Founded by Tom Kretzschmar and Jim Stephens back in 1980, Illuminations Lighting Design was formed as a subsidiary of Rulon Electric Company to focus on the art of lighting.

Tom became interested in the idea of specialty lighting and saw its potential in the Houston area, especially among customers of the family business. His grandfather, Eldred Otis Rulon, at the end of World War II, started the electrical service company that bears his name, catering to the city's upper economic echelon. Tom's father, Gary, who had married Otis's daughter, May Lee, was eventually handed the reigns of the business and set it on a path of aggressive growth.

After attending Southwest Texas State University and joining the family business, he met Jim Stephens who also had an interest in lighting. Stephens had taught theatrical lighting design at Syracuse University and later was head lighting designer at the famous Alley Theater in Houston. After his career with the Alley, he and Kretzschmar teamed up to created what is now know today as Illuminations Lighting Design.

As a unique two man team, Tom and Jim, quickly honed their skills and created a growing list of loyal clients who appreciated their passion for lighting. Interestingly, twenty five years later, with a staff of 45, Illuminations Lighting Design is still the only game in town doing what is does and is the largest as well. This includes almost everything related to lighting, encompassing consulting, designing, installations, sales and maintenance for interior, exterior landscape lighting as well as home automation services.

To continue the dream and expand the company services, new design and engineering talent has been added to the war chest of talent at Illuminations. Rick Luberger heads the Landscape Lighting division of the company. Louis Torregrossa, master electrician, heads the Electrical Division of the firm. Tom Kretzschmar continues to be a driving force behind the synergy of talent and maintain contact with their precious list of loyal customers.

Illuminations Lighting Design has evolved into a "one stop shop" for everything electrical in your home or office. Our clients live mostly in River Oaks, West University and Memorial and a few other upper end neighborhoods. They also extend to commercial developments and private homes such as Wyoming ranches, Colorado resorts, New Mexico retreats, Oklahoma mansions, Louisiana plantations, and New York lofts to name a few.

For more information regarding the services from Illuminations Lighting Design, visit our web site at www.illuminationslighting.com or contact us toll free at 800-863-1184.

Join us in celebrating our 25th year of business by viewing our Client Testimonials to see what people are saying about our services. Like music, lighting sets the mood!

RadioRa, the world's first radio frequency lighting control system, uses innovative communication technology and built-in safeguards to ensure reliable wireless communication between all system components.

RadioRA can be installed in any home - including existing homes, late-stage construction, and new homes - without rewiring or patching and painting! Simply replace existing switches with Radio Ra dimmers and add master controllers to any convenient location to create one-touch lighting control of one room or your entire home. Illuminations Lighting Design is a RadioRA Preferred Systems Provider for Lutron dimming and control products, including HomeWorks.

Here are some of the possibilities with Radio Ra from Illuminations Lighting Design:

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  Turn lights on from a master control and never enter a dark house again.
  
  
  
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  Touch one button when you leave for a night out and set all your lights for an "at-home" look.
  
  
  
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  Create beautiful outdoor lighting environments with one touch of a button.
  
  
  
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  Use lighting to create the mood for a dinner party or for entertaining a house full of friends and family.
  
  
  
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  Bring the show to life with lighting that compliments any home theater, living room, family room or TV room.
  
  
  
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  Light your house with one touch of the All On button, Radio Ra can also be linked to your home's security system.
  
  
  
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  And the best for last. Are you frustrated with lights being left on at night? A single touch on a Master Control by the bed will turn off every light in the house. Prefer a nightlight? Radio Ra can be set up to leave one or more lights on at night.
  
  
  

AMX is all about making your life and your environment easier to control and manage. AMX user interfaces talk with the central controllers which interact with device controllers. Simply put, just push a button and say "WOW."

Simplify Your Life
At work. At play. AMX Corporation incorporates one-touch control solutions to make business and home the perfect blends of technology and simplicity. Since its inception in 1982, AMX has led the industry with innovative control system products - sophisticated technology designed to be easy to use and understand. The company's strategy includes working with leading manufacturers, dealers and distributors to develop powerful control systems that successfully integrate and automate literally thousands of electronic devices. It's Your World.

A typical AMX integrated system consists of four components: user interfaces, central controllers, communications and integration software, and controlled devices.

User interfaces, which allow the user to control the system, can be as simple as a wireless remote, or as sophisticated as a color touch panel. AMX user interfaces come in a variety of shapes and sizes to best match the needs of their users.

Central controllers are the components that tie together the various devices controlled by the system. They are integrated invisibly into the system environment to do the work "behind the scenes."

The third component, communications and integration software, runs inside the central controllers and acts as the "brain" between the user and the system components.

The final component, the controlled devices, are simply put any equipment connected to the system that the user wishes to operate. Controlled devices can include communications devices, such as telephones, intercom systems, and computers; environmental devices, such as lights, thermostats, security systems, and window treatments; and audio/visual devices, such as televisions, VCRs, DVDs, cameras, and satellite systems.

