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.jpg) Ceiling lights are most effective when they produce multiple layers of light that provide a sense of sourcelessness to both task and decorative lighting types. Ideally, ceiling lighting should minimize the physical appearance of fixtures and create an even distribution of general lighting that maintains at all times appropriate levels of light necessary in whatever environment they are located. With very few exceptions found only in purely decorative, aesthetic applications such as museum or public display lighting, ceiling lighting should disperse illumination with the intent of eliminating all visible pockets of shadows in the room. This is especially true in commercial lighting projects, but it is also very necessary for quality living space in residential settings. Likewise, while bright light is often necessary both in a home and a workspace, ceiling lights should be used that feature specification grade fixture designs and advanced optics and reflectors when appropriate. This optimizes the photometric capabilities of the lamps housed inside the fixtures, and it eliminates glare that can cause discomfort to human eyes. Finally, almost all ceiling lights should compliment function with form by adding a decorative touch to the room.
There are many different ceiling lights from which you can choose that conceal themselves as much as possible above the line of sight. Concealment, as we define it, is actually a matter of degree and never and absolute. No architectural custom lighting in the ceiling is completely invisible if you stare straight up at the ceiling, so it is not necessary to waste time or money in an attempt to go to extremes of concealment. It works much better to find ceiling lights that take a “low profile” position in relation to the normal angles of view that people standing, walking, through the room or sitting in the room normally perceive. In order to correctly determine what types of fixtures you should use, whether they should be low voltage or line voltage in nature, and what number you will actually need really requires the assistance of a trained lighting consultant familiar with the many new technologies now available that can help your home or business save power, look better, and achieve new levels of décor previously unavailable even in purely decorative lighting. Working with professionals also gives you access to US-manufactured, specification grade ceiling lights that will last longer and perform much better than foreign equivalents and retail quality fixtures.
Glare and shadows are the two main enemies that work against you in virtually any interior lighting design, and ceiling lights play a crucial role in the elimination of both. Like we mentioned earlier, there are SOME settings (such as statuary and 3-D abstract art lighting) where shadows are deliberatively generated by lighting specialists in order to create special effects. In most cases, however, the opposite is almost always the rule. Shadows and glare have to be eliminated at all costs. This is where ceiling lights can shine at their brightest, so to speak. Unlike lamps and wall art lights that can often be very focused and intense, many varieties ceiling lights work to create a general “wash” of indirect light that cascades down the walls and over the central areas of work and human traffic. This will eliminate the glare that is often caused by overly relying on singular, bright ceiling lights that shine direct lighting only down onto the room. Because this light resembles a soft, ambient field more than a direct beam of bright luminance, it also dispels shadows more effectively by shining light on all points of the room at once. When objects are “surrounded by light” in this manner, shadows have no place to linger.
After this general field of light has been created in the room, brighter, direct-lighting ceiling fixtures can then be added to selectively shine additional, brighter light on work areas, artwork, aisles, kitchen counters, and special rooms within a home. While commercial and residential lighting are two separate disciplines, ceiling lights used in one discipline are commonly found in the other. Furthermore, installing ceiling lighting fixtures controlled by one or more Lutron wallbox dimmers or lighting control systems can exponentially multiply their effectiveness both functionally and aesthetically in both commercial and residential environments. Light control systems for homes and businesses can use the same set of ceiling lights to create multiple lighting effects and themes. Because there is always a practical element within aesthetic lighting, and some level of aesthetic sense intrinsic within task lighting, you can now adjust the "mix" of these two factors to become your own lighting designers simply by turning up one group of ceiling lights and turning down another. That’s sophistication at its finest and most convenient, and it is available to you now through Lutron distributors like Illuminations Lighting and Design to businesses and residents throughout Houston and Greater Texas.
Illuminations Lighting Design is the only “One Stop” destination for lighting design services, engineering, landscape lighting services and installation in the state of Texas, and remains unrivaled by any lighting firm in the United States for lighting that is art. As homes grow larger and needs become more complex, having a single resource provides home owners with peace of mind. This translates into a smoother process, reduced costs and a better product.
