2010 is the 30th anniversary of
Illuminations Lighting and Design. Over the years, our clients have come to describe us as a well-tuned machine unrivaled in its dedication to excellence, hard work, and prompt technical support.
We began three decades ago as a
fine art lighting company. Today, ILD continues to lead in the turnkey installation of the best fine art lighting fixtures found anywhere in the world. Our lighting designers know just how to configure this equipment so that it magnifies the full value of your most prized works of art.
Letters of thanks continue to arrive every month that compliment the organization and professionalism of our
professional landscape lighting designers. Our clients especially appreciate is the extreme care we take in preserving gardens, landscaping, tree roots, and hedge rows.
For homeowners who want their homes to stand out on the block, façade lighting gives Houston homeowners the ability to showcase the entire front edifice of their home no matter how dark the night is. Façade
outdoor lighting projects we have done in the past have made a huge difference in the way ha house looks at night and also provided the added benefit of security lighting.
Landscape lighting is also one of the mainstay service offerings that exemplify our company’s efficiency and uniqueness.
Low-voltage landscape lighting systems are both energy efficient and safe for children and pets. They are also good for the yard itself. One thing that clients often compliment us for is the extra care we take to preserve gardens, landscape forms, trees, and hedges.
Indoor lighting teams do a lot more than rewire homes and install general lights. They specialize in decorative, layered lighting effects. Chandeliers are one way to add an extra touch of refinement to any room of importance. Special
antique cabinet lighting fixtures and book case lighting adds emphasis to fine collections and private libraries. Complex aesthetics of such a nature require advanced lighting controls.
Fortunately for ILD clients,
lighting control systems can be customized by ILD technicians as turnkey solutions to custom home lighting needs. Further sophistication can be developed by installing a whole house audio system or
home theater system. Such home entertainment venues have recently made our firm renowned for transforming Houston homes from high-end living environments to high-end entertainment zones as well.
At times, a former client of a local electrical contractor one of these firms needs repair work beyond the scope of their original service provider’s support. Illuminations Lighting and Design is always there to assist them. As a fully licensed
residential electrical contracting firm, we can handle any repair or upgrade needed to get your home wiring, lighting, or lighting control system functional and safe.
Labels: About Illuminations Lighting Design, Art Lighting Consultants, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Residential Electrical Contractors, Houston Texas Lighting Designer, Landscape Lighting Company
A typical Illuminations design is one where every painting, armoire, wall sconce, chandelier, recessed light and landscape light works in harmony to create a pleasant, functional and stimulating environment. Flexible enough to adapt to your daily needs, yet sensitive enough to set the most delicate mood.
Residential Lighting Design & Consultation
Lighting has the unique ability to reveal the world around us, shaping our vision and determining both the beauty and function of our surroundings. Illumination can sculpt spaces and create an infinite palette of different moods, but it can also render a space flat, harsh and uninviting if not applied with thought, care and knowledge. The experienced lighting designers and lighting consultants of Illuminations Lighting Design understand this elusive science. They also know their tools--the world's best lighting products--and how to effectively harness them.
Did you know we do lighting design and lighting installation professional in the following major cities in Texas?
Austin Texas Lighting Design
Beaumont Texas Lighting Design
Landscape Lighting Services
If you have invested considerable energy into your outdoor spaces, you certainly will not want to leave them in the dark half of the year. Landscape and Outdoor Garden Lighting allows you to reap a full return on your investment. By highlighting unique architectural features of your building or home, as well as natural textures such as trees, ponds or shrubs, your outdoor spaces will find a second life beneath the moonlight.
Are you looking for landscape lighting design and installation firm in one of the following major Texas cities?
Austin Texas Outdoor Landscape Lighting
Fine Art & Display LightingServices
Illuminations Lighting Design is a premier fine art lighting company in Houston Texas. We have consulted and lighted some of the world’s most prestigious public and private art collections including works from renowned artists such as Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Rockwell, Salvador Dali and Rembrandt. Employing the most innovative artwork lighting techniques in the world, we can assure you that your treasured pieces will shine as brightly as the artist’s true vision. Fine art lighting services from ILD are second to none.
Residential Electrical Contractors
ILD electrical contracting and electrical services are provided by licensed professionals that understand the importance of working in conjunction with the design team. This ensures that all aspects of indoor illumination, home automation and landscape lighting will have the electrical power needed to function properly and safely. Illuminations Lighting electricians and new home wiring teams get the job done right the first time, allowing you to focus on more important matters—like enjoying your stunning lighting design and automation.
Labels: Austin Texas Lighting, Beaumont Texas Lighting, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Texas Lighting Designers, Residential Lighting Consultants
What is custom home lighting?
