Lighting the Way: LEDs

Starflex and Connetix by SonnemanSleek, beautiful, modern are just some of the words that describe the LED lighting shown at the recent Architectural Digest Home Design Show. But equally important are the more technical descriptions: green, efficient, long-lasting. We discuss this lighting technology in our interior design course.

Light fixtures with LED lamps are appearing in many stores now and interior designers are finally recommending them to their clients. Philips, the big Dutch lighting company, has reported an increase of 38% in sales of LED bulbs over last year. 

Above is the flexible Starflex pendant from Sonneman. The arms hold LED-lamps that can move up and down in various configurations. On the wall is the Connetix sconce that are available in different sizes.  Below is the Axes lighting - available in singles or multiple arms, in sconces, pendant or floor fixtures. 

Axes sconces by SonnemanBrooklyn-based Bec Brittain offers their version of LED lighting in this hanging pendant called Shy.  Its multiple arms are lit with LED tubes and can be arranged in different ways that recall star constellations.

Shy pendant, courtesy of Bec Brittain

Interested in learning more about green design and lighting?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

3 Amazing Light Resources to Brighten Your New Year

Manhattan Remix chandelier by Barovier & Toso

There's no excuse not to embrace contemporary lighting solutions to amp up the wattage in any interior design scheme. Styling has never been more exciting and fashionable, and the number of companies offering startling new designs has never been greater.

Nepher Ceiling Lamp from Barovier & Toso

We've selected three of our favorite lighting resources - each one, new to us - and wanted to showcase some of our favorites from each for you. Click on the links below for more information.

• Barovier & Toso
• Terzani
• Kundalini

 Veronese Table Lamp from Barovier & Toso

Stream Chandelier from Terzani

Mizu Pendant Lights from Terzani

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Lighting of the Future

(My New Flame by Ingo Maurer)In case you’re wondering, the lighting of the future is HERE now.  You’ve already heard of it – those tiny little lights that can be embedded into just about anything – called LEDs or light-emitting diodes.  You may also be wondering:  yes, I’ve seen light fixtures with LEDs but they’re still not that common and most of my favorite lights still don't use LEDs. 

Well, in just a few years that will change as manufacturing and production slowly ramps up and converts their machinery to creating light fixtures that use LEDs. 

One of the cutting edge lighting designers that use LEDs is German designer, Ingo Maurer. Above is his latest My New Flame light fixture that represents those old-fashioned candles but now re-imagined into a modern LED light.  Just think about it: no more candle wax drips, no more accidental burns! Each My New Flame light fixture contains 128 tiny LEDs that together become an image of a flickering flame. Below is a show-stopping chandelier version of his LED candle fixture – called Candle in the Wind. 

(Candle in the Wind by Ingo Maurer) Designer John Niero from Just Not Normal took a flexible approach to his LED light.  He used silicone, a zipper, and LEDs to create his Zipper Luminaire.  When zipped, the moldable silicone becomes a cylinder and can stand on a table. Unzip it and the light can hang on the ceiling or a wall. The Zipper Luminaire has also the potential to be combined into a large light by just zipping them together.

(Zipper Silicone Luminaire, courtesy of Just Not Normal) 

Interested in learning more about lighting?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

Feng Shui Homework: Let There Be Light

As an unwilling participant of Hurricane Sandy, my family and I were very lucky. We didn't lose our home. We had no major damage. We were only inconvenienced for 9 days without electricity: no lights, no heat, and no hot water. And this experience has strongly reminded me how much I take for granted the power of light. By the third day without light and electricity, I started realizing how dark and cold things can get so quickly.

Light offers heat. It gives warmth. It changes yin (dark) to yang (light). In essence light increases energy. It is a symbol of the element Fire. Fire is a microcosm of the sun and brings that charge of the sun into our space.

If we're lucky enough to have access to light, we can use it to bring uplifting Chi, or life force, into a space. Keep in mind these decorating tips.

• Dark corners can become energized with light.
• A desk with a decent lamp that shines light directly where the work actually occurs is very important.
• Outdoor walkways can become alive with light, and this is a great opportunity to use solar lights.

• If the Recognition and Fame gua of your home (see the bagua chart below) is unusually dark (especially if you're not feeling any recognition at work), keep this area brightly lit, specifically during working hours.
• Consider spotlights wherever possible, because they have an added benefit of raising the Chi upwards compared to a small, low wattage table lamp.

Your Feng Shui Homework

Overall, for the month of November and every month to follow, your homework is to be grateful for light. Use it when you need it. Save it when you can. And be conscious of its many beneficial applications.

Until next month,

Be well, 

Franca

Franca is one of the Feng Shui instructors at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Sheffield Picks Favorites: 7 Lights We Love

I just finished an article for the Williams-Sonoma Designers Marketplace blog called What to Look for in Online Design Resources. Please read it as it contains some great ways to measure value when making online design purchases! In the article, my interior design partner and I selected some great lighting favorites from Rejuvenation that followed our basic rules. When you read the article, you'll find out what our favorites were at Rejuvenation, but for Sheffield, I wanted to play a wider field and show you some of the fixtures that really light up my life these days, like the Large Spool Chandelier from Arhaus (above). Click on each image for more product information.

Organza Blue Glass Pendant from Charles Loomis/The Bright Group

Big Bang Chandelier by Foscarini

Ruskin Chandelier from FRAZIER

 

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