How to Light a Kitchen Part 3: Accent

Why am I spending so much time in the kitchen? When you watch TV in the living room or go to sleep in the bedroom, you are shutting the light down or off. Kitchens and baths are a different story and really the only true task applications in your house.

As the kitchen has become all encompassing to include the living space, there are many opportunities for different types of light. You may have artwork on the walls, pottery on a counter or crystal in a cabinet, which you would like to highlight. Accent lighting provides this function.

For example, Next time you are in a nice hotel and see a beautiful flower arrangement, look up. It will most certainly be highlighted by accent lghting. The most common accent lights (for now) are pinhole recessed, which looks like this(they can be smaller)...




Or track lighting




They both utilize a low voltage bulb, which is slightly whiter than an incandescent. This whiter light is great accent lighting. Crate and Barrel utilizes this light commercially better than anyone, especially glassware.

Off today...will respond to questions Monday.

LED Vs Incandescent

We have bulbs with similar characteristics. One bulb is $50. The other is $5. Which would would you choose?





Before you answer, the $5 bulb uses $1.46 per month and the $50 uses only $.20 Further, the $5 bulb needs to be replaced every 7 months versus 20 years for the $50.
Also, the $5 heats to 300 degrees versus 0 for the $ 50, so there is some impact to your HVAC system.

We are really comparing the 7 watt LED versus the 50 watt low voltage MR16. At a $23 yearly savings in energy and replacement, The LED becomes a better value in less than two and a half years.

Owens Renovation Part 2

We delivered GE Cafe appliances to Owen in yesterdays post. Today, lets look at his lighting issues. Lighting is more challenging, because there are tons of options. We also have to consider his sense of style and blend that with his new decor.

Issue 1: Glass cabinet

His glass cabinet did not leave much room for traditional strips or undercounter lighting, so we used LED tape...Nice effect (terrible pic).





Issue 2: How to light a big painting.

He had existing old recessed, but replacing with wall washers would have been inadequate. We used stainless Tech track with customized black glass heads.





Issue 3: How to light ambiguous art object.

Two ways really (for now)...Low voltage track or recessed...Owen chose the track.

Closer.....

I have been writing about LED lighting since we started the ole blog over 2 years ago. For review, LED, is 5 to 7 times more efficient than incandescent, lasts 20 years and does not emit heat, which saves HVAC costs.

Now the problems:

Problem 1: They cannot seem to manufacture LED so the color is white.

That issue has been rectified, but only by a few brands, most notably Cree, Juno and Jesco.

Problem 2: For many of the undercabinet systems, you need a "driver" or transformer. You still actually need this in many low voltage applications, but electricians hate the extra wiring.

Have a look at this:



The new Juno undercabinet...white and driverless. Available middle of February 2009.

Inexpensive, Not Cheap

According to most blog experts, I have to connect to readers with short bursts of compelling info. In the last 2 months, I have shorten the narratives to be more hard hitting. The old stuff, in my opinion, is better for people who are looking for the nuts and bolts on renovating, etc, especially the very first blogs up to early 2007.

Shifting gears, there seems to be more housing inventory on the market lately. Unlike years previously, there are, however, tons of ways to distinguish your home inexpensively....


Let's spend less than 2600:

Complete Frigidaire Gallery kitchen with 2 colored Tech Pendants.



GE Profile Range and wine cooler.



For about $2800, how about an induction cooktop, 5 LED replacement trims and 2 low voltage french optic pendants.

The Future is Almost Now

Unbelievably, I have been blogging for 2 years. I have watched LED for almost three. We have ventured to lighting shows waiting and eventually leaving disappointed.

LED is truly compelling technology. Light emitting diodes are 7 times more efficient than incandescent, last 20 times longer and do not emit heat into the room (incandescent heats to 300 degrees.)

As I have written previously, there are no standards to the lumen output of LED, so most bulbs render blue. The only white rendering recessed is LRF....

Until now LED has been almost absent in decorative...Until now...Lets look at some new products almost available....