Custom home lighting design is an eclectic, professional, and technologically sophisticated blend of art, math, and hard science. It is cost efficient and aesthetically complimentary to interior design and architecture. Custom home lighting is intended to support the many facets of daily life and entertainment. It requires sophisticated technique and superior equipment, and it is best done by licenses professionals who can handle both electrical wiring, home lighting repairs and fixture installation from an aesthetically-minded perspective. It is not something you should attempt on your own.
How important is energy efficiency?
It is extremely important in Austin home lighting designs, not only for personal financial reasons, but because of rising regulatory controls. Because some states such as California have recently banned some use of incandescent lighting, a new movement is underway to replace incandescents nationwide in anticipation of similar legislation from Coast to Coast. A good number of people are retrofitting store-bought fluorescent bulbs to lamps and overhead lights in places like the living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. These lights indeed save a lot of power and last for many years as promised, but they often fall short when it comes to matching pre-existing levels of light. Striking the right balance between cost consciousness and quality of luminance is one of the many areas of specialty we provide to our clientele in Houston Texas home lighting design.
How do you design new home lighting systems for custom houses?
We use a custom home lighting software program that allows us to conduct a scientific, photometric analysis of your home. This software also allows us to experiment with varying combinations and levels of light and render a 3D, animated movie of any hypothetical system we conceptualize. You can watch this virtual tour of your own home and foresee results prior to authorizing an installation, choose between different options, and make any changes you desire prior to signing anything.
Do you install any special effects lighting or lighting controls?
Yes. ILD is famous in Texas for combining custom home lighting design with home lighting automation and controls. With the right combination of automation and manual controls, you can have instant, one-touch access to a myriad of colors, brightness levels, and special home decorative lighting effects throughout the house.
We combine technologies to create unique atmospheres and moods in various portions of the home or office lighting designs. Layered lighting effects of this nature have a powerful effect on human emotions and can be used to set the tone for family reunions, home movies, home theater, musical enjoyment, fine art collecting, displays of collectibles, and parties. They can also set the pace for daily activities that sometimes require a bit of an emotional push to get us to do. Lighting design installations can be adjusted to create and “activity based” atmosphere conducive to doing things such as studying, home projects, repairs, and cleaning.
Is this going to require a large investment in equipment costs?
We do our best to limit the actual number of light fixtures we install. Too many visible pieces of equipment will clutter the ambiance of a room, so we custom design home lighting systems around the principles of concealment and lighting angles of incidence. Also, we use only lights that American-made, factory-grade, and backed up with written warranties from our nation’s leading manufacturers. We aim to give you the best in both design and technology so that reduced power costs and minimized replacements help recover your investment over the years to come.
Custom home lighting design starts with a simple phone call!
To get started, call us right now and request a complimentary initial consultation to assess your home’s current lighting system and see what custom design and better equipment can add to your lifestyle and peace of mind. Our lighting maintenance contracts and lighting design services will keep your home in the best light.
No other lighting design firm is able to provide such a well-rounded service line or a more informative Lighting & Home Automation Blog. But do not just take our word for it. Just ask Lance Armstrong, Tracy McGrady, Mayor Bill White, President George W. Bush, or dozens of other commercial clients or residential clients, large and small clientele, across the great State of Texas who have enjoyed our lighting services.
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. Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, Custom Home Lighting Designs, Home Lighting Plans, Hospitality Lighting Designers, Houston Texas Lighting Designers
Does ILD offer a free photometric analysis to every caller?
We offer photometric analysis for a marginal fee to clientele seeking just a report, and complimentary analysis to clients who hire us for lighting design. Lighting is an art form that requires careful consideration from a seasoned lighting professional.
What software do you use to generate photometric reports?
We use AGI32, a lighting design, a 3-D modeling suite that calculates light levels and renders electrical lighting systems. The capabilities of this photometric analysis software are amazing. By generating 3-D model of the room, home, or building, the software allows us to input hypothetical figures to determine where best to install recessed lighting fixtures and what angles of lighting incidence to incorporate in the overall design of the system. It can be used to determine the best possible lighting levels for any residential or commercial lighting environment.
Why should I have a photometric analysis done rather than just hiring a freelance contractor to install lighting fixtures I buy myself?
The human eye cannot always see every potential problem area of darkness and shadow. Every outdoor or indoor environment contains physical objects that will cast shadows when light strikes them from certain angles. Shadows are cast not so much by inadequate amounts of light, but rather by inaccurately calculated angles of incidence that send a beam of light straight toward a solid object which blocks luminance completely on the other side. Many times, these areas are very hard to find from an eye-level perspective, but later become all too evident once low voltage recessed lighting fixtures have been installed and shadows suddenly spring from out of nowhere.
