Solar-powered Outdoor Lighting

Combining the best of two eco-friendly energy solutions, these landscape lights by CL Sterling use solar power to illuminate the LED fixture. But they go even one step better- whereas LED lighting typically produces a cold blue-ish/white light, the Solar Garden Candle outdoor glass light fixture uses an amber-toned LED bulb that emits the warm glow of a flame.

The glass shade is handcrafted for CL Sterling & Son in a Portuguese town called Marinha Grande, which has a history of glassmaking that dates back 300 years. The craftspeople pour a slurry of molten glass into individual molds to simulate a wax candle. The light’s energy source, embedded solar cells, is concealed in the solid brass stand, shown in an oil-rubbed bronze finish. The style is very low-tech, but is quite the opposite with a hidden timer that is set according to geographic location. The LED bulbs will last for three to five years.

Because the solar-powered energy source does not require an external electricity supply, there is no wiring involved, which makes installation easy and allows the fixture to be easily moved around an outdoor landscape.

CL Sterling & Son, 860.739.2720, http://www.clsterling.com/

Fantastic Lighting from Leftover Cardboard

I don't often feel that fixtures or furniture made from recycled or repurposed materials are really all that attractive (frankly I usually think they're cheesy and junky). This is one of those exceptions. Made from stacked rings of corrugated cardboard, Graypants' pendant Scrap Lights are a wonderful example of the power of good design. The ceiling lamps' elegant construction recycles leftover scraps of cardboard to create a semi-translucent shade that gives off a muted, soft glow. The overall effect is elegant, understated and as far from trash as you could possibly get.
The founders of Graypants, Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, have been collaborating in design for eight years. Based in Seattle, Junker and Grizzle have produced everything from chairs and tables to buildings–all made from discarded and repurposed materials like newspaper, cardboard, and plywood.
Their Scrap Lights are an expertly blend contemporary design with a practical approach to materials and waste. Wouldn't these lamps make an fantastic focal point hanging from the ceiling in a dining room, kitchen or bar? They prove that good design can be both stunning and sustainable.

Japanese Inspired Paper Lamps

These beautifully patterned cut paper lamps from Brooklyn–based Levent & Romme shown at this year’s BKLYN Designs really caught my eye. Imagined first as pen and ink illustrations, the designers then cut the patterns into a single sheet of thick watercolor paper. Watercolor paper is softly textured and just opaque enough to make the designs pop, and the heavy weight paper lends itself perfectly to the shades’ delicate cuts. The shade fits together using a tabbed design so that it forms a tube without any fasteners or adhesives, increasing the lamps' sustainability. Available in four patterns, the fixture uses a compact fluorescent lamp for illumination.

Designers Anne Romme & Fiyel Levent have been working together for the past two years on furniture, installations, and interior designs. They add a twist to their designs by focusing on technology in their fabrication methods, while basing them around traditional materials and craftsmanship. The patterns used for the floor lamps were inspired by the work of Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa, and other Japanese designs- such as Isama Noguchi’s paper lights.

Save Energy with Technology and Convenience

A new partner that I am working with to create integrated home theater, lighting and security systems for clients who want to enjoy ultimate convenience and cutting edge technology in their homes, Digital Home Lifestyles, is helping them to save money and energy as well. That may seem unlikely - after all adding more electronics to your home must add to the electricity required, right?

The difference is being made in the amount of energy needed to illuminate the home - something every home requires. The amazing thing is that it works with all the standard lights and bulbs you already know and use. The savings comes from the lighting control system and how it works. In addition to providing ease of pre-set lighting scenes for specific activities and time of day, a lighting control system like the one used by Digital Home Lifestyles can be programmed to limit the level of light. As explained by Chad Hollander, design consultant of Digital Home Lifestyles, by setting all fixtures to only come on at 80% of maximum, you are also using only 80% of the electricity needed to power that fixture, but there is no visible difference to your eye in the amount of light. Limiting the maximum wattage output of bulbs also extends the life of the bulb, resulting in lower replacement costs.

United under a single control system, independent "subsystems" can also monitor and conserve energy throughout the house with a simple touch of a screen, or programmed to suit your lifestyle. From the touch of a button you can open or close window shades according to the sun, adjust thermostats and be alerted to doors or windows that have been left ajar. It can be operated remotely from any computer anywhere in the world. You can even answer the front door while you are in another part of the country via the monitors in your security system and the Internet, instructing UPS to leave the package you were expecting.

Several control system products including lighting systems, thermostats, and shade controls are designed to operate efficiently, replacing several products and drawing less power. Integration solutions offer significant energy savings by providing daylight harvesting and automating lights, drapes, thermostats and sprinklers/fountains based on daylight, time, motion, occupancy, temperature, humidity and other conditions. By integrating the disparate environmental systems, efficiencies are increased exponentially and may contribute toward LEED Certification. Many options are available to suit your needs.


