I remember this quote from about a decade back while attending a lecture. It is attributed to Chris Harrison – Future Interface Group.
If you showed Thomas Edison the Hue light bulb he’d say, “All you did in 120 years was make it change colors?”
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll see a lot of colored light. There will be trees decorated with light, homes decorated with light and even a few Santa caps will be illuminated. There is a good chance, every one of these applications will use LED. (Especially, the cap!) Unless you have one of those retro-holiday friends who scour flea markets for old school light bulbs, holidays are now made festive with LED light. We probably don’t think about it, but the energy savings is substantial. Your utility company has definitely thought about it. Power use always accelerates during our end-of-year celebrations. LED has helped to make that less daunting for the power producers.
Think about the changes in holiday light that are brought about by LED, then consider this is technology we had relegated to audio-video equipment on-off buttons and wristwatches until about fifteen years ago. Sure, it took 120 years to extract ourselves from the incandescent light bulb, but since that unhinging, I believe we’ve made up for a lot of lost time. More will occur and change will continue, but inventors and consumers deserve a pat on the back. Well done, all.
As you drive to visit family and friends this month, check out the now ubiquitous icicles hanging from gutters, the whole-home façade light displays and inflatable yard toys, all lit with LED. We all did this. Congratulations!
As for your ample-bellied Uncle wearing an oversized sweater emblazoned with a flashing red reindeer nose, I’m sorry. You know people will always find a way to mess with new technology.
Have a wonderful holiday and an even better 2024. I’ll have more to say about light in the New Year…as always, but you already know that!
Of course, my main reason for writing this blog is lighting, but shows such as BDNY offer other products beyond lighting. Likewise, New York is New York is New York. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see the new production of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” at the Metropolitan Opera. Very good, with amazing vocals provided by Leah Howard as Betty Shabazz. Even though the ending is known to all, in this telling, it was riveting. I was very interested in the retrospective of the work of Judy Chicago at The New Museum. I especially enjoyed her earlier work, but was somewhat unaware of her pieces dealing with childbirth, “The Birth Project.” The collaborative fiber/needlework pieces were stunning. I love theater. My wife and I were able to see the original production of “Sweeney Todd” MANY years ago, so I thought it would be fun to see the most recent production. It was excellent. I also saw the just opened, “Harmony” (Very Good!) The soon closing, “Here Lies Love” (some of the most inventive staging I’ve seen in years) and the hottest show on Broadway, “Merrily We Roll Along” (a mesmerizing revival of Steven Sondheim’s first theatrical failure.) Dinners at Shuka, Le Rock and Claud were uniformly excellent. Most importantly, here are a few non-lighting things I found of interest.
The Klein Kitchen & Bath showroom in the Flatiron design district showed a kitchen with tinted glass upper cabinets. We’ve moved from cabinets, to no upper cabinets, then a rebuke of that shift. Could this be the next option? I found it interesting.
I suspect I don’t think much about doors and wall systems, but the showroom for the Italian firm, Rimadesio is elegantly beautiful. As we live in a world with more “open-space” design, there is an inevitable desire to cordon ourselves for privacy or quiet. Done tastefully, a space can look right, even with the addition of such grand architectural elements.
Everyone and every space needs a jolt of color. The Dinosaur Designs showroom is a reprive to a world of beige. Glass bowls, drinkware, plates, vases and equally colorful rugs allow this space to explode with possibilities. Need to differentiate a room? Check out these options!
New York 2023 – Dinosaur Design Colorful Display Window
There is a class of “full function.” smart, high-end toilets offered today by both Kohler and Toto. The Kohler Numi was perhaps the first to gain my attention. It is a beautiful piece. Their subsequent designs are equally intriguing. Toto, on the other hand is offering very pedestrian designs with the same features. They appear clunky and oversized. Smart toilets are substantially more expensive than “standard” toilets and for that reason, I believe Kohler has the right idea. Combine the higher price with higher style to make the cost more palatable. I’ve learned from friends in the plumbing business that Toto quality is superior to Kohler. I suspect that might be better debated on an episode of “Firing Line.” At this juncture, I think Kohler is approaching smart toilets correctly. As the technology becomes common, opinions might change.
This was unique. SG Tree Art Rugs showed rugs made from strips of leather shaped as a slice of a tree trunk. Yes, a niche market, but really beautiful work.
BDNY 2023 – SG Tree Art – Rugs borrowing the look of tree trunks
Ceramic Tile
There are a lot of tile showrooms in the Flatiron Design District. All were also represented at BDNY, so I had a double helping of influence.