The 3-D modeling aspect of our photometric analysis software allows us to literally move around these objects from any angle, height, or perspective to see where best to locate a ceiling light, lamp, recessed fixture, recessed art lighting, pendant, or chandelier. We can also try different wattage and bulb hypotheticals to determine the most efficient lumens per watt ratio once the optimal angles have been located. In commercial environments, this goes a long way toward saving businesses a great deal of money.
What aesthetic benefits does a photometric analysis offer my company?
We can conduct a room by room photometric analysis of floor space and vertical cube space to determine precisely where to install lighting equipment and exactly how much power each light will need to do its job. This is very similar to the way interior design partners and space planners work—creating individual sub designs within the overall design of the facility. This enables our team to develop a much more energy efficient, Spartan system that relies much more on design, light distribution, and precise lighting angles than it does on excessive numbers of fixtures using more power than necessary. Another benefit you gain from a photometric analysis offers is better fixture concealment. Because the report tells us exactly how many watts and lumens we need for each fixture, it is often possible to use smaller, more concealable lights for a more aesthetic compliment to the overall environment.
What lighting manufacturers do you represent?
Essentially, we act as a design build contractor for all of the major manufacturers headquartered and operating here in the United States such as Lutron Radio Ra dimmer controls. Choosing the right manufacturer for your needs is again accomplished in part through tools available in AGI32’s photometric analysis software. AGI32 actually contains manufacturer’s spec sheets and engineering documents on specific fixtures in different categories. We can use this database to generate a luminaire comparison report instantly that details optics, lumens per watt efficiency, and expected lamp life. By comparing and contrasting necessary and fixture placement recommendations with specific data on each luminaire, we can pinpoint the best possible quality and energy efficient luminaires to use in commercial, residential, and high-end lighting design.
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.Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor, Lighting Consultants Texas, Lighting Design Services Houston, Photometric Analysis
San Antonio hospitality lighting design services by Illuminations Lighting focus on emphasizing the keynote features of five star hotels and restaurants along San Antonia’s world famous River Walk. Our multi-disciplinary approach to lighting emphasizes a unity between natural and architectural themes that creates a blending of phenomenon bound together with layers of light.
Lighting is as important to hospitality both as an industry and an experience. Designing a lighting system for any location requires first an understanding of its many elements, and, secondly, planning and developing a lighting design and installation that will establish and elevate the essence of place, time, and action.
Exterior and Landscape Lighting
Hospitality lighting begins with architectural and landscape lighting that make the hotel edifice clearly visible along the River Walk and distinguish it as an area of unique excursion and romantic adventure.
After many years of partnership and cross-training with leading architectural firms, ILD has developed a number of proprietary landscape lighting techniques that enable us to conceal lighting fixtures in such a way as to highlight building features with apparently sourceless light.
We also balance the edifice with the surrounding landscape by combining four layers of light around waterworks, sidewalks, piers, and outdoor dining areas. We seek to unite natural and man made features by emphasizing what has been there before the landscaping crew and treating it with equivalence to what has since been sculpted.
Trees with lights figure prominently in our outdoor hospitality lighting systems, providing both boundaries for the property and special points of interest. We are one of the few companies that take special care not only to use “green” equipment that is environmentally friendly, but also to rely upon proprietary installation methods that do not harm the trees in any way.
Landscape lighting contractors further accentuate pathways, walkways along the river, fountains, and outdoor sculptures to blend the man made with the natural. This synthesis contributes greatly to the feeling of genuine “getaway” that so many people come to San Antonio to find.
Lobby Lighting
ILD Hospitality lighting designers work with mathematical precision to establish points of expression, areas of task, and moods of decorum that unite furniture and interior design into an aesthetic of welcome. We design the lobby lighting system in such a way as to produce a minimum of reflective glare, so that guests may comfortably enjoy certain key elements as ornate antique furniture, display cases, bookshelves, and especially fine art lighting for works of art and statuary from recessed art lighting without having light reflected back into their eyes.
We also work to create an upbeat atmosphere of activity accomplished through soft, direct surface lighting and stronger, low voltage recessed lighting from above that “washes” surfaces in light without blinding the eyes. All desk areas and corridors leading to and from the lobby area can be lit by multiple desk, wall, or suspended luminaries that eliminate pockets of shadow and glare by striking surfaces from multiple angles of lighting incidence.
Restaurant Lighting
Many of San Antonio’s finest restaurants overlook the River Walk and utilize a view of the landscape as an important element for establishing atmosphere and ambiance.
In order to provide diners with a clear view of the exterior, hospitality lighting designers have to overcome the reflection that interior lights sometimes cast upon the windows without inadvertently diminishing indoor lighting.
