Don't Do This

You can't see in this kitchen, have a look.

Now look at the culprit...

This is a great system by Juno called Trac-12. Unfortunately, it is designed for under the cabinets, not for the main task lighting. Yes, there are 6 track heads, but they only acommodate 5-10 watts a piece. That is not enough especially in a dark kitchen

The solution: Buy regular track...This kitchen can be illuminated for less than $100.

Track Types

You recognize this:

This has been around since the 60s. The whole track becomes electrified and heads(light sources) can be moved along as you see fit. But its a tad boring, so out of the commercial arena emanated these alternatives.

Cable

Cable light is similar to track only a lot trendier, but it is difficult to install. You also need a ton of different parts to complete the installation without losing your mind.

Monorail

My favorite...You can bend this 358 degrees, it is trendy and much simpler to install.

Track Tunes!!

Want to see something really cool...Have a look.

Look again...

You are looking at a wireless speaker from Tech Lighting (PDF link) which can be plugged into monorail track or monopoint canopy. It can wirelessly be integrated with your iPod, radio, satellite radio, computer etc...

Two speakers, wireless kit and remote control costs $432...additional speakers are $172. We will have 10 in the store by next week.

Tomorrow will be interesting as we look to critique and improve House Beautiful's "Kitchen of The Year".

More Track Lighting

As you know, there are are four elements of illumination: Accent (highlighting objects), ambient (uplighting), decorative (visual jewelry like chandeliers) and task lighting.

Task lighting provides the main illumination for a space. Typically track and recessed lighting provide this function. Recessed has been the preferred application, because track has been bulky, boring and cumbersome.

Or is it?

Track, especially rail has been reinvented with a slimmer profile and literally 1000's of options for pendants and heads.

Need some inspiration? Check out any cool commercial space and look up.

Chances are the illumination is track.

Task Lighting....Track

To rehash how to light a room, There are 4 different light sources: Decorative, which provides the visual pop and depth like chandeliers...Ambient or uplighting provides even, environmental lighting from pendants and sconces. Accent lighting highlights objects.

But the most important element of lighting is task, which is provided by track or recessed. Task lighting provides the functional light for the room and is the backbone of any lighting plan. The majority of new construction employs recessed, but track has its merits. It is more versatile with movable light sources (called track heads).

It also has become more unique and customizable with literally thousands of possibilities...and you do not have to cut into your ceiling multiple times like recessed...

Have a look at some apps:

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.

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.

Yale Home Show...A Yale PSA

The 9th Annual Yale Home Show sponsored by Electrolux February 7-16

If you have never been to a Yale Home Show, it is well worth a visit.

Each weekend, we have some of New England’s best chefs cooking in our 9 kitchens showcasing different cooking techniques on all the major brands like Wolf, Viking, GE Monogram, Miele, JennAir and Electrolux. This is our best lineup yet with Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger, Jay Murray of Grill 23, Paul Turano of Tryst, Steve Brand of Upstairs on the Square, and Nelson Cognac of Kouzina.

We will also concentrate on newer technologies like LED lighting, speed cooking and induction. We will teach you how to plan recessed and track lighting for your home. Vendors from every manufacturer will be on hand to answer any questions.

If you want to see how appliances really operate, need some technical expertise for a house plan or are just looking for a great deal, The Yale Home Show is a great place to start or finish your project.

You Need These

So your ceiling is sloped, and you want task lighting. You can suspend track on cable (expensive) or you can buy recessed lighting.

With recessed, you need to buy a specific sloped ceiling housing. There are actually two depending on how radical the slope.

Pics (at no extra charge).

Great Lighting...Part 8

The YaleBlog is probably 70% appliance related. In this sequence, you will see a SubZero integrated refrigerator, Wolf cooktop, Bosch dishwasher, Franke farm sink, Best hood and Bosch dishwasher in an island setting.

Looks great.

Now look at the lighting. As I have posted previously, task lighting can be accomplished with recessed or track. In this slope ceiling application, we used bendable monorail track with cable supports and track heads with custom color accessories.



In an upscale environment, lighting sets the mood.