Tilebar showed their new collection of high-gloss, bold color tiles. These reminded me of the walls on my elementary school building, constructed in the late 50s. Placed pell-mell across the surface of typical brown bricks were these highly glazed, colorful anomalies. I loved it. Thinking back, I wonder if this was done to help kids realize they could be diamonds in the a field of chaff, or just some yeoman laborer trying to make mundane work more fun.
New York 2023 – Tilebar – Colorful, high gloss tiles
The windows of Artistic Tile were dressed with mannequins using tile and mosaic as clothing. This was a nice way to help people understand the flexibility of tile as a wall or floor covering. Tile can be a media used in places beyond those currently considered.
New York 2023 – Artistic Tile – using mannequins to show the flexibility of tile and mosaicNew York 2023 – Artistic Tile – using mannequins to show the flexibility of tile and mosaicNew York 2023 – Artistic Tile – using mannequins to show the flexibility of tile and mosaic
The new Botanicus collection designed by Allison Eden for Akdo is a colorful arrangement of glass mosaic arranged in a floral pattern. An entire wall has been completed in their showroom and it was such a bright spot, it was impossible to ignore. This would certainly enliven any residential space.
A trip to New York can be inspiring and exciting. I always come away exhausted, but replenished. I hope this short recap can help as you consider your next project, with or without lighting.
Last weekend, I attended BDNY in New York City. BDNY primarily concentrates on the material needs of the hospitality industry, but the line between their aesthetics and residential desires continues to blur. Sure, most homes have no need for security safes, temporary door locking systems and parking controls, but by digesting the relevant sections of the show floor, one can interpolate some of the aspects of trends that crossover.
Prior to the show I checked out showrooms in the Flatiron District and SOHO. I’ve combined those observations here. This blog posting will cover lighting. The next will deal with the non-lighting aspects of design I found interesting.
I always enjoy a stop at the Roll & Hill showroom. New items are typically shown on the first floor, older, but still relevant pieces are displayed in the upper floors. While there are newer contemporary pieces, I was struck by two collections of far more traditional designs then I have previously seen from this exciting manufacturer. De Playa is a collection using turned wood and ceramic diffusers. The wood brings to mind 70s turned wood luminaires (very popular!) and a somewhat “Early American” style that disappeared many years ago. The second collection, Rue Sala, by the same designer, Jessica Helgerson, uses turned brass shapes that reminded me of classic metals with an animated “Jetson’s” skyline influence. This traditional turn should be noted. When I asked the staff about the consumer response, they indicated a high degree of embrace to a point where line extensions will be forthcoming. We are seeing a shift away from hard contemporary with more emphasis on details and this is taking that direction to the natural next step.
If I were to make a single observation about all the lighting I saw during this trip, it would involve non-glass diffusers. Fabric, fiber and paper have always been part of lighting, but they move in and out of favor on suspended luminaires. They appear now to be “in.” Atelier de Troupe showed an oversized parchment pendant with heavy stitched leather lacing (Pedregal Lanterne) in their showroom front window. a-emotional light draped fine stainless mesh over linear LED light to deliver warm, comfortable illumination in the Nebra collection. I’ve mentioned Swadoh before, but they are worth a second. Their method of draping fabric over and around light creates beautiful, feminine and ethereal looks. Likewise Indo-Puri employs all types of natural materials to add organic warmth to lighting.
Alternate materials do not stop at fabric diffusers. I loved the ash plywood, linear pendant offered by Barcelona company, Bover. The Aluet nicely aims all the light downward and displays the beautiful wood grain to the surroundings space. Hubbardton Forge, in an effort to increase their sustainable footprint has upcycled older dies and tooling to create the Coral Pendant. Because of the nature of creation, each unit has some degree of uniqueness and the LED light is driven from the canopy overhead onto the organic-looking linear string. Also of note here is the ability to custom finish the aluminum coral. Need coral colored coral? They apparently can do that! Dedon is well known for their outdoor furnishings. Using that resin weave, they have created a line of outdoor portables. New(er?) this year is Scoora available in two heights. Yet another example of the importance of high-styled exterior living products.
Flos displayed a great finishing technique in their SOHO showroom window. Almendra is a pendant by famed designer, Patricia Urquiola. To soften the often harsh output of the LED, she has painted the INSIDE of the shade a gradated umber near the light source, allowing a much more appealing illumination to be presented. It is a wonderful idea.