This is where our multi-specialty offers San Antonio hotels and restaurants something truly unique. We are able to install low-profile outdoor lights with lighting control systems that penetrate the glass just enough to overcome reflection and enable a clear view of patios, sidewalks, and the river itself.
Within the interior, we employ a high level of affect lighting to create atmosphere, illuminate wall art, and provide ambient lighting for booths and tables. This constitutes a blended lighting array that extends the exterior into the private space of the restaurant, utilizing San Antonio’s rich scenery as an adjunct to interior design.
Imagine how your guests will feel sitting inside, but feeling like they are outside.
For restaurants that also have meeting rooms, we utilize sophisticated overhead lighting controlled by dimmer switches and home automation lighting controls that allow hosts to turn the lights down for audiovisual presentations, or to adjust them and place a spotlight on a keynote speaker.
Banquet room lighting involves a similar approach to overhead lighting that is user controlled, although the fixtures here tend to be more formal in nature. Classic chandeliers and candelabras not only provide excellent sources of down lighting, but they also create a formal sense of hospitality and refined sensibility that sets the banquet room apart as a special place within a special place.
Contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 to learn more about the many dimensions of hospitality lighting that ILD’s award winning team delivers to restaurants, hotels, and country clubs throughout The United States.
Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, Hospitality Lighting Central Texas, Hospitality Lighting San Antonio, Hotel Landscape Lighting, Resort Lighting Design
Commercial outdoor lighting systems are far more complex than they appear at face value. A multitude of factors influences the choice of equipment, placement of fixtures, and degrees of illumination appropriate to structures, terrain, and after-hours activity. Many companies fear the costs associated with outdoor commercial lighting and seek to reduce overhead with generic equipment. This creates more problems than it solves. Cheap fixtures and poor design creates blinding spots of glare that cast shadows, creating both an eyesore and a number of safety and security hazards. It is better to make a one-time investment in a system that comprehensively addresses the five key elements required for effective commercial outdoor lighting. As a single-source, multi-specialty vendor of the world's best equipment and design strategies, Illuminations Lighting develops outdoor commercial lighting designs that address these five major arenas and customizes each particular element to the specific size and style of the individual facility.
Security
Security ranks as top concern for building owners investing in outdoor commercial lights. Both vandalism and theft constitute a major risk of loss that proper lighting can do a great deal to help prevent. Particularly for organizations with night crews working on loading docks, or maintenance and cleaning crews entering and exiting the building in the dark, outdoor commercial lighting creates a safe work environment and provides visibility crucial to safety and awareness. Illuminations Lighting consults with building management to determine the extent of nighttime activity on property, and then combines perimeter flood lights and exterior lighting to ensure that all personnel on premises can clearly see their surroundings without being blinded by glare and without any shadows that could hide an intruder or lead to an injury in the dark.
Parking Lot Lighting
Appropriate visibility in the parking lot constitutes a major factor in commercial outdoor lighting. Parking lot lights are actually regulated by the government and by law must produce a minimum of four foot candles of light. Neglecting this element in a commercial outdoor lighting system not only places drivers and pedestrians at risk in the parking lot, it creates even further liability in the form of possible government fines. Illuminations Lighting and Design both tests lighting levels in parking lots and offers a wide variety of poles, lights, and fixtures to create bright, glare free outdoor lighting for commercial parking lots of all sizes.
Commercial Exterior Lighting
Exterior lighting constitutes a very critical element in commercial outdoor lighting systems as it illuminates all sides of the building and ensures that building access points are clearly lit in a balanced level of light that dispels shadows without glare. ILD designers utilize skills learned in architectural design cross training programs that enable them to link multiple buildings together in a field of natural-looking light that prevents unauthorized personnel from approaching the building without detection and also keeps walkways, sidewalks, and doorways in clear and constant view for nighttime visitors and workers. We also place additional, selective lighting around driveways and signs to ensure safe after-hours access for authorized vehicles and night deliveries.
Architectural Lighting
Hand in hand with exterior lighting is architectural lighting, which adds an aesthetic element to a commercial outdoor lighting system. Every building, regardless of size or builder design, features on or more unique points of differentiation that set it apart from surrounding structures. Because ILD has trained and worked for so many years with some of Houston's leading architectural firms, we are able to turn apparently ordinary structures into illuminated edifices of light that stand preeminent against the skyline and make a company stand out from its neighbors and competitors with a unique, impeccable appearance.