Notice the equivalent to a 50 watt low voltage is now a 5.8 LED

A Light is not Always Right

As we blog away about appliances, there is a fundamental understanding that appliances typically work (with some exceptions). There seems to be a uniformity of manufacturing. Factories churn out washers, dryers, etc in a logical progression.

This is not true in lighting. There seems to be very good and at the same time very bad identical looking products available. Once a light malfunctions, it costs $150 to have an electrician re-install it.

Avoid when shopping for a new light:

1. Lights that blink or flicker....Typically it is a cheap transformer.
2. Lights that do not hang straight or wobble.
3. Cheaper, painted canopies...on low voltage lights, paint will flicker.


Truth is...very good lighting does not cost much more. Have a look at lights that cost less than $150.

Lighting Effects......Ginger Part 2

Ah Black Friday....The next 3 plus weeks will determine the fate of half the retailers. Happily, the appliance business is fairly consistent throughout the year. Most manufacturers have some pretty interesting rebates, but I do not see a Black Friday rush to buy appliances and/or lighting. Then again, consumers may show a more practical side

About 2 weeks ago, I had a request for different bulbs and their effects especially in recessed lighting. Lighting effects are determined by the Kelvin scale. The lower number, around 2000 degrees, is decent, warm lighting. The higher end, 5000 degrees, is considered unflattering light. Commercial fluorescents and actually sunlight fit this category.


So lets look.


Incandescent:



Although the bulb should be outlawed for its inefficiency, the bulb renders especially well casting a warm, yellow glow.



Fluorescent:



Great question would be to ask which type. Color rendering fluorescents are actually pretty good at around 2800-3500 degrees Kelvin and are 4 times more efficient than incandescent.



LED



State of the art in all ways. It renders similar to an incandescent or low voltage bulb and is 6 times more efficient with 20 times the lamp life. Of course not all LED renders the same. Read some of our more recent posts about this lighting technology



Low Voltage



Low voltage is currently the standard for upscale homes. It is actually whiter or higher on the Kelvin scale than incandescent, but by only 200 degrees. This whiter temperature actually shows granites and cabinets better than incandescent.

The Culprits...Part 1

17% of all energy is consumed in your home, which ironically is the same energy expended by every motor vehicle in this country. We could save a fortune as consumers by eliminating the 3 main offenders. With electricity increasing, better technologies will save more money in a shorter period.

Culprit Number 1: The Incandescent Bulb




It is amazing to me this product still exists. The technology is from 1803 and was first mass produced in 1876. 90% of its consumed energy is heat, while only 10% is actual light, so you are also paying for additional HVAC in the summer. Also, incandescent lasts only 7 months, so keep the ladder handy. Incandescent in all its forms, which includes low voltage and halogen, is wasting tons of energy and costing you money.




Heck, I would love to say buy the LED. LED emits zero heat, has a 20 year lamp life, and is 7-8 times more powerful than incandescent. Other than some isolated fixtures, LED is still expensive with a long payback on the bulb side.

Color rendering fluorescent is a great replacement. It is much cooler and lasts 10 times longer than an incandescent. It is 70% efficient as opposed to 10%, so its payback is probably less than a year.

We will look at appliances on Monday.

LED Vs Low Voltage Recessed Lighting

Low voltage recessed is the standard for mid to upscale residential task lighting. Low voltage is aptly named, because there is a transformer in the fixture. This transformer converts the 120 volt household current to 12 volt. The 12 volt 50 watt bulb casts a whiter light than a regular incandescent light, and thus illuminates the counters, tile and cabinets in a better shade of light.





How does a new LED compare? This is a direct comparason between a LED can and a low voltage(not as LED with a Low voltage can)

Energy Efficiency: No-brainer here...After all, low voltage is still incandescent. At 11 watts, the LED will emit more light than a 50 watt low voltage bulb. Also, LED is a cool bulb and the low voltage bulb will heat to 300 degrees.

Color: Interestingly enough, LED is better color at 2700 degrees versus 3500 for low voltage.

Style: LED is new and limited whereas low voltage has every design option imaginable. Of course most people still prefer white, which is featured for both.