Buster + Punch has been a very influential supplier of interior accessories over the last few years. Their lighting certainly reflects the brand’s look. I was especially drawn to a finish I had not yet seen; Burnt Steel brings the fired iridescence to metal that I think could work in many applications. It is also, unquestionably different and could be the statement select interiors need.
The Chimes collection introduced by Sonneman hides the light inside an angle-cut cylinder. The cylinders are arranged in steps, like pipes used in an organ.
As we age, our eyes lose some of their keenness. Many seniors find it difficult to recognize door openings and hallway turns. Recently, there has been an increasing push for lighting that defines these areas of concern. Numera Lighting was at BDNY because they sell custom door/address number lights. In an effort to define their creativity and customization options, their show display, perhaps inadvertently, solved this growing problem. The rest of their offering is nice, too!
Numera Lighting – BDNY 2023 – Lighting flanking a door that can serve as support for those with sight irregularities
We are all aware that Natural Brass is becoming the “go to” finish for most lighting. This has transpired while home furnishings have shifted from neutral grey tones to beige tones. Brass and beige are, and have been a natural fit, so in the greater scheme of things, interiors are being well suited for the future. But what if you don’t want to change EVERYTHING in the home? The CB2 store in SOHO dressed one vignette with the new Brass and some of their grey furniture. I thought this was genius! The brass looked nice with the grey, just different enough to set the area apart. It also subtly told the shopper that they didn’t need to change everything, all at once. For those retailers trying to help people transition into the new reality, take a clue from CB2. Well played.
LED Tape is everywhere and it is not being sold by lighting retailers, but instead by all types of different “non-lighting” companies. Because lighting people did not provide the vision beyond what was already conceived, other home furnishings industries grabbed the reins and pushed lighting manufacturers and retailers out of the way. Mittman Hospitality showed a ribbed amber glass freestanding closet with LED Tape wrapped around the interior perimeter. What an exciting look this will provide to a room. The Kohler showroom in the Flatiron District had a vanity with LED Tape used to accent the drawer pulls. One of the furniture manufacturers (I forgot to jot down the name) imbed LED Tape into the base to visually float the chair over the floor.
Mittman Hospitality – BDNY 2023 – Light inside a stand-alone closetBDNY 2023 – LED at base of chairKohler – Light illuminating drawer pulls of a vanity
Each year, designers deliver more, new and interesting product. As we have witnessed, lighting is finding itself in new and different places. We are moving beyond the dining room chandelier to a place where light elevates furniture, plumbing, outdoor living and walls. As users, creators and retailers of light, we need to look beyond, to stay ahead. If we don’t, it is easy to see how other industries might envelop luminaires into their product line.
When LED lighting was new, the US Department of Energy began the CALiPER program. The research provided by this series of investigations (spanning 2007 to 2014) was revelatory. I devoured each of these reports as I prepared information to help people understand this new “highfalutin” technology. These were helpful, straightforward and fair reports to the consumer and industry.
The concept was easy to understand. The DOE went to a retailer and bought a dozen (or so) LED products in a similar category, reviewed the enclosed documentation, website claims and marketing promises. The product was then independently tested. The results were compared with the promise and presented in a series of reports released periodically over the seven years. No vendor names were shared. Product identification was blanketed. The intent was to distribute data on the progress of the technology.
At the time, I was working for a manufacturer and I found the information helpful in combating crazy claims by competitors. It was also comforting to see that the results we were getting, were in-line with the realistic numbers unearthed by CALiPER. As someone who helped educate users about this new technology, I could confidently warn them of irrational claims. As the technology improved, the gap between manufacturer’s claims and actual test results continued to shrink. More realistic promises were made. What LED could and could not do became clearer. Each CALiPER report was immensely helpful. When they discontinued the program, it was time. LED had become a mature product category. I would miss them, but I knew they served the industry well. I said a silent “thank you” for a meaningful bank of data.
CALiPER is now back. This time, doing the same yeoman’s work, but instead concerning Germicidal Ultra Violet (GUV) lighting. The first installment is out and I’m almost as excited! (Go ahead, make fun. “This guy gets excited by a US government data report release.” Just keep in mind. I do this so you don’t have to!!) 13 GUV products were reviewed and like the initial round of LED, product claims were wildly in excess of reality. One line from the summary says it succinctly, “This CALiPER GUV Round 1 report demonstrates the significant education and training manufacturers and vendors still require to accurately test and report the performance of their GUV products.”
