms and distributors but integrators are beginning to show up- especially those that also do decorative lighting. I was at Lightovation to share my passion for linear lighting with... Continue Reading →
A few years ago I heard a simple phrase from a leading lighting researcher: "Light is a drug." Like most drugs, light causes chemical reactions in our brain and body. Moods change, biorhythms change, migraines disappear. Wait, migraines? Dr. Mohab Ibrahim, director of the chronic pain clinic at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, has an... Continue Reading →
WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS SENSITIVE TO ACRONYMS. I like control. A lot. And it all started in theater many, many years ago when I moved to my first computer-controlled light board. It was love at first "GO." I have not lit a traditional show in years, but... Continue Reading →
CRUUUUNCH! A few years ago I was driving the family minivan with camper in tow when my trusty Google app pointed out a shortcut that would get me to the Grand Teton's campground 18 seconds faster. "In one mile, turn right onto Mormon Way." Later I would discover the words "Four-wheel drive only" written on... Continue Reading →
We stumbled upon CSL a year or so ago and were immediately in love with the Gyroshift recessed multiples. They are the cleanest fixture of this type I have ever seen and come in a staggering array of options. I just finished a cruise ship project with a number of these and, well, I'm still... Continue Reading →
the language of light 