flexiblefullpage - default

The Lighting Doctor

Outside of a home with landscape lights on. Photo: Jeff Zaruba
Landscape lighting should be subtle. The goal is to draw attention to what is being illuminated as opposed to the light source itself. Photo: Jeff Zaruba
TIP 1: Be street smart As you’ve heard many times before, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” From the street, the way a house looks at night says a lot about the people inside.… more
Room with recessed lighting and bright artwork on the walls
Existing recessed fixtures can be retrimmed to make them adjustable, then just replace the existing bulbs with LED versions.
TIP 1: The old switcheroo The quick and easy thing to do is to replace the existing incandescent or CFL bulbs with LEDs. Most bulbs these days have an LED equivalent. There are now shelves and… more
TIP 1: Go with the flow It used to be that kitchens were separated from the rest of the house by doors or a pass-through to the dining room. Because the kitchen was set apart, lighting didn’t… more
Q: What is the correct mounting height for a fixture or chandelier over a dining room table? A: First off, I’ll provide a guideline: The bottom of the fixture should be 32 to 36 inches above the… more
Q: I am currently working on a new construction residence and I have a difference of opinion with the electrical engineer regarding placement of junction boxes for wall sconces. At what height do we… more
Trace sputnik swing arm lamp with Chrome accents and a Matte Black finish from Quoizel
Quoizel's Trace chandelier has adjustable arms, so how do you determine how high to hang it? Lighting Doctor Randall Whitehead has the answer.
Getting the correct height for these bedside fixtures is crucial, says our expert. See what advice Lighting Doctor Randall Whitehead has to offer curious readers in this blog. Q.: Randall, what is… more
bathroom mirror vanity lighting
Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

The Lighting Doctor explains where to hang a bathroom mirror and sconces above a vanity. 

Two hanging pendants, one centered and one off center junction box
Photo: Pexels
Q: I can’t find lighting for over my oval dining table. The junction box is 16 inches off the side of the table and can’t be moved because the ceiling is concrete.   A: Yes, you do have a bit of the… more
130V light bulb
Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

The Lighting Doctor outlines the pros and cons of using 130V light bulbs.

Concrete ceiling lighting ideas for a work space with concrete ceilings and hanging pendants
Photo by Marc Mueller from Pexels
Q: We have moved into a fantastic high-rise condominium, but we have a problem: The ceilings are concrete and we just have one junction box in the main room. How do we do anything beyond track? A:… more
Reading Lights and Bedside Reading Lights
Bedside recessed lighting (like these Halos from Eaton) takes thought and calculation.
Our lighting expert, Randall Whitehead, the Lighting Doctor, tells a cozy bedtime story about perfectly positioning reading lights. Inspired by airplane lighting, he recommends installing recessed… more
leaderboard2 - default