To truly experience the benefits of a home control system, the interface has to be easy to understand and simple to use. Infinitely customizable, the sky is the limit with how your home can be adapted to your lifestyle. The system can turn music on or off, preheat the pool or spa just in time for your arrival and can be set for individual preferences for each member of your family. When you arrive home, and enter your code to change security alarm settings, it can automatically turn on your favorite music or television channel and the lights for your path from garage to bedroom.

Digital Home Lifestyles is my choice for installing home theaters and entertainment systems that are unparalleled in Arizona. Their technology partners are the top of the line and systems can be designed specifically for you and your home - whether you have a dedicated theater space or want to conceal it within a living room, family room or outdoor area. They professionally design a media system according to your desires, and can present you with a budget in minutes, making changes in real time until you are satisfied with both the technology features and price. Then they work with your designer and builder to install it seamlessly into your home. As a designer, I appreciate that speakers and controls can be easily matched to be nearly invisible and integrate into your decor, no matter what the color or style.

For more information about integrating your home and lifestyle, anywhere in the world, contact Sesshu Design Associates or Digital Home Lifestyles directly.

Lighting - what's the real deal with CFL vs Incandescent?

There's so much confusion out there - are CFL's really the answer? What about the mercury in them? What about the quality of the light - I don't like fluorescent light? and on and on...
Well, the incandescent light bulb may not really be going away at all, and the newer CFL's are much, much better.
Check out this article for more - Lighting: The Need to Be Green
A new federal law is forcing the 50-cent light bulb into an uneasy retirement.
Penny Bonda
Interior Design · February 20, 2008


"Yes, it's true what you've heard. The law starts phasing out "general service lamps" in 2012 but only the inefficient ones—our beloved "A" lamps, sold in 4-packs for $2.69 that provide the just the right brightness, color temperature and dimmability. "R" lamps, also gone—as are most halogens as we know them. By 2014, all lamps must be 30% more efficient than today's products. Since a huge percentage of all lamps currently sold are on the banned list, the lighting industry and its customers, including designers and all consumers, will have to make changes. The residential sector will take a bigger hit than commercial, which has always been more likely to depend on fluorescent lamps."

More...

A new light wave

Lately I've been hearing a lot about LED lights. It seems this is the next new thing in lighting. We are already seeing it being used in televisions and other applications. Now LED is making its way into standard lighting applications.

It is perfect for things such as holiday lights because they don't get hot like other bulbs. Right now, LED is primarily used in architectural fixtures like rope lighting, track lighting and step lights, but bulbs that fit a standard socket are available. (The standard socket bulbs are very expensive, but that will change in the next few years, just as the compact flurescent bulbs have gotten cheaper s they grew in popularity.) More and more decorative lighting companies are designing accent lighting using LED technology.

What is LED?
LEDs (light emitting diodes) are solid-state semiconductor devices that can convert electrical energy directly into light.
Features and Benefits of LEDs

1). Save money and energy. Generally, a LED consumes less than 0.1 watts to operate. This low power consumption means you save on your energy costs.
2). No heat output. LEDs can convert almost all the energy used into light creating a highly efficient light source. In
contrast, today's incandescent bulbs emit a lot of energy in the infrared spectrum which can't be seen. We know this wasted energy as the heat today's bulbs give off.
3). Long lifetime. A LED can last up to 100,000 hours. High Power LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours. In comparison an incandescent lifetime
is about 1,000 hours and a halogen is about 2,000 hours.
4). Environmentally safe. LEDs are made from non-toxic materials unlike flourescents which contain Mercury. Can also be recycled.
5). Durable. No loose or moving parts. Able to withstand cold, hot, and magnetic environments.

Using almost 90% less electricity than standard bulbs, lasting up to and beyond ten years, and producing an even spectrum of light that is unparalleled; the future of lighting is Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The Department of Energy has stated a goal to reduce electrical lighting energy consumption by 50% percent by the year 2025 through the use of LEDs. Market studies predict that by 2040 LEDs will have replaced all other sources of artificial light in the developed world. When LEDs are universally implemented there will never be a need for another power plant. By far LEDs are the most dramatic change and realistic way for each of us to conserve energy and save our natural resources.
When the light emitting diode was invented in the 1968, it was not even considered as potential competition for incandescent light. It was not nearly powerful or bright enough. However, over the last 35 years, Moore’s law has continued to be proven true. LED luminosity has doubled every 18 to 24 months since and is now finally ready to overtake the entire lighting market. LEDs can be used in any residential and commercial space. Equally as important, LEDs are made of plastic making them nearly indestructible.
Nearly everyone experiences the benefits of LED lighting several times a day, whether they realize it or not. Televisions, VCRs, billboards, Christmas lights, cell phones, car lights, stoplights and walk signals are all built with LEDs. At our current rate of progress, LEDs will be able to replace every light bulb in existence by 2010. Although LEDs may cost more up front, analysts estimate they pay for themselves within the first two years of their eleven-year lifespan. For some consumers the initial cost continues to be a barrier, in the near future this will be eliminated. Like the advancement of computers, LEDs are not only growing in power and capacity, but consistently dropping in price.