The CALiPER testing does not review the germicidal efficacy and cleansing capacity, only the light measurement and performance, plus more importantly, photobiological safety when using potentially hazardous ultraviolet light.
It is important to remember that most of the light within the UV spectral range is harmful to humans. “Some” UV is considered “safe” and those same very specific wavelengths of UV have been found effective in combating germicidal pathogens. Some of the units tested claimed to be safe for use when a human is in the room (other units are intended for use when the room is empty) but those did not deliver the UV as promised, potentially causing harm to skin and eyes. Because they have fallen out of the effective spectral range, they might not be very effective killing pathogens either. (Again, those claims were not part of the testing scope.) Light distribution was also reviewed. The analysis found some had a very poor intensity distribution, so while the spectral characteristics might be correct, the light would not necessarily “hit” or reach the germicidal target unless it fell into a very tiny point in space.
The report provides a number of additional findings, including some of the unexpected testing shortcomings. Equipment needed to test UV product is rare and very specific. The agency admits that it could not adequately test some claims because testing agencies don’t have the required equipment. It does raise the question how the manufacturer can make a claim that cannot be substantiated.
This is the first of what could be hundreds of test. More will be learned and the industry will be stronger for this work. The first group of LED MR16 lamps included a product claiming to be an exact replacement for a 50W halogen version and the test showed it barely equaled a 15W halogen. Fewer and fewer of the blatant lies occurred in each subsequent testing tranche. With the increase of airborne pathogens, such as COVID-19, GUV lighting can be an effective combatant. As users, we simply need good data from reputable sources, just like LED lighting. It’s great to know the same review process is now in place.
If, like me you want to dig into the details, links to the actual reports are included below.
What’s missing from this kitchen/island design? Photo by Saviesa Home on Pexels.com
Time and again, the building industry makes long range predictions about new single-family home size shrinking and in almost every instance, they miscalculate or over-promise, but it is hard to say they are definitively wrong. In other words, it’s complicated.
The logic behind smaller homes makes perfect sense. Homes are getting more expensive, wages are for the most part stagnant or in decline, land costs are increasing, import duties for products have been raised, creating a de facto price increase for many home goods and inflation has ripped through much of the building trade supplies. The solution seems obvious. Reduce the size of the home, the cost will go down and people can afford the newly configured home. Easy.
Unfortunately, that is not what happens. While there is reduction in single family home size of minimal square-footage, the average cost has increased year over year. That means new home construction is being limited to a narrower and narrower group of wealthier and wealthier customers. Average buyers are increasingly being pushed out of the new home market. That does not mean people with an average income are homeless. It simply means an adjustment.
For the last thirteen years, the quantity of townhomes built has increased. Townhomes occupy a smaller slice of land, walls are shared and costs are reduced thereby making the home much more affordable. As has been reported so often since the pandemic started, existing home sales have risen to record levels. While cooling slightly mid-2023, the sale of real estate remains high. It has also been reported that Millennial buyers are buying older homes in mature neighborhoods that more equitably match their income. The fact is, people are buying home, but many are smaller than they might have desired.
All of these buying trends leave the consumer with a challenge. Smaller townhomes, smaller single-family new construction for those lucky enough to match income, cost and availability and smaller, pre-existing homes, means smaller living area that needs to be maximized. Couple this housing size direction with the universal understanding that the kitchen is the center of the home and the challenge is pretty clear.
When home size was increasing year-over-year, pre housing crisis 2008-09, kitchens were illuminated with “average” looking lighting. The dining room grabbed all the glory and almost all of the lighting budget money. Post housing crisis, dining rooms, even in luxury homes shrank and kitchens grew. As a matter of fact, the one room in the home where consumers will NOT make concessions in size is the kitchen. Size in-fact, continues to grow. With all that in play, as lighting people, we must elevate this space with good lighting.
If the centerpiece of a dining room is the chandelier, then we’ll need to think about pendants or a linear pendant over the island as the centerpiece of the “new dining room.” To make that occur, elevate the product selection. Find pieces that rise above, fill the vertical, as well as the horizontal space and be certain that they speak to the visual moment.
Intelligently selected kitchen lighting, especially that which is centered on the island can take a mundane look and allow it to rise above the smaller surroundings. Combine that focal point with accent lighting above cabinets, at toekicks and under the island overhang and the smaller room immediately looks larger. If cabinets have clear or translucent fronts, illuminating them can increase the visual size of the room. Good lighting can elevate a room and allow the viewer to ignore the size.