Landscape Lighting
As more and more smaller companies landscape their grounds to beautify and differentiate their property, and as increasing numbers of high-end clients look to upgrade and expand their commercial outdoor lighting systems, ILD completes almost every commercial lighting project with landscape lighting design combinations that work to highlight natural beauty and unite terrain with human engineering to create a synthesis of terrain and structure. After many years of partnership with Houston’s leading landscapers, we have perfected a technique of combining four distinctive layers of light that enables us to illuminate atriums and flower beds to water features and tree lines at high-end resorts.
By combining layered lighting and cost-effective energy saving technology in each of these five major arenas, Illuminations Lighting can Design an outdoor commercial lighting system for any company of any size, anywhere in Texas. Call 713-863-1133 now for more information and schedule a complimentary consultation to develop a custom, one-source solution.
Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, Commercial Site Lights, Outdoor Architectural Lighting
Resorts, country clubs, casinos, and five star hotels all come to Illuminations Lighting and Design for high end lighting services that illuminate exclusive entertainment by unifying natural features and architectural keynotes. High-end lighting clients invest tremendous revenue in the very best construction and custom landscaping in the world. After sunset, these features require exact levels of light and special lighting effects to distinguish their superior value throughout all hours of the night. By approaching high end lighting as a systematic application of four strategic layers of custom lighting design, ILD consultants develop a custom overlay of light that creates special effects in water features, makes trees and ornamental vegetation clearly visible, and brings out the richness and uniqueness of exclusive building design that distinguishes superb facilities from their competitors. High-end lighting emphasizes luxury and comfort by highlighting the many points of differentiation that make each exclusive facility a unique experience of lifestyle and refined entertainment.
Architectural lighting forms a vital layer of illumination in any high end lighting project. To work successfully, it requires an expert knowledge of light itself and a thorough understanding of building design. Architectural lights must illuminate the edifice and structural features of clubhouses, event facilities, restaurants, and hotels without distracting the eye with obtrusive lighting fixtures and wiring. They must also highlight individual design features without destroying the aesthetic unity of the structure as a whole. To accommodate this paradoxical demand, ILD's high-end lighting team cross-trains and partners with a number of architectural firms to learn the planning and construction methods employed in clubhouse and hotel building design. Armed with a scientific knowledge of light itself combined with industry knowledge of advanced architecture, we can source illumination from key angles that maximize beam spread and cast greater amounts of light over the building using only a minimum number of physical lighting fixtures. Our high end lighting clients have greatly praised our ability to make their clubhouse or hotel appear prominent above the landscape without overpowering the surrounding amenities, decor, and natural beauty of the grounds.
In addition to architectural lighting, our high-end lighting team deploys three additional layers of lighting to compliment structure and specific landscaping features surrounding the facility. Moon/shadow lighting provides both general and specialty lighting for landscaping features and improves security by dispersing illumination property-wide. The term "moon shadow" refers to effects created by mercury vapor down lights carefully hidden in trees. Soft, moon like light rains down from an invisible source above and forms complex patterns of light and shadow on earth and water features. Streams, private lakes, artificial geysers, water walls and waterfalls all light up with an iridescent sense of movement as the water dances between light and darkness. Our high end lighting specialist's then compliment these special effects with a third layer of lighting known as accent lighting that emphasizes sculptures, statues, water features, waterfalls, garden art, and outdoor dining tables.
High-end lighting specialists complete the project further with a fourth design layer known as tree canopy lighting. For resorts and country clubs surrounded by large, stately oaks and Roman-style poplars, tree canopy lighting affords members and guests a view of the greenery at any time of night. Our high end lighting specialists draw from an extensive product base to install specialty up lights along the base of the tree line that illuminate trunks, wood color, branches, and leaves. For newer facilities with minimal foliage we will create the same effect by placing bollards along the perimeter of the grounds. Bollards stand between three and four feet tall and dual function as ornamental decoration during daylight hours. When requested by the client, we will unify the paved areas with the entirety of the grounds by installing ornamental parking lot lights that compliment both tree canopy lighting and bollard lighting with ornate pole design and high-levels of luminosity that contribute to security and safety.
Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, High-End Lighting, Hotel Landscape Lighting
Boardroom lighting design by ILD shines the light on key elements essential to professional meetings and communications. Improperly designed boardroom lighting can unconsciously set a bad tone that puts meeting participants on edge and creates negative energy that works against teamwork and profitability. Designing effective lighting for a boardroom requires a systematic layered lighting approach where different sources, levels, and forms of light both fill the room with visibility and clarity for task-oriented focus. It should compliment task with aesthetic highlights to highlight unique features, decorations, and artwork. Designer boardroom lighting must also deliver a higher level of user control than standard office lighting because most boardrooms are used not only for meetings but also for presentations that require ambient lighting as backdrop to audiovisual presentations and keynote speeches.
