One of IKEA's LED table lamps currently on their website. What do you think about this style, compared to a traditional table lamp with an incandescent bulb?
In our Roundup for June 14 to July 2, we noted IKEA’s impending phaseout on the sale of incandescent light bulbs. We didn’t go into detail about what this means for the lighting industry, and it’s a pretty significant milestone.
With such a prominent retailer officially disassociating themselves from incandescent bulbs (IKEA’s phaseout is expected to begin in August and be complete by the end of the year), the shift across the industry from traditional bulbs to more energy efficient lighting accelerates.
Of course, these changes will take place across the entire lighting industry in the next few years anyway – IKEA is simply beginning the incandescent phaseout early. In 2012, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will take effect. There are various components of the law (see the link for more details). Basically, by 2014, the sale of all traditional incandescent bulbs will be banned.
The phaseout also signifies changes ahead in lighting design. CFLs, Halogens, and LEDs will take the place of incandescent bulbs, and that means new lighting designs corresponding with the more energy efficient light sources are to be expected. The picture of the table lamp above illustrates this point: without incandescents, it will no longer be necessary to accommodate for a large incandescent bulb in the design of a lighting fixture.
The entire foundation of lighting design is going to change; and for lighting designers, the possibilities are endless.
If you’re only going to choose just one lighting feature to add your kitchen, make it under cabinet lighting. It provides task lighting for your countertops to make them ideal for food preparation and cooking, it illuminates the backsplash on your wall to create beautiful accent lighting, and it can also be used as night lighting for your kitchen. Once you install under cabinet lighting, you’ll never want to go back.
Many lighting designers talk about creating “layers of light” for your kitchen. Under cabinet lighting serves as a crucial “layer” for great design.
That being said, there are a ton of options to choose from. How do you know what style of under cabinet lighting is right for your kitchen? Hopefully, this guide will make it a little easier to make your selection.
It’s a good idea to choose your light source first.
1. Fluorescent, Xenon, or LED?
Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lights
Fluorescent under cabinet lights are the most energy efficient in providing a given amount of light. Moreover, fluorescent light sources give off very little heat. This is a great feature depending on what is stored in the cabinet immediately above the under cabinet fixture or, perhaps, what is lying 12 to 18 inches below the light. While most fluorescent fixtures cannot be dimmed, they can be a wonderful, inexpensive option. In addition, our Microfluorescent Fixtures or Fluorescent Swivel Sticks are probably the easiest products to install – a definite plus. Continue reading 'How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting'»
The Country Living 2010 House of the Year, airlifted into Manhattan to demonstrate green living.
Ikea will start phasing out the sale of traditional incandescent bulbs starting August 1, and they plan to stop selling incandescent bulbs by the end of the year. This announcement signals changes ahead in lighting design.
The top 10 hot kitchen and bath design trends for this year were published after the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2010 design competition. Jill Valeri, president of The Welcome Home, said the way to inject your personality into your space is through paint color, hardware, and lighting.
Moritz Waldemeyer is a famous designer who incorporates innovative applications of LED and laser lighting to fashion, furniture, music, and performance. He has created some truly captivating pieces – Imogen Heap’s “Twitter Dress” at the Grammys in January, Bono’s laser jacket during the U2 360 tour, a ‘Wall Flower’ exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an interactive LED chandelier in the JFK New York airport… the list goes on and on.
He recently designed an innovative light installation for Audi at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan. It featured a cascade of 2,000 lights that formed abstract patterns and revealed an interactive text display. Here’s a video about the event and Moritz Waldemeyer’s design:
This lighting designer is creating fake sunlight reflections on interior walls using LED parallelogram-shaped fixtures. Read on to "Other cool sites" section to learn more.
Curious about LEDs in a residential application? This couple switched every single light in their home to an LED. They immediately saw a reduction in their utility bill by 75%. Check out the video interview.
Disney Cruise Lines' virtual LED-lit portholes: they appear to be streaming in light from outside
In lighting news…
The buzz around GE’s new 17-year-life light bulbs is the expensive price tag ($40-50/bulb). Industry leaders are hoping to reduce the cost of LEDs to push them into mainstream lighting. Still, $40-50 doesn’t seem like such a big deal when it’s the only bulb you buy for a lamp in two decades.
One of our favorite Twitter follows and blogger Sarah Lloyd (@ClarityK) wrote about the dominance of LED lighting at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show this year. This post includes great pictures of how LEDs are being incorporated into design.
A photo from lighting designer Eddie Cohen's tips on improving task lighting in the kitchen
There’s been a lot of speculation in the news lately about LED lighting. Research teams are working to improve it, market analysts say it still faces challenges, and the lighting industry in general is scrambling to release affordable products. Meanwhile, remodeling growth is back, according to a report released by Harvard University. Read on to find out more in our Lighting Roundup!
1. Set a budget. Think about what you can afford and don’t forget to account for costs of labor if you end up having to hire an electrician.
2. Find out what your current circuit in the kitchen can handle. In order to do this, multiply the amps by the volts. Most circuits have 120 volts. So if your circuit was 15 amps, you’d multiply 15×120. That amounts to 1800 – the total number of watts your kitchen circuit can handle. It’s a good rule of thumb to use your circuit up to 80 percent of its capacity.
3. Consider the condition of your current wiring. If you’re in an older home, you might consider rewiring the room (this is where you should contact an electrician if you don’t have experience).
A picture of one of the World's Greenest Homes (slideshow featured in our "Other Cool Sites" section)
In lighting news…
With Earth Day approaching in less than a month, this Department of Energy report could not have been more timely. Here is the startling statistic: widespread adoption to LED lighting among Americans would save $120 billion. It would also eliminate the need for 24 new large power plants, and would decrease carbon emissions significantly.
LEDs are also expected to come down in price significantly, so making that change to collectively save $120 billion will not have such high up-front costs. Prices may drop from $30 to $10-20 because the production cost is expected to decrease.
We recently posted about how you can remodel your kitchen in minutes with one of our uniquely designed mini pendant lights. One of the most popular spots to place these is above a kitchen island, although they also provide an interesting effect above a foyer, bar, or small end table.
If you’re thinking about installing a pendant light above your kitchen island, here are some tips about exactly where to hang it:
For an island with no seating: The light should be hung about 30 inches above the counter. This will provide adequate lighting for chopping and reading recipes. The general rule here is to think about where the light will hang in relation to your height. You don’t want to reach across the counter and be hit in the head! Most islands are about three feet tall, so an extra 30 inches would place the light at five feet six inches. If you’re much taller and will be working at the island, you’ll want to tweak the height of the pendant light accordingly.
For an island with bar stools or chairs: Make sure the light is not in your line of vision if you are sitting at the island. My sister recently had to adjust the pendant lights in her kitchen for this very reason. Pendants typically provide a nice glow, but when they are hung too low, the glare is very unpleasant. For an island with chairs, the lights should be hung a bit higher: about 36 to 40 inches above the counter.
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