Extreme Decorative

Walked by Long's Jewelers and snapped a couple of pictures...

Have a look:

The crystal chandelier is actually a Schonbek Trillian, which is sold between $5,000-8,000 (depending on the lead content of the crystal)...They have 6 of these in the store.

But do they need them among the hundreds of recessed lights as well as the lights in their jewelry cases?

The answer is complicated. Decorative lighting in a proper lighting plan does not actually light the room, the recessed does. Decorative lighting does provide depth, personality and visuals to the room.

Recessed....Trims

A recessed fixture is really two parts. First, there is the electrical part, called inexplicably a "can". The decorative part is called a trim...

But there many kinds of trims for different applications.

Multi use....Definitely the most popular is called the baffle...Just a white cone for your white ceiling.

Directional....Shining specific areas like walls or different objects. Look at eyeballs, gimbals, pinholes and half moons depending on the application.

Shower....Wet location or covered trims.

5 Renovation Musts

Following are a few compulsory ideas for your project...in no particular order.

Shallow Depth Refrigerator: does not protrude into the kitchen, and looks way better than a standard depth(which can stick out 8 inches beyond the cabinet).

Undermount Sink: Easier to clean, but an undermount accentuates the countertop, because it is hidden.

Pendants: Colorful, personal and unique.

Matching handles: Then again, maybe its just noticeable to me.

Smaller Recessed Lights: Recessed is available in 3-6 inches. On a normal ceiling 4-5 inch is adequate. Larger recessed just detracts from the ceiling and the overall look of the kitchen.

How to Light a Kitchen

10 years ago, I probably would not have written this post. However, the merging of kitchens and dining has created more to illuminate....

Let me show you how:

Task Lighting: This is the skeleton of the plan. It is recessed or track as the overhead with undercabinet lighting for the counters. Approximate spacing for the recessed/track should be 18-24 inches from the cabinet and 3-4 feet apart.









Accent: Highlighting objects. Typically a low voltage track or recessed targeting a piece of art or glass (Crate and Barrel does this very well).












Decorative: Chandeliers, pendants and sconces. Yes they can also provide other functions, but should not be relied upon for task applications.















Ambient: The most neglected element of lighting is the hardest to explain. Ambient is ceiling illumination or up lighting.....Creates a warmer atmosphere.

How to Quickly Lay Out Kitchen Lighting

A dishwasher, refrigerator and stove all fit basically in the same space(give or take), lighting is a different story. If you read past posts, decorative lighting is just that. Chandeliers do not effectively light a room. Its a huge misconception.

Recessed/track are the main drivers and backbone of a lighting plan. We will concentrate on the kitchen and bath in the next few posts, because those rooms really require proper illumination. These rooms also require more light. Think about it. In most other rooms like bedrooms, dens and media rooms, you shut off the light.

The best way to to lay out recessed is to place the light where you need it. But be careful...Too far from a cabinet and you will obstruct the light while working on the counter...

As a general rule, place recessed 12-18 inches from the cabinet and 3-5 feet apart...In a normal ceiling use a 5 inch can or 4 inch low voltage with this trim (industry term for decorative piece of a light):





or this trim, if you want to highlight objects on the wall...called a regressed eyeball.





We are not done...Undercabinet lights are part of the plan. These are not hard. Buy the corresponding length to the size of the upper cabinet. For the best color use halogen, low voltage or LED. If you plan to spend more than a few consider LED. It costs more, but will save much more over the long term.

Products to Consider...Lighting

Yesterday was about mistakes...Today will be about considerations.

LED Recessed: 11 watts is equivalent to about 75 watts, with no heat output and a 20 year lamp-life.





Color rendering Fluorescents (in certain applications): Especially with white globes, these bulbs can actually accentuate fixtures. Second pic is 15 watt incandescent(yellow color) versus 5 watt fluorescent








Penadants: Guess what, if you have an informal kitchen/dining room, bar or other informal dining area, you will probably need a few.