Like fine wine, Illuminations has matured and become a classic for those clients with a discriminating palate for comfort, mood and ambiance. Click here or call 1-800-863-1184 for an free consultation now.Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Ceiling Lighting, Decorative Ceiling Lighting, Low Voltage Lighting, Recessed Accent Fixtures
 When we talk about home lighting systems, we are actually referring to a group of Lutron products that have the ability to automate the lighting on a whole-house level. Home lighting systems differ from home lighting controls in this manner, because one may conceivably use lighting controls in only a single room, and not the entirety of the house per se. Such a strategy is rare however, in residential settings, because today’s homeowner tends to expect a great deal more from his or her residence than the homeowner of 30 years ago. Most clients of Lutron vendors like Illuminations Lighting and Design choose to implement a comprehensive home lighting system that will give them one-touch control of everything both within and around the house. Depending on the size and age of the house, there are three Lutron home lighting system options available to clients throughout Houston and Greater Texas.
HomeWorks Lighting Controls
Lutron HomeWorks® is a popular home lighting system that is very well-known and that has witness a great deal of success over the past few years. Lutron HomeWorks features conditional logic that allows the home lighting system to be programmed for intuitive behavior. For example, the HomeWorks home lighting system can sense when it is beginning to get dark outside and turn on the architectural and landscape lights automatically. Most people report that they more secure after we install their HomeWorks system, as the lights are still on when they leave for work in the morning and have already come on by themselves when they return home at night.
This level of precision and comfort is made possible by a combination of programming and light sensitive sensors that enable the home lighting system to “sense” changes in external lighting. Interior lights, meanwhile, can be preset using Lutron GRAFIK Eye or Spacer System controls to come on at the push of a button. These effects can be further augmented by integrating controls with various other aspects of home automation, including whole house audio and home theater integration.
RadioRA® Lutron Controls
Unfortunately, many older homes cannot be fitted with the latest home automation systems due to the fact that older wiring will have to be replaced completely for newer home automation and lighting control technology to work. For these houses, ILD recommends Lutron’s RadioRA home lighting system. This system requires no new wiring for installation, and proves ideal for older historic homes and larger homes built in the late 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s.
The RadioRa has been engineered to seamlessly integrate with any floor plan and unobtrusively blend into interior structures and architecture. RadioRA home lighting systems uses wireless, RF radio signals instead of wires when communicating with its various components. They can be configured to control a portion of the home recessed lighting fixtures, specific groupings of fixtures, or the entire indoor and outdoor lighting system within and around the house. RadioRA also remotely controls lighting from your car visor with the push of a button, and it can be used to manipulate lighting around the deck or pool outside via hand-held remotes. Aficionados of eclectic home-based entertainment and cinema particularly value this benefit, as it enables them to a party at home that is better than nightlife any night of the week.
AuroRa® Lighting Dimmers
This is Lutron's latest and greatest innovation in home lighting systems. It expands the previous wireless technology of the RadioRA into new arenas of comfort, intuitive control, and advanced home automation. With the AuroRa system, you can press a button and create a safe path of light to, through and around the home with wireless control of 5 areas of outdoor lighting. One of the greatest advantages AuroRa offers the eclectic homeowner is pre-programmed capability. The system literally works straight out of the Lutron factory box.
The AuroRa system truly takes a whole house approach to lighting, unifying the functionality of indoor and outdoor lighting into an intuitive, user friendly command interface. This home lighting system can do everything from raise and lower outdoor lighting at dawn and twilight, turn off exterior lights at midnight, activate preset landscaping themes for weddings, birthday parties, and family gatherings, and light a path to the front door when you get home late at night.
Inside the house, the AuroRa home lighting system can open and close shades and control such elements as light pollution and energy conservation, sequence different lighting scenes automatically, and turn on any light or group of lights inside the home or home theater instantly with the push of a button. Every activity from dining, to movie watching, to games and social interaction can have its own specific, supportive lighting theme for optimal mood stimulation and mental focus.
