david k warfel
The Simple Gift of Light #8 I am looking out my window as I write, and the neighborhood is filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn. It is the time of year when, in Wisconsin where I currently live, we pull out our puffy jackets, fleece zip-ups, stocking caps, and gloves. We light... Continue Reading →
The Simple Gift of Light #7 The key benefits of light- gentle mornings, energetic days, relaxing evenings, and restful nights- come only when we consume the right light at the right time. But what makes some lighting good and other lighting bad? There are seemingly endless technical considerations that quickly get overwhelming and, honestly, few... Continue Reading →
Giving the Simple Gift of Light #8 Lighting design is at once quite simple and quite challenging, and the concept of viewing angle is a perfect example of this paradox. Simply put, light travels in a straight line and so does our vision, which makes predicting glare and comfort easy. Easy, that is, so long... Continue Reading →
One of the perennially difficult aspects of the role of lighting designer is the struggle over budget allocation. Lighting is most often viewed as a utility or commodity, something to be installed as cheaply as possible, but that too often robs the homeowners of comfort, relaxation, energy, and more. So how do we help homeowners... Continue Reading →
The Simple Gift of Light #4 You can skip reading this post if the stress of the workday falls off your shoulders and you find relaxation easily when you return home. This post is for the rest of us. Perhaps you work at home or away and juggle responsibilities or push your body physically all... Continue Reading →
Introduction to a new series for 2025...and beyond? Light, to me, is the first divine gift of the universe. In the middle of a career centered on light, I have more questions than answers, despite knowing more than ever before. Why, for example, do so many people suffer from light that hurts as much as... Continue Reading →
The Washington Post called following an online rant by pop singer Mariah Carey against "overhead lighting." The author wanted to hear from lighting experts and might have suspected that I would follow the usual lighting professional response tactics and point out the complexities and intricacies of overhead lighting are far more nuanced than a celebrity... Continue Reading →
It is time to retire your light switches and dimmers…if you want to get the full benefits of good light back into your life. Get them back? Yes, you and I lost out on natural light’s benefits when our ancestors decided houses were better than tents and offices were better than fields. They moved indoors,... Continue Reading →
And...it's a wrap. Two full years of writing for the residential focus in designing lighting comes to a conclusion with this month's Simplify, Simplify article. This is a beautiful magazine full of great projects and important voices, and it has been a huge honor to be a part of it. I hope to return someday,... Continue Reading →
I continue to explore the overlap of lighting business and lighting language in the April/May 2024 issue of designing lighting in an article on light, values, and stories. The article is based on writing from the blog, but each time I circle back to the same topic I make new discoveries and find new ways... Continue Reading →
the language of light 