Lamp Life: 20 years for LED, 7 months for low voltage.

Price: The reason for this post...LED is actually cheaper by about $30 per fixture

The Rest Room

Lets look at the bathroom at Yale.



Its a little over the top with granite and marble. Consumers at least subconsciously associate clean bathrooms with competence and dirty bathrooms as a sign of an impending issue. Our bathroom features some really interesting Green products...Look again.

The wall sconce employs 3 13 watt compact fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent is great with white shades especially with a color rendering bulb. The lumen difference is 39 fluorescent watts versus 180 incandescent




The recessed use a 6 watt LED 12 volt bulb. Great color and 6 watts are very similar to a 35-40 watt low voltage bulb. Thus, the lumen difference is 160 low voltage to 24 watt LED. At $50 a piece, they are a tad expensive. With a 20 year lamp life, I will not be changing them anytime soon.

A Change Of Styles

Have a look at these two pictures





These pictures are snapshots of the same Wolf kitchen in our store. We changed the display last week. Although traditional woods are not exactly my taste, a couple of interesting conclusions can be drawn from this display

1. Stainless steel matches everything

2. Lighting defines the space. You are looking at Hudson Valley chrome pendants and white beehives and Juno low voltage bronze recessed lighting.

3. Today's' style is eclectic....In other words, traditional and modern elements can be used in the same space effectively.

A few more pics...

Run Some Track

For task applications, there are really only two applications; recessed and track lighting..For years track was the less attractive of the two. In the late 80s, manufacturers started using the smaller low voltage(MR) bulbs, so the actual fixtures are more streamlined and a lot less bulky than their earlier counterparts.

Then a company named Tech Lighting started accessorizing with stainless rail and multiple colors and pendants, so track became almost an art...Have a look.

Name That Light

You know the brand of your car, your clothes, your favorite restaurant, your coffee and probably your appliances...Ok maybe your appliances

Now let me ask this question. What is the brand of your lights? There is an average of 40 in a typical home...Still guessing?

Well, its not that important per se. However, it is crucial to spot a decent light versus a less than desirable product. After all, it will cost a minimum of $200 for an electrician to fix or rehang a light

Look at the following before you buy:

1. Most pendants are low voltage and require a transformer. Transformers are robots that morph into cars(just making sure you are still reading. Seriously, a transformer converts the 120 household current into 12 volts for low voltage. There does not seem to be any uniform quality standards for these items. Be careful as it is hard to advise how to check for faulty piece until it happens. There are two decent quality lines to actually look for: Tech and Lightning Bug.


2. Fit and finish: If a lighting is hanging crooked on a store display, it will probably look the same in your house. Look at the cable and supports especially






A couple of arbritrary lights from Tech Lighting....Notice the finish and straight these pieces hang. Tech uses a superior piece of cable. I love the canopy. It is real metal not a painted finish that will fleck and peel when heated

Recessed Lighting...The Basics

I want to simplify recessed lighting. Its really not that hard. I am thinking 3 posts or less until you have expertise. Recessed comprises of the housing or the electrical part and the trim or the decorative part.

For this post, I will concentrate on the housing. Recessed housings are available residentially in 3, 4 , 5 and 6 inch diameters. Typically, the larger cans support larger bulbs, BUT do not use a 6 inch can for ceilings less than 10 feet...Why? It looks awful, and your contractor is probably buying them now. For standard ceilings use the 5 inch size or low voltage, which is available at 4 inch.

As pictured below, there are 4 different types of housings:



Insulated New Construction: This is the best type of housing. It is nailed to the studs and you can place insulation over it. Insulated cans save a small fortune per year in energy, because air, heat, and air conditioning does not exfiltrate out of the room(as I said yesterday)





Non Insulated New Construction: Why? you are saving $5-$10 and spending double that in higher enegy costs yearly





Insulated Remodel Cans: For existing ceilngs, instead of nailing the unit to studs, the ceiling is cut from below, and the can is pushed through. Insulated remodel cans are not available in all sizes yet.





