david k warfel
My desire to revisit the do’s and don’ts of lighting is going to kill me, but I am having too much fun to stop. These posts take the longest to create of any I have previously written, but sketching is so relaxing that I look forward to the next one. So here it is, the... Continue Reading →
Drumroll, please! Okay, that was unnecessary, but I do feel like celebrating this first post in my 2023 DON'T/DO THIS series. I did a run of these a few years back that were featured on Houzz.com, but I’m older, wiser, and…well, at least older. So here I go again, revisiting, revising, expanding, and enhancing my... Continue Reading →
An unpredicted grand finale to my 1THING posts takes me to the darkest places of our homes. It is early December as I sit down to write the last 1THING: New Build post of the year. Like my own life, I started with a plan and a clear vision for where I was headed with... Continue Reading →
A year ago, when I was planning my 2022 blog writing, I imagined a series on gear where I could talk shop about different fixtures and technologies. I saw myself geeking out on light bulbs, recessed adjustable downlights, tape light, step lights, and any other piece of equipment we use in our work every day.... Continue Reading →
Budget conversations are my least favorite part of the lighting design process, though I have learned to dive right in rather than soft-pedal the costs and cause everyone bigger headaches down the road. The simple (unfortunate) truth is that really good lighting cannot be delivered for the same price as really bad lighting. Complicating the... Continue Reading →
What makes a pretty good house? My first exposure to the Taunton Press was as an avid reader of Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House books. Taunton is also responsible for Fine Homebuilding (to which I subscribe and for whom I have written) and Fine Woodworking, among others. Now Taunton has published a new... Continue Reading →
What happens when you get a couple of opinionated lighting geeks into an unscripted conversation about light? I never know where the Get a Grip on Lighting podcast will go, but each time it is good rollicking fun. Wow. I just used rollicking in a sentence. It's all downhill from here, friends! Check out my... Continue Reading →
"What is the lighting budget for our new home?" "We have 68 recessed cans at $150 each." The Lord of the Rings books and films are staples in our household. The kids share LOTR memes, we have the extended-way-too-long movies, and there are copies of all the books strewn about the house. The beloved stories... Continue Reading →
I could make this my shortest blog post yet: the 1THING I recommend for home office lighting that does not require an electrician is to simply add a pair of table lamps to your work surface. The end. Explaining my reasoning might take a few more words and conceptually mirrors my recommendation for hard-wired new... Continue Reading →
"We don't want any recessed cans in our home." Architects, interior designers, and homeowners occasionally tell us they do not like recessed can lights in their projects and homes. My habit is to get defensive, to fight back, to draw upon decades of lighting design experience to tell them why they do want recessed cans... Continue Reading →
the language of light 