Some people can afford the home of their dreams with all of the amenities imagined. Most of us need to make concessions. Concessions coupled with wise decorative elements such as lighting will allow you to forget the smaller size and revel in the exciting results.
One of the most confounding questions to which I am asked to comment, regards the annual “Color of the Year” announcements. For years, the only “Color of the Year” I ever regarded was that predicted by Pantone. Because Pantone spans colors across multiple industries, it would find itself in fabric, ads, clothing, print/graphics, wall coverings and accessories. Finding some relevance in a single “color” and how it might manifest itself across twelve months was somewhat self-explanatory. As it relates to lighting, virtually none of the “colors” resulted in a luminaire finish trend. Impact was much more subtle.
Today, “Color of the Year” is considerably different. Pantone still releases a prediction, but a few years ago, the paint industry decided to jump into the fray. Most had a dominant annual color prior, but with the addition of increased marketing dollars, these started to grab more media attention. The yearly press release is no longer restricted to industry publications, but mass media has now embraced the concept and eagerly awaits the prognostication. There lies the rub.
Let’s look at the six primary “Color of the Year” for 2024. (There are, unfortunately, more.) I’ve listed them here in a specific order for easier comment below.
Pantone – Apricot Crush – a fleshy, apricot tone
Sherwin-Williams – Persimmon – a pale orange tone
Glidden – “Limitless” – a pale, soft yellow
Valspar – Renew Blue – a pale transition between blue and green
Dutch Boy – “Ironside” – a dark grey-green blend
Behr – Cracked Pepper – a dark grey, almost black tone
What can we observe here? The first two are variations of washed out, pale orange, the Glidden and Valspar colors are also pale, but instead yellow and blue-green. Seeing these alone, we might be inclined to observe a pastel takeover; a quiet approach rather than anything that might ruffle feathers. We will have a year where color is non-confrontational.
Now let’s add Ironside (presumably, no connection to Raymond Burr) and Cracked Pepper. Out of left-field a drab Army grey-green and an almost black color are added. How does this comport with the others? Are these the anti-pastel options America needs?
I understand Pantone’s Apricot Crush and S-W’s Persimmon. Designers love orange in all its variants. It’s a color that is used less than others and because of that, almost always seems fresh. We often think about yellow being bright and shiny, so Glidden’s shift to a milky version also appears new. Blue has been the accent color of choice in kitchens for about six years. I’ve been predicting a shift to a variant of green. This is a learned option that could easily predict a not too subtle shift and extend a kitchen accent color a few more years. As designers use darker and darker wall finishes, it seems natural for Behr and Dutch Boy to promote darker tones to prominence. They are after all trying to sell wall paint to consumers and both of these brands are in the popular-priced category.
In the hands of consumer good specialists, not typical homeowners, the Pantone color could be helpful in defining their product lines. Related industries, like residential lighting would know that substantial amounts of household accessories would use the tone. This featured color would be used across related industries and would visually benchmark the introduction to a specific era. I would always tell people who asked, that the decorative lighting finish would need to “play well” with the coming “Color of the Year” and it has.
In 2015 Pantone defined Emerald as their choice for the year. In 2017 it was Greenery. At the time, Oil Rubbed Bronze was the dominant lighting finish and it worked well with these annual choices. The secondary decorative luminaire finish at the time was Brushed Nickel and the 2014 and 2015 “Colors of the Year” were Radiant Orchid and Marsala (a sort of wine-red) that likewise felt comfortable and could easily be seen sharing a living space. When Natural Brass began to build momentum, similar observations could be made with 2021’s Illuminated, a buttery yellow and Living Coral from 2019. Ever-present Chrome shined with the bold statements expressed in 2018 with Ultra Violet and 2020’s Classic Blue. It all made sense and could be used and explained.
That logic has now disappeared. A friend of mine is a retired Public Relations executive who had knowledge of the paint industry and he continually reminds me that, “They are just trying to sell more paint.” He also reminded me that Valspar and Dutch Boy are Sherwin-Williams brands, so which “Color of the Year” is the real “Color of the Year?” There can only be one king. With the addition of all these variations, I believe he is right. Gun-to-head, I’d suggest paying attention to the Pantone color because it crossed so many industry lines. The declarations provided by the paint manufacturers might be better regarded within the same parameters as my friend’s.
