david k warfel
*Why TASK, AMBIENT, and ACCENT should retire and make room for the next generation. We all know people who stayed in positions of authority a little too long, folks who maybe served well in their prime but lately just seem to be preventing those with ideas and energy and enthusiasm from making much-needed positive changes.... 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 →
A few weeks ago I got to geek out a bit with some lighting colleagues during dinner, a rare treat for someone who works mostly remotely. My Zoom conversations are almost always task-oriented, designed to accomplish something and then move on to the next one, and that makes unscripted, unmeasured, non-billable communication somewhat unusual- and... 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 →
Better lighting can be easy as 1-2-3. It is no big secret that I love light and enjoy finding new ways to deliver it to our lives. As a professional lighting designer, I spend a good deal of energy dreaming up solutions to everyday challenges and spend time regularly learning about new products and new... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I saw a LinkedIn post from another lighting designer featuring a photograph of a hallway under construction, with three parallel ceiling joists running down the hall. Each was filled with a round duct for heat and air conditioning. There was no explanation; there need not be. One look and I understand the pain: there... Continue Reading →
Lighting designers could help builders…if we can change our ways. [Image 01 A Builder’s Story] Residential builders are often the most reluctant of the major stakeholders to support custom lighting design, and with very good reason. In a previous post, I meandered through the overlapping territories of lighting and building and thought about how lighting design... Continue Reading →
“Using CCT as a proxy for the biological potency of light cannot be justified.” -Esposito, T., Houser, K. Click HERE for full article. A few weeks ago I revisited the promise that light can help us feel better and drew parallels between taste and sight. Food, when prepared creatively, can deliver momentary pleasure on our tastebuds but it takes... Continue Reading →
Thanks for your patience as I have been slower than usual to post in August! An intense week-long training event followed by a family vacation has taken me offline for a large part of the month, and it feels good to be back here again. I get a little uncomfortable around mistakes, especially my own.... Continue Reading →
the language of light 