Because the boardroom plays host to different individuals with varying degrees of eyesight and comfort levels, boardroom lighting design requires a field of clear, softer light disbursed evenly throughout the room. ILD lighting designers achieve this lighting effect - known as indirect lighting - by shining light onto the ceiling so it reflects downward in dispersed, albeit sufficiently visible amounts. This eliminates pockets of shadow that can create unconscious negative emotions and damage rapport between attendees. We can then enhance this field of light with task and accent lights that facilitate specific actions and showcase prominent decor. Our clients have reported that after our designers filled the entire boardroom with light and added personal touches of accent and differentiation that the general tone of meetings became more upbeat, focused, objective, and characterized by more effective communication between attendees.
While it is very important to establish appropriate tone and atmosphere, truly effective boardroom lighting design has to evolve beyond the merely emotional and psychological into the task-oriented and functionally aesthetic. Comfort and amenities play an important role in setting the tone for meetings and presentation, but focus and productivity must remain paramount if meetings are going to generate tangible results. An absolute must for truly customized, designer boardroom lighting systems is the ability to seamlessly shift illumination from meeting mode to presentation mode. Whenever Power Point or video comes into play, the bright light of meeting space has to dim in all areas of the room, leaving only enough ambient lighting to avoid total darkness and focus the eyes toward the screen. The lighting system must also enable meeting coordinators to "spotlight" the speaker in a field of light around podium or lectern, or when standing in front of a whiteboard. These effects require specialty fixtures installed with dimmer switches that allow meeting facilitators to control lighting levels both throughout the room and at individual points within the room. Our team of lighting designers brings a number of user friendly controls to the boardroom table to ensure that meetings flow smoothly into presentations without the embarrassment of having to fiddle with lights for minutes at time.
Organizations from a wide range of industries turn to Illuminations Lighting for boardroom design solutions that utilize light as a functional design element with a purpose that also conveys a pleasant and sophisticated aesthetic due to our proprietary methods of layering the light in precise proportions to a specific room and the activities therein. Chambers of Commerce, executive meeting areas, and hotel and resort planning committees can all benefit from the psychological and practical elements brought to the boardroom table courtesy of ILD. Call today to begin the process of lighting your facility for maximum performance, teamwork, and communication.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Boardroom Lighting, Commercial Lighting Designers, Executive Office Lights, Hospitality Lighting Central Texas, Houston Texas Lighting Designers
Architectural lighting design continues to grow in popularity as increasing numbers of homeowners and commercial builders utilize innovative and creative architectural strategies in their many projects. Almost any professional developer will readily admit that a key element to aesthetically superior architectural design is light. This is due to a number of reasons; preeminent of which is the level of detail the right amount of light can bring out in a structure. Illuminations Lighting and Design knows this fact and consequently cross-trains our technicians in the basics of landscaping, construction, and architecture. This multi-disciplinary knowledge base enables us to closely partner with home and building owners, architects, and general contractors to design an architectural lighting system that seamlessly integrates into the form and function of the building itself.
As a vendor of the world's top manufacturers, we compliment architecture with lighting designs consisting of the finest commercial grade wire and custom lighting fixtures. We take a two-pronged approach to partnership in our consultation and preliminary design process. First, we carefully assess the needs and desires of the homeowner prior to procuring equipment or laying out initial wiring. Secondly, and specifically valuable to new construction projects, we work closely with architects, builders, and general contractors for the duration of the project, making certain that architecture and lighting design flow together into a seamless, desirable outcome. To ensure the effectiveness, quality, and regulatory compliance of our work, we also conduct a complete Houston energy code analysis of the premises and determine which lamp types will be required to meet government standards. Architectural lighting design by ILD not only guarantees a high level of aesthetic quality, but it also guarantees safety and functionality in compliance with all municipal codes.
Many times custom homeowners and progressive commercial builders will call us with equal amounts of interest and concern. They know the value of architectural lighting design and are willing to make the investment provided we can insure there will be no damage to either the structure or appearance of the property. We are happy to both reassure and satisfy these customers with a thorough and systematic process developed specifically for meeting the full spectrum of challenges that face the consultant working with difficult lighting and architectural designs. We plan each step in detail using advanced CAD software that we then publish to the client. This level of detail and planning allows home and building owners to better understand and participate in designing their own architectural lighting theme with full confidence in both process and outcome. Furthermore, as many of our clients often express key interest in security and emergency lighting solutions, we have developed architectural lighting design methodologies that deliver superior results in both arenas. We frequently deploy specialized security site lighting in order to both deter crime and to compliment structures and buildings. Commercial clients especially value this aspect of our service, as is protects both commercial investment and property while showcasing their building space impeccably to their clientele. In the event of a weather-related or municipal power outage, we can utilize battery-powered lighting fixtures in hallways and stairwells for egress lighting that will not go out if the power fails.
