Lighting + value
The $27 downlight that made the specification
A $27 fitting made the shortlist because it met the brief. The interesting part was deciding what that brief should ask of it.
Read more ↗Projects + experiments + blog
Ideas worked through.
Projects, practical experiments and notes on making spaces feel right and work well.
Lighting design
Stop Putting Downlights in a Grid
Start with what the room needs to do. The ceiling can wait.
Read more ↗Audio + integration
The Bose split soundbar
The sound of an older Bose system with the ease of a modern soundbar. Getting there meant giving each piece of equipment a different job.
Read more ↗Approach
I Design the Light and What Happens When You Press the Switch
The fitting and the behaviour are one design problem.
Read more ↗Everyday automation
Have the washing finished by eight.
A Bosch washing machine, Home Assistant and a simple goal: load it before bed and have the washing ready in the morning.
Read more ↗Approach
The Lighting Plan Nobody Owns
Competent people can deliver their own part while the overall experience falls between them.
Read more ↗Control + access
A smart intercom should make answering easier
Getting an apartment buzzer onto a phone sounded useful. Trying to answer the door showed how much depends on the steps between the alert and letting someone in.
Read more ↗Control + automation
A Good Smart Home Still Has Light Switches
Guests should be able to turn on a light without being onboarded.
Read more ↗Renovation
The Decisions You Must Make Before the Plaster Goes On
A planning checklist for the details that become harder to change once walls close.
Read more ↗Lighting design
2700K, 3000K and Dim-to-Warm: What Actually Belongs in a Home
Choose with the room in front of you, not a rule copied from another house.
Read more ↗Control + automation
Why Your Motion Sensor Keeps Turning the Lights Off While You Are Still There
No detected movement is not the same thing as an empty room.
Read more ↗Control + automation
Five Lighting Scenes Are Usually Four Too Many
A provocation about useful choices, not a numerical design rule.
Read more ↗Control + automation
The Problem With Smart Bulbs in Permanently Powered Fittings
Powering the electronics is only half the control design.
Read more ↗Control + automation
Home Assistant, Apple Home or a Proprietary System? Start With the House
The platform decision comes after the everyday brief.
Read more ↗Lighting design
How to Light a Bathroom Without Making It Feel Like a Clinic
Practical light at the mirror and a calmer room around it.
Read more ↗Lighting design
Kitchen Lighting Is Not One Row of Downlights
Preparation, dining and the end of the evening deserve different light.
Read more ↗Renovation
Where LED Drivers Should Live
Concealed is useful. Inaccessible is expensive.
Read more ↗Lighting design
What “Dimmable” Fails to Tell You
A label is not a description of the low end.
Read more ↗Consult + rescue
How to Rescue a Lighting Plan Halfway Through a Renovation
Find the decisions that are still open before replacing everything.
Read more ↗Approach
Why the Electrician’s Quote Is Not a Lighting Design
Installation scope and the intended experience answer different questions.
Read more ↗Control + automation
A Smart Home Should Fail Gracefully
Design the ordinary failure cases before they become surprises.
Read more ↗Control + automation
The Case Against Touchscreens for Everything
A screen is useful when the task benefits from a screen.
Read more ↗Lighting design
Lighting Artwork Without Lighting the Entire Wall
Choose the beam around the work and the way it is seen.
Read more ↗Renovation
Can an Existing Home Be Automated Without Rewiring Everything?
Often there are useful options. Start by finding out what is already there.
Read more ↗