In homes all over the world, you'll find AMX technology making life easier, increasing efficiency and generally making life more fun and exciting. AMX systems can automate home theaters, lighting, security systems, HVAC systems, communication devices and more. The only limitation is your imagination!

To learn more about HOME AUTOMATION or how to simplify your life through a well designed automated control system, contact the HOME AUTOMATION SPECIALISTS at Illuminations Lighting Design toll free at 800-863-1184.

Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm located in Houston Texas specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance. We handle Crestron electronics, Lutron dimmer controls, Vantage dimmer controls, Lutron Radio Ra and other home automation products. Our experienced staff of professional lighting designers, system engineers and licensed electricians is well trained in all aspects of new home construction, remodeling, electrical wiring, home automation, architectural lighting and landscape lighting design.

Since 1980, Illuminations has worked with architects, interior designers, custom home builders, contractors and homeowners by providing professional services, from consulting, CAD drawings, documentation and project management, to furnishing, installing and fine tuning all types of lighting fixtures and control systems.

Don't you deserve the same or better quality of cellular service inside your building as outside? Are you tired of saying.................

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW"?

Isn't it crazy that you can use your cell phone in your parking lot or driveway, but not inside your own home or office? Our Cell Antenna Building Repeater solutions will bring in those weak cellular phone signals reducing dropped calls and allowing you to use cell phones ...even deep inside a building. Our system works with all types of cellular phones, regardless of your service provider or brand of phone that you have.

We are not a cell phone provider, but a Home Automation Company that finds solutions to everyday audio video and communication problems. If you are sick and tired of dropped calls or the fact that you can't take advantage of your free cellular air time from the comfort of your own home, give us a call today.

For more information regarding cellular signal solutions, contact Illuminations Lighting Design. We are located in Houston, Texas and have been serving Texans since 1980. We can be reached at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184.

A side from all the Audio/Video equipment, speaker and subwoofer placement is the foundation for a true home theater experience. The shape of the room, paint, furniture, texture of the walls and color of the walls and furniture can enhance or distort sound in a room; therefore, the ability to evaluate a room for proper placement of speakers and subwoofers becomes even more crucial.

Some of the basic factors used to determine the placement are:

Room size
Room shape
Speakers installation (in-wall, in-ceiling, floor standing, etc)
Speaker and subwoofer specifications
Primary viewing distance
Secondary viewing

To truly understand the importance of speaker placement, let us for a moment wear our physicists' hat. Sound behaves just like light. There is reflection, refraction and diffusion of sound in a room. If the speakers are not placed in most optimized locations, there will be dead zones as well as really loud zones in the room. This will cause some viewers to turn up the volume while others will want to lower the volume depending on the seating location.

For a complete evaluation of your home theater or assistance designing a new media room in your office or home please contact Illuminations at 713-863-1133. ILD is a CEDIA (Consumer Electronic Design and Installation Association) Certified Designer as well as being certified in both Vantage and Lutron Lighting Controls.

Illuminations Lighting Design is full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance. Our experienced staff of professional lighting designers, system engineers and licensed electricians is well trained in all aspects of new home construction, remodeling, electrical wiring, home automation, architectural lighting and landscape lighting design. Illuminations works with architects, interior designers, custom home builders, contractors and homeowners by providing professional services, from consulting, CAD drawings, documentation and project management, to furnishing, installing and fine tuning all types of lighting fixtures and control systems.

What do the initials IALD signify after your name? I've heard that is an important designation to look for in a lighting designer.

You are correct that that is an important designation, as it tells you much about the person's knowledge, experience, and dedication to your needs as a client. IALD stands for International Association of Lighting Designers. The over-700 lighting designers around the world who are members of the IALD hold a position of distinction and authority in the lighting design profession. The IALD sets forth a strict code of ethics for its members and strives to set the global standard for lighting design excellence by promoting the advancement and recognition of professional lighting design services.

There are many different grades of membership, but in order to list the letters after your name you must be voted in as a Professional Member. The voting process is a rigorous one in which an Associate member, who has taken a lead role in practicing lighting design for four or more years, puts forward a portfolio of their professional work to be judged by their colleagues. The portfolio and application are literally passed around the world to select international members and voted upon as to whether the applicant demonstrates the knowledge and design ability to uphold the standards of the organization.

Not just anyone that works in lighting can even apply to be a Professional Member. The IALD is an internationally recognized organization dedicated solely to he concerns of independent, professional lighting designers. In practice that means that means that factory representatives, lighting showroom salesman, and many other professionals that work in lighting cannot be considered for Professional Membership. Keeping the membership purely to independent consultants insures that an IALD member will be working in the client's best interest, with knowledge and experience, and without any ties to individual manufacturers or sales quotas.

The experienced lighting designers of Illuminations Lighting Design understand the elusive science of lighting. They also know their tools--the world's best lighting products--and how to effectively harness them. By working with architects, interior designers, builders, and owners to create custom designs and specifications, consistently high quality is assured.

For more information regarding the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIGHTING DESIGNERS please contact Illuminations Lighting Design at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184.