Why I Can't Shave

Back today....Anyway, my last leg was The Intercontinental Hotel in Manila...Nice place if you like armed security, etc...

Look at these two pictures and there-in lies the biggest bathroom lighting issues:









Two problems:

They centered the lights over the sink and slightly further off the wall. It is much harder to shave and probably harder to apply makeup because of shadowing....Meaning your face becomes engulfed in shadows.

Contrary to conventional thinking, you can place recessed in a bathroom area. Simply, place the lights on either side of the sink for more even lighting and no shadows....

Did you miss me?

How to Light Your Kitchen...Part 4

To review, the other 3 components of a light plan:

Task Lighting: Track, recessed and undercounter lighting designed as the backbone of your lighting plan.

Accent: Designed to highlight objects

Decorative: Chandeliers and wall sconces designed to personalize the space. Decorative adds light, but is secondary to task for overall illumination.

This brings us to a forgotten, yet important element of your plan, Ambient lighting. Ambient provides pleasant(weak word, but I am just returned from the red eye), environmental lighting. It has been called the "roaring fire" by lighting designers.

I prefer to call it "uplighting" or fixtures, which light the ceiling. Pendants and semi-flushes can provide ambient lighting...Cove lighting. can achieve the same result as well

Let me show you a few applications...



You are confused? Just remember a pendant, for example, can provide decorative and ambient functions.

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.

How To Light Your Space...Kitchens

Ok, now how do you light a kitchen?

This is a much hard question, because lighting is not direct replacement like appliances. There is so much more to proper illumination as well. First, there are 4 sources of illumination: Task, decorative, accent and ambient. I will cover task today, and the other three in separate posts.

Task is general illumination or backbone of any lighting plan and is most commonly track, recessed and under-cabinet lighting. I will provide the basic framework for a lighting plan. Ceiling height, angles, stud locations, etc. can alter the standard.

Basic recessed placement is 18 to 24 inches off the cabinet or at the edge of the counter. Place them 4-5 feet apart.





Couple of aesthetic tips: Use a 4-5 inch can rather than a 6 inch and for kitchens buy the white trim (industry term for decorative).

Second important part is the under-cabinet lighting. Typically an under-cabinet light is available in 7,16,24,30 and 37 inches. This type of task application will illuminate the shaded part of your counters and provide accent lighting as well.





Sample of one of our lighted kitchens....Don't worry in the next couple of weeks, you will be able to engineer your own lighting plan.

LED Yet Again

So the discussion continues on LED. My lighting manager, Robert Joyce, and I have argued about the dollar benefit to converting to LED. To the disbelievers an explanation is not possible, or so the saying goes.

Unless of course, you have imperical evidence, which I do. I converted all my recessed to LED in March. Have a look at the bill.





The bill is almost $40 cheaper despite delivery and generation charges being higher. Monthly consumption is down 33% from 813 kilowatts to 544. The only change has been converting lights.

Any questions, Robert?

Light A Bath

Quick post today....There are three places you truly need light:

1. The kitchen
2. Your favorite reading spot
3. The bathroom

Think about it: You turn the lights off when you are watching television.


Lets light a bath properly:

Best idea : Two sconces on either side about 65-67 inches off the ground for cross illumination. Best idea for shaving and applying makeup.





Second place tie:

Lights over the mirror.




Recessed on either side of the sink (for, you guessed it...cross illumination)





Have a nice weekend.

LED And Me

I decided to replace my incandescent recessed with LED. If you have regular 6 inch cans, you can just replace the trim piece (decorative piece) without touching the housing (electrical part). Its simple replacement.

Is it worth the expense?

Maybe. First the LED is 12 watts versus the 75 incandescent, so I will save on my electric bill. Secondly, LED generates no heat versus 300 degrees for incandescent, so I will save on my AC bills in the summer. Lastly, I will never change a light bulb ever again since the bulbs have a 20 year life.

Have a look...









LED trims are about $110 each. From a cost/benefit analysis, it will be hard to determine the payback for replacement. For new construction, especially people looking at more upscale trims, LED is certainly a better option.