Attractive...

I am really starting to like track lighting...Track is an alternative to recessed lighting for task applications. Track can also provide the other elements to properly light a room, which are accent, ambient and even decorative.

And it can be so good looking:

The Future is in November

We have been posting about LED(light emitting diodes) for almost a year. LED is the greenest lighting available and is 7 to 10 times more efficient than incandescent. The bulb itself will last 30 times longer than an incandescent.

Because it is a new technology, LED has been scarce and expensive. One company, CREE, seems to be way ahead in color rendering and their chips seem to be in high demand.

Over the past year, more consumer products are becoming available. Tech Lighting, the best track and pendant manufacturer, will have LED pendants and track available in November...

A sample:

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.

LED Tape

For review, LED lighting has a 20 year lamp life and at present is about 20 times more efficient than incandescent. The downside to LED is color, which until now was really more blue than white.


The other issue for now is price...Except for this new product. At $30 a foot, it is the most reasonable and not much more than a halogen piece...


Led Tape is secured by either double sided tape or by channels(similar to a track)





Have a look:



Available in the middle of March

New Incorrect Kitchen Application

We have 11 kitchen displays at Yale. 8 out of the 11 are functional and working. Using basic math 3 are not working. This is one of said displays and is not what should be done for 2 reasons:

1 Placing a television behind a 90,000 BTU professional range is somewhat irresponsible to say the least.

2. I like the lighting. Tech bronze track with matching heads is well coordinated with the Hubbardton Forge trditional pendants. There is, however, something wrong.
If you read the decorative lighting post from 2 weeks ago, you will know that decorative lighting is not task lighting. The surface is somewhat dark.


The solution: Add a few recessed lights...


What do you think?

The Lighting Plan

This will probably be my longest post. Lets review the last two weeks:

A Lighting plan in a larger kitchen will encompass the following elements:


A. Task or general lighting such as recessed or track

B. Ambient or environmental lighting such as semi flush fixtures and other uplights

C. Accent Lighting to higlight artworks and other objects of interest..Once again track and recessed are the primary sources

D. Decorative lighting such as pendants and chandeliers to add depth and personalization

So now we have all the elements, A common question is: Can a single fixture combine multiple elements of the plan. The answer is absolutely yes. I will show you in the rest of this post a few multiple applications.

You also do not need to spend a fortune for a well executed plan. Lets look at a few ideas

Forecast Pendant: Decorative and ambient



Quoizel 3 light chandelier...Decorative and ambient




Track is traditionally a task application, but can satisfy most every element. You can hang pendants for decorative. Heads can also be focused on different art objects for accent lighting



Once again a combination of ambient and decorative lighting

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:

Task Lighting...Kitchens

Task is the backbone of your lighting plan. I want to qualify these posts by saying these posts are primarily for kitchens. Bath will be next week. As I have said living rooms, bedrooms and to some extent foyers do not need as much light
Case in point: You are watching television. You shut off the lights.


The most common task lights are Recessed, track and undercounter lighting.

Although spaces are inherently different, typically recessed should be 12-18 inches from the wall and spaced 3-5 feet apart depending on ceiling height. Next week, I will cover the different cans and trims in depth, if there is a request.






Track is more flexible than Recessed, because lights can be located anywhere on the length of the track. You can also hang a variety of heads and pendants as well.

Some people like the clean application of recessed. Track, on the other hand, has certainly become very interesting and distinct over the last few years....The pictures below are from our showroom









Lastly, undercounter lighting should be consider as it is the only way to light...counters. Typically, the lengths are 7,16,24,30 and 37 inchs. Electrify them to separate switches, and it is a nice effect when left on alone






Invariably, when I teach this to interior designers, someone will raise their hand and show me a beautiful kitchen in Boston Magazine with just recessed lights. Unfair, I will say. Photographers add their own lights before snapping that perfect shot. This misconception has actually engendered really bad lighting designs.

Utilizing just recessed will create a shadowing effect amongst people in the kitchen, and should never be the single lighting element.

We will discuss decorative AKA the fun stuff tomorrow