Unfortunately there are just too many factors that affect the number of lights needed to give a straight answer to this question. Factors include: the interior finishes of the room (Dark woods? Light colored walls? Large mirrors?), the type and size of recessed fixture used (4" aperture, 6" aperture, 2" pinhole aperture, black baffle or diffuse reflector?), the type and wattage of light bulb used (Reflector lamp? Diffuse A-Lamp?), and the intended function of the room (Is it a busy kitchen? An office? A circulation space? A bedroom that needs soft reading light?)

As lighting designers, when we look at a room, it is rare that we are looking at it to figure out simply "how many fixtures" it will need to give it a blanket of light. Instead we are considering all of the above questions as well as "Where can we add accent lights? Would the architecture benefit from an indirect cove or up lights? Would decorative sconces or a pendant enhance the interior design? Will specific task lighting aid in the function of the room?" More often than not we draw from several of these areas when compiling a lighting design - combining light types, intensities, and functions simply makes for the best design both aesthetically and functionally.

For lighting design assistance for your home or office contact Tom Kretzschmar at Illuminations Lighting Design toll free at 800-863-1184 or locally at 713-863-1133.

You're wise to be considering a lighting control system - there are many advantages! One of the main features that our clients like is that with a dimming system you can potentially control ANY of the loads on the system from ANY of the controls or keypads. Additionally you can CHANGE though programming what each keypad controls at any point in the future should your mind change - not something you can do with hardwired switches. This may seem somewhat frivolous at first, but can actually be an excellent tool for both convenience and safety. For example: You can program a button at the top of your stairs to turn off all of the lights downstairs - handy for coming to bed at the end of a long day. Likewise you can have a button by your garage that will turn off any lights that have been left on throughout the house - great for convenience and energy savings! Or turn on a pathway of lights when you come home.

A lot of people like that they can have a "panic" button in their bedroom that, when pressed, will turn on all the lights on the house (or a select pathway), a comforting feature should you think you hear an intruder or have a medical emergency. You can even have, for instance, your front porch lights flash when this button is pressed to guide authorities to the correct house in the event of an emergency. A one-button-control for multiple loads is handy aesthetically too. Assuming your lighting design includes circuits for ambient lights, multiple accent groupings, decorative lights, task, lamps, etc, you will have many loads in each room. To have to turn on, let alone "set," each of these loads every time you walk in the room would be a huge disruption. Instead you can have one keypad at the door with preset scenes that will bring up all the right loads to the right level.

An additional benefit to a lighting control system is that it has several built in features. Among them is an astronomical time clock that allows you, for example, to set your landscape lighting to come on at sunset everyday and turn off at sunrise. No more having to change a time clock from 5 to 6 to 7 as the seasons change, dealing with faulty photocells, or worse, having to remember to turn switches on and off.

One of the favorite benefits of a Lutron Radio Ra lighting control system, from an aesthetic standpoint, is simply that you have much less wall clutter. As I mentioned, once you get several circuits in a large room (and often multiple entries from which to control them) you can literally wind up with banks of wall box dimmers a foot or more in length at each door. That's neither convenient nor attractive! Putting all those loads on a control system will allow you to have one sleek keypad the size of a single switch or (smaller) in any location that you want control.

For more information on lighting control systems please contact the home automation department at Illuminations Lighting Design or call toll free at 800-863-1184.

Yes it is! When dimming incandescent or fluorescent loads you can expect your energy savings to be roughly equal to the amount you dim the circuit (For example if you dim a circuit 10%, you will use 10% less energy than you would if you kept it on full). In addition, there is another really great reason to use dimmers throughout your house, and this is one most people don't realize: Dimming incandescent loads drastically increases lamp life (while you still get energy savings dimming fluorescent, there is no impact to it's lamp life by adding a dimmer). If you dim an incandescent load just 10% (a difference that would be barely noticeable to the human eye) the lamp life on those light bulbs will double. If you dim the lights 25%, the lamp life quadruples, and if you dim the light level 75% your lamp life extends more than 20 times! With the typical residential incandescent light bulbs having one of the shortest life spans out there (an average of 1-2000 hours), this can be a huge help, especially in hard to reach areas. Besides these great functional reasons to use dimmers, they are also key for adding flexibility to a space, giving the ability to set mood, and giving the ability to control aesthetics. Those are just some of the reasons that we recommend that our clients employ dimmers THROUGHOUT their home!


Illuminations Lighting Design has developed into Texas’ first full-service specialty lighting company over twenty years ago by producing a fusion of ideas, science and art that began to change the way people see and experience their environments. We have developed a stellar client roster, which includes some of America’s finest homes, museums, offices, hotels, resorts and country clubs. In conclusion, we hope that you will consider Illuminations Lighting Design for Fine Art Lighting, Display Lighting, Landscape Lighting, Decorative Lighting, Lutron Control Systems, Chandelier Installations, Residential Generator Systems, Home Remodeling, Electrical Remodeling, Home Automation, Home Theaters and New Home Wiring.

For more information regarding Lutron Dimming Controls or a Vantage Lighting Control System please contact the lighting professionals at Illuminations Lighting Design. We can be reached at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184. We welcome your call.