How to Choose a Light Bulb

Light is a key element in making a space come alive with mood and character. It is so essential to the process of designing a room.  I will often point out, we can't change your colors without changing the lighting.

And it need not be an expensive lighting and rewiring installation. Changing a light bulb and a new shade can be as effective.

With new regulations and codes about light bulbs, we have to stay informed about what is the best type of light for a certain space: a hallway, entrance, kitchens, to each room in a house or workplace,

This past week, NPR aired a very informative broadcast on Light Bulbs: Watts The Deal.

A broadcast full of very good tips and advice on which is the best light bulb for the right space. Such as the difference between warm whites, soft white and daylight. Another tip is how CFL is not suitable outside for porch lights or gardens in colder climates. And another is how LED's work best with a dimmer.

Great information on the technical and energy aspects of bulbs. But discussions on how LED is closer to the color of incandescent with more red in the spectrum. And CFL, the compact fluorescent can be a cold and shadowless light and that is what puts us off that bulb. However, an even shadowless light is best to work under particularly if you are using any machinery or tools or working at a desk. With a good diffuser, it is a very efficient light.

On the designer side, you should really question what activities happen in your space you need to light. Is it kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, a living room or a room of many activities in the space. Most often we have multiple things going on in one room.

Listen to the broadcast if you have any questions on which light bulb to use. Really useful information. Watts the Deal.

Lights from Decorex

At the end of summer and early autumn you can feel the difference in light, there is a more golden quality and the evening is coming much earlier. Next month the clocks will go back an hour, then the evening will come in the afternoon.

With a new lighting project for lighting art and another which will require all new electrical and lighting plan, my attention at Decorex, Designjunction and other venues was particularly on lighting and here are some of the marvelous sculptural light fixtures and lamps from Decorex:

Ice Pendants pendant dish of blown glass by Cox of London, glass balls by Best and Lloyd,  glass pendants from Harlequin London, silver wire circular pendant.

 Circles like an eclipse or halos, a piece of silver birch illuminated by LED, Circles from Le Deun Luminaires from France.

 Translucent layers of porcelain back lit by LED by Boatswain Lighting

 Layers of gold leaves

Classical and sculptural table lamps from William Yeoward

Compliance

Source: 217.169.111.182 via Kelly on Pinterest

Flos, one of my favorite lighting companies, produced a couple of years ago, the slim and elegant desk lamp Kelvin LED, design by Antonio Citterio with Toan Nguyen. The 4" square head of has 30 LED lamps:

Source: 217.169.111.182 via Kelly on Pinterest

And gives excellent task light when I saw the light at the Moleteni & C showroom. The articulation of the lamp enables it to rotate, move back, forward and extend. It has an animated quality. There was something about the movement of this lamp that reminded me very much of a computer in a sci-fi movie made in the 90's, The Flight of the Navigator.

Source: 217.169.111.182 via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: 217.169.111.182 via Kelly on Pinterest

It is about a boy who falls down a ravine and wakes up in a space ship. In this space ship is a robot, which waits for instructions from the boy. Each time the robot receives instruction it agrees and says "Compliance". The robot has a round head, unlike this light, but it has a long articulated arm which can turn 360º and moves backward and forward and extends giving the robot a very animated character. It is not a jealous robot like HAL, but complies and aids the lost boy to his home but with an adventure.
Why do some stories and objects stick in your mind? what is it that links disparate images, I'm not sure, but maybe the promotional photo of the boy siting at the table with this animated light triggered my memory.