Imagine the many practical and aesthetic compliments architectural lighting design can deliver to any structure. Think of how many ways homes and office buildings can be transformed by simply complimenting the innate beauty of the structure with the universal beauty and freedom of light. As the up lights push the building into the night sky, the subtle nuances of the building architecture take shape, bringing every detail into true clarity and overall aesthetic unity. Let Illuminations Lighting Design do this for your home or office building. Call now for a no obligation consultation that will enumerate the benefits you will receive and develop a solution that is one of a kind and light years ahead of everything that surrounds you.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Exterior Lighting Design, Texas Landscape Lighting Designers
As a lighting design company, we know full well that one of light's most universal and practical qualities is REFLECTION. Just as light reflects and magnifies the interrelationship between all things, reciprocal link partnerships reflect and magnify congruent values and levels of service between organizations. Illuminations Lighting and Design invites you to examine our values and reputation and to consider the many benefits we can deliver to one another by partnering through reciprocal links exchange. Our clients routinely reference our reciprocal links page to find similar companies that can offer them services adjunct to ours. You never know who this networking trail could lead to your door.
Our Houston lighting design business requires a tremendous level of creativity. We work in neighborhoods throughout Houston and greater Texas, and each home we encounter has something special about it that requires us to think outside the box and deliver a truly unique and customized solution. If you are a company like ours that values creativity as the fountainhead of customer service, becoming reciprocal link partners with Illuminations Lighting and Design exposes you to new target markets that will value you as highly as they value us.
As an electrical contractor, we must meet all requirements of state and federal licensing authorities. Knowledge is critical to our operations and success, and our reciprocal link partners routinely read our blog and contact our technicians whenever their clients have a question about landscape lighting, electrical design, fine art lighting or home automation. We welcome reciprocal link exchange partner companies who value knowledge not only as a power, but also as a virtue that enables them to deliver superior value to their clients. Our reciprocal link partnerships are rooted firmly in the ethics of client satisfaction and attention to detail that only a hunger and appreciation of knowledge can produce.
Every company has to start somewhere, and if it persists in determined delivery of results, the experience it acquires hones specific actions that define the organization as a value producer. Our twenty-seven years of experience has made us a leader in our industry and created a number of reciprocal link exchange partnerships that act as bridges between comparable levels of experience in complimentary industries and disciplines. Our clients can literally find much, if not everything they need, simply by referencing partner companies on our reciprocal links exchange page. The complimentary levels of experience and quality results in turn enhance both your reputation and ours as superior value producers in our respective arenas. We invite you to consider joining this link exchange community.
Reputation is earned through consistent actions that improve the quality of client lives either personally, environmentally, or financially. Our reciprocal link partnerships consist of companies like ours who have labored consistently and worked very hard to earn the highest reputation in their communities and industries. When we exchange reciprocal links with partner companies, we are in essence sharing our reputation as well. We invite all who respect the quality of their work and the satisfaction of their clients to share links in reciprocal partnership with Illuminations Lighting and Design.
Finally, we simply cannot say enough about style. Obviously our organization, as a design company, has to pay very close attention to style anytime we undertake a project. Yet there is more to style than design sense, and our reciprocal link partners reflect this awareness with the style of interface and delivery they show toward us and toward their clients. We value ongoing relationships with our customers and our partnerships, and reciprocal linking between partner companies dedicated to style and class only serves to better improve the quality of customer life. If you are looking to work with a truly first class organization and meet the best new clients of your life, trade links with Illuminations Lighting and Design for the benefit of offering impeccable services across the boundaries of industry and discipline.
Contact us at 713-863-1133 if you are interested in learning more about the benefits we can offer each other by exchanging reciprocal links, and hopefully networking partners, in the many years to come.
Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, Home Automation and Lighting Reciprocal Links, Landscape Lighting Designer, Residential Lighting Consultants
We have received many questions from our lighting design clients regarding California Title 24 issues for both new construction and remoldeling projects. So, we thought it might be helpful to discuss these issues and the regulations.
In order to reduce energy consumption, California has inacted a new energy code policy (Title 24) that significantly impacts lighting in new and remodeled homes. Beginning October 2005, all new and remodeled homes must incorporate energy efficient lighting and controls. Depending on the room in the house, these lighting controls might include the following devices:
Dimmers
Occupancy Sensors
Must be certified Title 24 compliant
Must be manual-on/automatic-off (can also be turned off manually)
Must turn off automatically in 30 minutes Cannot be locked in a permanent "on" state
High efficacy lights - fluorescent, compact fluorescent (CFL) or high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps Fluorescent, CFL, and HID lights must not have a medium screw base socket Lamps rated 13 watts or greater must have an electronic ballast Of these, Lutron dimmers are the most cost effective, consumer friendly solution.