Non Insulated Remodel cans: Again, why? Unless, the above is not available

Don't Wine

Lets talk about wine for a post. Wine is a living, evolving beverage unlike Coke, Sprite or Gatorade. Being a live grape versus a chemical concoction, it allows for a certain amount of spoilage. I once attended a class at the BCAE in Boston and the instructor said 3% of all wine sold in restaurants is "corked" or in layman's terms, spoiled. Under the best conditions, wine is perishable.

I can only image the perishability in residential applications. Most wine storage systems are basically the same as a refrigerator with wine racks. The wine coolers sold at $299 are a dorm refrigerator with a Plexiglas door and racks.

I have no issue with inexpensive products. However, wine is tough to store. Light, heat, humidity and vibration will damage wine. If you ever visit a winery, wine is usually stored in caves for this reason. Of all the wine products sold in the United States, in my opinion, only one can actually store wine for the long term

That company is SubZero. Lets take a peek:

Light: The door is designed to refract light and ultraviolet light. Interestingly enough, most wine coolers have a 60 watt bulb on the top of their cabinet to showcase the wine(and guarantee spoilage underneath). SubZero has low voltage bulbs in the middle.

Temperature: The SubZero has 2 separate temperature zones, where the temperature is displayed digitally. You can set each zone distinctly. Important as red and white wine are served at different temperatures

Vibration: The compressor is fixed to rubber gromats, so it will not shake the unit, which will in turn damage the wine. Also, each shelf glides out on special racks. Try that in any other unit.

Humidity: Humidity can destroy wine by drying corks or by allowing oxygen in the bottle. By having two evaporators, this unit allows for the optimum humidity levels


There are six different models to choose. The undercabinet is the most popular, and $3,000, it is slightly higher than a high end cabinet. Once again, if you are looking to simply buy wine and drink it quickly, then buy almost any product.


However, if you are storing for the long term, either look for a cave or consider a SubZero.

Accent Lighting...Kitchens

Have you ever been to a really nice hotel, and seen this beautiful buoquet of flowers in the lobby. Looked nice, didn't it? Next time look up, and you will see a low voltage track head or recessed light.

Like museums, hotels and art galleries, accent lighting serves to enhance objects below. Track and recessed are primarily the sources of accent lighting.

But once again, accent lighting cannot light the room on its own. Using just accent lighting can lead to the "museum effect" or a situation when the objects are more important than the people.

Have a peak:

Lighting Cheaply

In 1986 when I started working full time, low voltage track was expensive. The average track head was about $120 per head with the track at $85.

With the miracle of low cost production and Chinese imports, this same configuration is about $280...for 6 heads and the track.






Track is extraordinarily versatile and can be used for many different applications. Low voltage, as we know from other posts, provides a whiter light than incandescent bulbs.

Great alternative to recessed lighting

Bathroom Lighting(not)

As I published in a previous post, most design trends emanate from Italy. Unfortunately, sometime even the best have a bad day.





Lets look at this bathroom(in an otherwise beautiful hotel). The sconce is at the proper height, which is around 64-67" off the floor, but nothing on the other side. Well, not really, as they have mounted 35 watt low voltage recess on the opposite side.





Take a look.










The guide asked me if I liked my room. It was actually fine, but I had to say...There does not seem to be enough lighting in the bath....just to gauge the reply. She mentioned that it was a common complaint.





Now you know the reason

Buying Lighting

Buying lighting can be difficult. Lighting companies have no brand awareness, so consumers have no benchmarks. Unfortunately, there are all types of lighting products.

Here are a few common sense tips to navigate the lighting spectrum:

1. Check the Finish. Finishes should be metallic not painted. Painted finishes over time will fleck

2. If it flickers on a display, forget it. On low voltage fixtures, the main component is a transformer. There are good and bad transformers. A bad transformer will effectively cause the light to malfunction.

3. Check the fit: Simple stuff really...Does a fixture hang straight on a display.

4. Not all the glass is the same: Murano or Evianne glass shades project a better light than painted shades

5. Warranty? Only a few companies will provide a comprehensive guarantee in case the light fails