The Lighting Doctor

Interior Design: Wright-Simpkins. Photo: Christian Wright

Decorative Lighting Fixtures Enhance Traditional Design

In this Minneapolis home, the decorative LED lighting fixtures steal the show.

The Lighting Doctor, Randall Whitehead

Sensorio Paso Robles — From the highest vantage point you can look down and see most of the installation. Numerous pathways allow you to meander through these alluring the fields of light. Photo by Randall Whitehead

A Trip to the Sensorio Fiber Optic Lighting Installation

The 5-acre display is an impressive use of solar-powered fiber optic lighting technology.

Randall Whitehead, fiber optics, Sensorio

Color is Key in Commercial Lighting Design

Inspired uses of color in Key West businesses.

Randall Whitehead

Fishing for Compliments

Farallon Restaurant in San Francisco uses unique decorative lighting fixtures to set an aquatic scene.

The Lighting Doctor, Randall Whitehead, Hospitality Design

Randall Whitehead Lighting for Apartment Living — Interior Design: Turner Martin; Photo: Randall Whitehead

Optimizing Lighting for Apartment Life

Many people live in apartments and don’t have the ability to add permanently installed lighting. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have good lighting, it simply means you need to be a little bit more creative about how to get the illumination you want.

Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, Apartment Lighting, Portable Lighting, Home Design for Apartments, Interior Design Apartments

Using LED Light to Create Artwork

Portland art gallery creates sculptural LED art.

Dave Meeker, Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, light as art

Randall Whitehead Lighting Doctor Accent Lights — Avoid Museum Syndrome by using the right balance of lighting fixtures.

The Right Light Balance Puts an Accent on the Positive

As I have mentioned before, there are four functions of light — Task, Accent, Decorative and Ambient. Each one plays an important role in creating a cohesive lighting design. Here is an explanation… more

Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, accent lighting, museum effect, gallery lighting, lighting balance, task lighting, ambient lighting, decorative lighting, loft living

Randall Whitehead EYE Museum of Film Amsterdam bathroom — This restroom is at the EYE Museum of Film in Amsterdam. All of the private stalls are off to the right (you can see the beautiful wood doors reflected in the mirror) and then people come out to wash their hands. There’s continuous lighting above and below the mirrors to create flattering face light. The pristine cubbies below the sinks are also went with linear LED lighting. Photo by Randall Whitehead.

To Pee or Not to Pee?: Holland's Exquisite Bathroom Lighting

I have just come back from a trip to Holland and I must say that the bathrooms and the public restrooms were not only spotless, they were also quite beautiful. Every public bathroom, whether in the… more

Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, bathroom lighting, Hospitality, hotel lighting

colorful, theatrical lighting at Rothy's shoe store. — Rothy's shoe store transforms it's visuals at night with colorful lighting.

Is There a Place for Saturated Color Lighting at Retail? Rothy's Thinks So.

During the day I had passed by Rothy’s shoe store, located in the Upper Fillmore shopping district of San Francisco, many times. They manufacture a line of fashionable shoes made from recycled… more

Colorful Lighting, LED Theatrical Lighting, benefits of LED lighting, Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, Rothy's Shoes, Rothy's

pendants — The deeply shielded pendant fixtures offer illumination for dining without casting harsh shadows on people’s faces. Lighting below the counter shows off the tile detailing and subtly invites people up to the counter. The lighting inside the open kitchen matches the color temperature of the lighting within the restaurant so that feels more integrated into the overall setting. (Photos: Randall Whitehead)

Architecture Counts for Good Lighting Design

Working with an architect and understanding a space's purpose can help direct lighting choices.

lighting design, Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor

CPMC Hospital in San Francisco is a good example of Resimercial Design — CPMC hospital has just opened up in San Francisco. The furnishings and the lighting give it the feel of a contemporary hotel. Warm colored LEDs, Integrated into the architecture and decorative fixtures, add to the allure.

Resimercial Design Warms Up Even the Most Sterile Spaces

For those of you who are not familiar with the term, resimercial, it refers to the trend that we’re seeing in commercial spaces where they are now being designed to have a more residential appearance… more

Resimercial, Hospital interior design, commercial interior design, Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor

Randall Whitehead, the Lighting Doctor, chandeliers and pendants — LEDs allow designers and manufacturers to create fixtures that were not possible, using traditional light sources. Photo by Randall Whitehead

Lost in Transition

What differentiates a chandelier from a pendant? For me, the rule of thumb was that a chandelier had arms and a pendant fixture does not. It was also generally felt that chandeliers are more… more

Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, chandelier, Pendant, LED, LED chandelier, LED pendant, decorative lighting, Lighting Doctor

The Lighting Doctor talks about the importance of layered lighting — These pendant fixtures help create an intimate seating area within a much large space.

Multiple Personalities

I really like the trend of hanging multiple fixtures in a space. Visually, something happens that turns the fixtures into more than just lighting. They become room dividers or can help make rooms… more

Randall Whitehead, The Lighting Doctor, layered lighting, residential lighting, restaurant lighting

Lighting Functions — Different Lights for different purposes

A Tisket, A Task Light

Lighting really does have a language to it. There are terminologies to help us categorize the specific jobs they have in creating a cohesive lighting design. While we are now adjusting to some of… more

Lighting Doctor, Randall Whitehead, four functions of light, light layering, task lighting , ambient lighting, decorative lighting, accent lighting, lighting design, lighting language

Paper-looking lantern designed by Isamu Noguchi

Light as Art: The Light Sculptures of Isamu Noguchi

There are just a few lighting fixture designers that have stayed in the public consciousness over the years. One of them, a favorite of mine, is Isamu Noguchi. His light sculptures, made of simple… more

Isamu Noguchi, lighting designer

Stone wall and iron bookshelf with backlighting — This elegant stone wall is dramatically illuminated, using a wall grazer which projects a light straight down the very narrow beam spread. Photo: Randall Whitehead

It’s a Wash: Techniques for Evenly Illuminating Vertical Surfaces

Washing walls with light has become a whole lot easier. Before LEDs came along, you were pretty much stuck with track lights, using flood bulbs or recessed fixtures with reflectors and spread lenses… more

LED, Lighting Doctor, color temperature, Color Rendering Index, Shelf lighting

Sculpture with lighting shining on it — When accent lighting is done effectively it moves people’s gaze throughout the space. Recessed adjustable fixtures, using LED MR 16 lamps, help add focus to the art and decorative objects. (Photo: Randall Whitehead)

Accentuate the Positive

Good lighting design uses various types of illumination to create an inviting overall environment. As you have heard me say before, the best lighting happens when you layer different types of… more

Randall Whitehead, Lighting Doctor, accent lighting, decorative lighting, task lighting , ambient lighting

Bedside Manner: Lamps Enhance Bedroom Decor, Functionality

Whether for reading or a decorative accent next to the bed, lamps can enhance the design of a bedroom.

bedroom lighting, table lamp, portable lamp, ambient lighting

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