I spent a considerable amount of time in China between 1995 and 2006. During that time I enjoyed friendships with a fairly large group of Chinese citizens, one gentleman in particular. During the Cultural Revolution his parents, both “Country Doctors” (his term) were victimized as intellectuals and he was subjected to levels of degradation that would belie his genial nature. (His story was not unique. Almost everyone of the same age had similar stories about that time period.)
After a day of LONG hours working to insure the product that reached the United States was in excellent shape, we talked about many things over dinner, personal, political and professional. These conversations were among the most rewarding in my life. I remember him telling me of the importance of Deng Xioping, former Chairman of the People’s Republic of China. Through his policies, Deng finally allowed my friend’s education to be of value and found to be unapologetically well-respected. His parents had suffered; he had suffered, but it would be a greater day for his son. Virtually every Chinese person I had the joy of knowing, expressed the optimism of the New Year greeting, “gong xi fa cai” or “great happiness and prosperity for the future.” A better life is around the corner.
It is an opinion now share by scores of people, that the current Chairman of China, Xi Jinping has effectively ended that optimism. I haven’t been to China in eighteen years, but the hope I encountered must be depleting. “Peak China” is over and Xi, like his communist partner Vladimir Putin of Russia, is attempting to reestablish an idyllic version of his country in a world that has experienced substantive change. In the process, he has alienated the bulk of the world and disenfranchised his own population.
The majority of lighting products and lighting components are made in China. Unfathomable just a decade ago, India is growing in importance to the lighting industry, almost exclusively at the expense of China. The importance of China to the lighting industry is shrinking each week. I suspect people in many other industry are saying something similar. That is going to have an impact on every Chinese citizen, including my old group of friends.
This is unfortunate. The move to Chinese manufacturing elevated lighting to new aesthetic, technological and mechanical heights. Advances were quickly made possible and fashion trends could be rapidly answered. Hundreds of talented young people were brought into companies across the country to learn from older industry experts and lend their skills in the English language to a parade of American, Australian and European customers. No doubt, much of that experience will now be employed servicing the growing domestic market, but “Peak China” has passed. Gone are the double-digit growth percentages and an era of mutual benefit. For their sake, I hope the new domestic market can support this mass of talent. I fear it cannot.
I’m glad I had an opportunity to learn from my involvement in this transformative era and hopefully, I left something in China with which they were able to grow their knowledge and businesses. It is unfortunate when politics and narrow minds ruin a good thing.
While the number of homes purchased by investors has shrunk in the most recent quarters, the percentage of homes owned by investors remain high, at a national average of 18.4% (2022 – Redfin.) The percentage of homes also varies widely based on location, with highs of over 30% in Miami, FL and lows of 9% in Warren, MI. These are higher numbers than the real estate industry has seen in the past and this new type of ownership is going to change the way America spend money on durable aspects of the home, such as lighting.
I live in a historic part of suburban Cleveland, an “inner-ring” or very old suburb. Moneyed and “white-collar” Clevelanders in the early part of the1900s wanted to escape the industrial dirt and grim that made the city home of vast amounts of wealth. The solution was to “head for the Heights” literally located at a higher elevation than the steel mills, factories and foundries centered on the river lowlands. Homes in my portion of the city (a slightly newer area) are all architect designed and built between 1929 and the post-war late 1940s and 50s. They are graced with excellent quality materials including roofs primarily of slate, with some tile and shake.
Because of its proximity to the highly regarded cultural and healthcare industries in Cleveland, investors have started to buy homes in the area. Cleveland also enjoys some of the lowest home prices in the nation, primarily due to the outmigration of young people. Investors have determined they can easily buy low, sell (reasonably) high here with minimal amounts of money.
Slate roofs last a lifetime, but they do require regular “tune-ups” to avoid water ingression. Rather than replacing my roof every twenty or thirty years, I need to spend a few buck every other year. Investors view this differently. Rather than spend, say $6000 to bring a neglected slate or tile roof back to par, they are electing to tear off a lifetime roof and replacing it with a $4000, 10-year warranted asphalt shingle. From an investor’s perspective, he has saved $2000. From the point of view of the neighborhood, the investor has markedly altered the timbre of the community.
Now, take that logic and multiply it to all other aspects of the interior and exterior rehab. Good recessed lighting is not used. The cheap “10-pack” found at the big box stores are instead employed. A builder-grade chandelier is hung and ferrous exterior lanterns are slapped on the porches, sure to last long enough to see just one winter. The initial reaction to the completed home is a buyer who doesn’t have to change anything. They falsely believe, no money will be spent beyond the celebratory bottle of champagne.