Illuminations Lighting is Your Texas Lutron Source
The added value we can offer any home automation or lighting systems client is determination of exactly which system will best fit their needs, and which components and programming features need to be used to build that system. Click here to learn more about our multi-specialization in electrical services, lighting design, and home automation, and call 1-800-864-1133 for a free consultation today.Labels: AMX Lighting Control Systems, Home Automation Lighting Systems, Lutron Dimmer Switches, Lutron Electronics, Lutron Homeworks Lighting Controls
 Lutron manufactures two major lines of home lighting controls designed to control lighting at the individual room level. Lutron also engineers whole house lighting control systems, which we will deal with in a separate article on our site. Today’s article focuses only on the two most prominent lighting controls for homes: the Spacer System home light control designed for multiple lighting scene selection, and the GRAFIK Eye preset home light control. Lutron home light control is intended to reflect personal ideals, lifestyle habits, and home entertainment activities, and they are intended to seamlessly integrate into the interior architecture of even the most custom homes.
Spacer System
The Spacer System provides the advantage of home lighting control through an infrared remote unit that manipulates several lighting circuits linked in tandem by a wireless master controller. Because it takes a “less is more” approach to equipment in general, it represents an excellent retrofit option for homeowners on a budget, because Spacer System home lighting control dimmers can replace existing dimmers and communicate via the wireless master controller.
Spacer System dimmers can control the lighting levels of any and all fixtures in the room, including ceiling lights, accent lights, table lights, and floor lamps. You can create any particular scene appropriate to the master bedroom, den, home entertainment center, or master bath, and then save them in your controller. The system will store up to five lighting scenes per room, providing one-touch access to different levels of task lighting for activities, accent lighting for ambiance, or a subtle touch of both.
GRAFIK EYE
The Lutron GRAFIK Eye home light control system is designed to allow instant switchover to any number of preset lighting scenes. It is based on more advanced technology than the Spacer System ,and it is generally recommended for larger, custom houses and lighting control systems integrated with home automation networks, whole house audio, home security, and high-end home theaters. It also continues to gain momentum in the commercial lighting world, where it is becoming a polar source of boardroom lighting and hospitality lighting applications.
When an authorized Lutron Dealer such as ILD configures your GRAFIK Eye or Homeworks system, we subdivide the lighting circuits in the room to create “lighting zones.” This allows your home lighting control system to then turn certain lights on at full power and leave other lights only partially powered on, or not powered on at all. This variation in lighting intensity is the key to creating subtle and complex lighting effects and themes within a room. The intention in each case is to match areas of brightness and shadows to the pace and nature of activities transpiring in that room. This not works to facilitate the activity on a functional level, but it also helps create an emotional tone congruent to the activity itself.
To switch to a different lighting theme, simply press a button on your infrared remote, and your home automation control system will automatically go to the next scene. The GRAFIK Eye can also be programmed to do this automatically, manipulating both indoor and outdoor lights at various times of the day, evening, or night. You can automate it to turn lights on and off at different times of the evening, such as sun down or just after dark. This high level of control is beneficial to both home entertainment and home energy savings. Home Theater users rely on GRAFIK Eye home dimming controls to lower the shades and dim the lights when movie time rolls around. People who like to host parties find that varying the lights can create everything from relaxing ambience to intensity for games and lively conversation. To change the lighting theme, simply press a button on your infrared remote.
Call a Specialist to Help You Decide!
While these controls are designed for maximum user friendliness, it takes an authorized Lutron reseller like Illuminations Lighting Design to correctly design, install, and configure either system in today’s sophisticated residential space. Call 1-800-863-1184 for a free estimate on either one of these fantastic room-based home lighting control systems, and let one of our lighting control experts develop and install a system ideally tailored to your personal home, lifestyle, needs, and desires.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting, electrical service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters, emergency generators, surge protection systems, phone systems and lighting control systems.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Call us today at 800-863-1184, visit our lighting blog or request a consultation online using our contact us form.Labels: Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Home Automation Lighting Systems, Home Lighting Controls, Lutron Dimmer Switches, Vantage lighting controls
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