When a downtrodden house is purchase by people who hope to live in the home “forever” they will be more inclined to choose products of higher quality. They may opt for the more impressive island pendants, a show stopping chandelier for the dining room and even a ceiling fan that is correctly sized to the room. They will enjoy the benefits of “better” rather than rolling it over to a new buyer in a few months.
This is a problem with no easy solution. Folks in my neighborhood were successful in getting the permit application for roof replacement changed to include a viability assessment of the existing historic roofs after dozens were removed for investors, by unreputable contractors working weekend hours. The illegal removals are now being forwarded to the city’s Law Department for prosecution. Lighting doesn’t have that quick fix. Mr. & Mrs. Buyer won’t know they have substandard recessed cans until they die an early death. At that point, it’s too late. No one will go to jail because they bought a cheap chandelier.
From the opinion of a lighting guy, perhaps the prospect of incarceration might get people to think more carefully about this very important aspect of a home interior. I do however live in the real world (at least some of the time!) People have been using bad lighting since Thomas Edison suggested an alternative to natural gas. Perhaps the emerging push for a more sustainable world will magically instill some sense of duty in investors. The more likely scenario is investor’s failure to find customers for poorly conceived rehabs. When money is the driver, only a lack of return will change their direction. As customers we should reject homes when historic roofs have been removed, cheap appliances have been installed and bad lighting has been used.
I love the artwork of Thomas Hart Benton. My favorite artist is Edward Hopper. I remember when the Cleveland Museum of Art bought the Grant Wood’s painting, “Haystacks.” I rushed to the museum unveiling and immediately fell in love. George Bellows’, “Stag at Sharkey’s” is the best piece of art at the second best art museum in the country.
I really enjoy opera and can’t get enough Broadway musical show tunes. Peggy Lee can do no wrong and “Kind of Blue” is unlikely to be bettered in my lifetime. Thank you, Miles.
With this cadre of preferences, people might expect me to be a bit more conservative, but to the contrary, I am always looking for the “next big thing.”
My favorite movie is “Chinatown” but I recently saw “Beau is Afraid” and it completely blew me away. This director is performing a high wire act while most others are barely juggling two bowling pins. I almost never listen to “oldies” instead I spend most of my radio time tuned to the local college stations, where they play a mix of rap, jazz, Latin and progressive contemporary rock. There is a reason Kendrick Lamar is the first rap artist to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Got a few hours? Listen to Kamasi Washington’s “The Epic” and you will understand the emergence of jazz genius. (Perhaps it might entail a second listen, too!) I am constantly looking at new art, checking out what maturing artists are doing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and excited to see what is presented at the Cleveland Institute of Art graduate show each year. When I’m out of town and have an hour, I look for a gallery, museum or art show.
When I look at home furnishings, I also want to see the next new thing. When LED emerged, I was all-in. When home automation popped up, I immediately clung to its every possibility. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to understanding germicidal UV light and remain fascinated with the possibilities of circadian-effected light. Each and every day I wait for an inkling of proof that LED will be replaced with [fill-in the blank.] Somebody has to be working on something, right? Two lectures at the recently completed, LightFair talked about Laser Lighting and my mind has begun to resemble a top. Where could laser lighting head? What will it mean? Does it have any residential applications?
I do not want change, just for the sake of change. I do however know that as a society, we are constantly moving forward. As humans, we like to see alternatives. Technology cannot and should not be stopped, despite the Luddite tendencies we occasionally display. (Why do they keep changing my iPhone power cord, for example? I know, I know, there are very valid reasons.) Progress has lessened the drudgery of laundry cleaning and reduced the reams of paper required for long division. Movement forward means kids born in this decade will likely fail to understand what “changing a light bulb” means. They will not relate to a stack of light bulbs in a closet. Lighting that does not illuminate will mean a call to a professional, or replacement. It will be an anomaly rather than typical.
I read recently that young people are being educated in a slightly different way than I and perhaps most readers of this blog. Rather than repetition and memorization (When was the Magna Carta signed?) they are being taught critical thinking and more application of thought. To me, this makes much more sense, when combined with the tools you and I never had. Multiplication tables were crucial information in an era before calculators, but have become redundant when math solutions can now be resolved with a dollar store accessory purchase. Students can now spend less time on the mechanics of math and more on the reason and application of the calculations. That will be a far better use of a mind.
As I wrote this post, I could not recall the actual name of the George Bellows painting in the Cleveland Art Museum. I knew it included “Sharkey’s” and thought vaguely it might include the word, “Stag” but was uncertain how they were combined. “Stag Night at Sharkey’s?” “Sharkey’s Stag?” “Sharkey’s Night?” “Fight at Sharkey’s” Rather than fret over it, I simply did a quick internet search and immediately had the correct name, correct spelling and another look at this powerful piece of brutal, realistic art. My recollection of the name of a particular painting was substantially less important than the point I was/am attempting to make. Young people, guided under these alternate parameters of knowledge application will be far more valuable than a student who can recite from memory all the capitals of Europe. Knowing unaided and immediately that Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein is of value only when playing Trivial Pursuit. Understanding that Liechtenstein is a country and Vaduz is a city, located on the European continent does however constitute a baseline of knowledge that some students have overlooked. This realignment is important and valuable.
I like the combination of my life’s concentrations. I can be passionate about older art and new art ideas. I can find antiques as interesting as the new furnishings created by Zaha Hadid’s company. I can sing along with a show tune and remember my time in the theater seeing the performance while at the same time, marvel at the newness of “Chaise Lounge” by the (really young) women who headline Wet Legs. I’m an old lighting guy that can revel in the replacement of LED lighting. I think that’s a good thing. What about you?
PS: If you don’t understand some of the cultural references made here, you could ask your grandmother or daughter and they might be able to explain, but Google will most assuredly know and even provide some background.
Much of the regular media has reported on the “death” of the incandescent light bulb over the last few weeks. As I poured over the information, the fact that 30% of light bulbs sold were STILL incandescent came as a pretty astounding fact. Digging deeper into the numbers, I found that high-efficacy adoption was substantially slower, the more economically challenged the consumer/geographic area. Higher “first-costs” continue to be a barrier, despite the long-term financial benefits. Hopefully, as we move farther into efficiency regulations, we will remember that a large percentage of the population will be equally challenged. We must find a way to balance that inequity.
Another aspect of America’s incandescent use has been cleared up as well. 40% of the light bulbs in use were initially excluded from the original Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. Reflector lamps, candle, or flame-shaped lamps and spherical-shaped lamps did not need to comply with the same higher efficacy requirements as General Service Lamps (GSL.) I always found that a peculiar omission, but the overlook was remedied during the subsequent Obama administration. Unfortunately, those requirements were overturned during the Trump reign. With professionals back in charge of the Department on Energy, this large pool of inefficient lamping joins the GSL and must again comply with higher efficacy standards.
It is important to remember, EISA was written and signed into law as a bipartisan solution to an inability of utilities to provide long-term, adequate amounts of energy. As demand continued to rise, the cost of new energy creation grew prohibitively high. There was a real possibility that “brown-outs” would be as common as currently found in third-world areas of the planet. California actually experienced a summer of just such a reality before increasing their product efficiency standards. It is the reason why crackpot ideas like Michele Bachmann’s “Light Bulb Freedom Act” never went anywhere, even in a more conservative Congress. This was/is a solution that actually works and actually solved a problem. The energy saved here, combined with scores of policies covering appliances and other consumer goods has paved the way to facilitate automobile charging without throwing the country into darkness every time a load of laundry is started.
Concurrent with the higher efficacy demands has been the slow reduction and removal of fluorescent lighting technology. As America becomes more sensitive to leaving a cleaner planet for the next generations, hazardous chemicals are being reassessed. Mercury, a key component in the functionality of fluorescent lamping remains a dangerous element that has never been successfully recycled in large quantities. California and Vermont have already joined the European Union (EU) in outlawing their continued use. Canada is considering the same thing. Rhode Island, Colorado and Maine have expiration dates already defined in signed legislation, with Hawaii’s ban date imminent. Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey and Oregon are considering legislative bans. With such a large quantity of geography preventing their use, one must assume that manufacturers will be discontinuing these products, effectively removing them from the remaining states and some countries.
That leaves us with LED as the only remaining light source standing. For those of us who have been on this conversion ride for twenty years, it has been quite the journey. Some of us will say, “I told you so!” Others might ask, “What’s next?” I may have made both statements over the years. There were too many things fighting against the continuation of incandescent. This was an inevitable shift. RIP incandescent. You served us well.
Now, watch out for the explosion of sensors and controls and their integration into smart homes. Obituary for the single-pole, wall-mounted light switch coming soon!
Lighting by Jeffrey 