So which room needs what lighting controls you might be asking yourself? Well, this is what the rules state and here are some suggestions:
Living room, bedrooms, family room, and hallways
Dimmers or Occupancy sensor or Fluorescent lighting
Kitchen
Fluorescent lighting - at least 50% of installed wattage must be from fluorescent, CFL or HID lights (13 watts or greater require an electronic ballast)
Incandescent lighting - up to 50% of installed wattage may be incandescent lighting if switched separately
Dimmers - pair with incandescent lighting as an upgrade from a standard switch
Bathrooms, utility rooms, garages, laundry rooms
Fluorescent lighting or occupancy sensors
Exterior security lights (attached to building)
Fluorescent lighting or
Incandescent lighting combined with photocell control and/or a motion sensor
If you have any questions regarding California Title 24 regulations, feel free to contact the
professional lighting constants at
Illuminations Lighting Design toll free at 800-863-1184 for lighting issues. Of course, Title 24 is a complex subject and you can learn more by contacting the California Energy Commission online at
http://www.energy.ca.gov/
Labels: Commercial Lighting Designers, Lighting regulations information, Residential Lighting Consultants
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.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, IALD, Lighting Consultants Texas, Residential Lighting Designers
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.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Custom Home Lighting Designs, Designing Lighting Plans, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor, Lighting Consultants Texas
If the lighting in your project is important to you in function, aesthetics, or both, a lighting designer will be a valuable addition to your deign team. Lighting can actually be quite a complex science, needing to take into account issues such as footcandle level, glare, lamp life, maintenance, color rendition, source type, aiming angles, fixture selections, lighting controls, and wattage and voltage constraints. In our office we have a wall 20' long and 8' high where we house the fixture catalogs for all the major lighting manufacturers (and a large majority of minor ones!). It is our full time job to keep up with what the lighting world has to offer and to relay our expertise into what is in the best interest of the client. Because we are independent consultants, not affiliated with any certain lighting brands or showrooms, we are able to recommend lighting designs and specifications without bias.
Although architects' offices, interior designers, and even engineers are often layout electrical plans, their areas of responsibility are so broad that most do not have the ability to become truly educated about lighting technologies and design. Additionally many offices will hand off the lighting plan to a factory representative or showroom that has little knowledge of the client or their needs and will be doing the design and specification based on their own employment alliances and pricing structure. An architect or interior designer that recommends using a lighting consultant is not showing their weakness or lack of knowledge. Rather it's the other way around - they are recognizing the importance of the project at hand and knowing when to call in the experts so that the job is able to reach its fullest potential!
The professional consultants at Illuminations Lighting Design understand how color, texture, form and shadow can be molded creatively to produce the effect required. This can only be accomplished with the correct equipment and a complete knowledge of lamp types and lamp performance. An Illuminations signature design is a space where every lantern, sconce, chandelier, up light and down light ideally balances a room for its precise intent, including hard-to-light spaces.
For more information regarding our lighting design services please contact Tom Kretzschmar via email or by phone at 713-863-1133.
Labels: Austin Lighting Control Systems, Beaumont Fine Art Lighting, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Lighting Design Company, Lighting Design Company, Planning Home Lighting Designs
It's never really too early to contact a lighting designer, though it can be too late. Ideally a lighting designer should be brought in as a part of the team during Schematic Design. The client, architect and/or interior designer should have the basic layout and design of the project in plan so that the feel, needs, scope, and challenges of the project can be communicated throughout the design team. By being brought in before Design Development continues, the lighting designer will be able to make suggestions about the architecture that may affect or aid the lighting and will also be able to consult in designing architectural lighting details.
The earlier you bring a home lighting consultant in on your design meetings, the more integrated with the architecture the lighting is able to be. The later you bring the consultant in, the more the lighting system will look and act like an afterthought and the more the design will be compromised. This also holds true with outdoor landscape lighting design.
For more information regarding LIGHTING DESIGN SERVICES please contact TOM KRETZSCHMAR at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Home and Garden Landscape Lighting, Houston Lighting Design Company, Planning Home Lighting Designs
The City of Houston energy code is basically designed for commercial buildings and structures.
Here is a quick highlight of the City of Houston Energy Code:
Scope: This guideline is to help the Houston building industry to better understand the requirements set forth in the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the 2000 International Residential Code (IRC) Chapter 11.
Purpose of the Energy Code: The Energy Code is mandated by state law in an effort to reduce the air pollutant emissions, moderate future peak electric power demand, and to help control energy costs.
Overview: The IECC specifies thermal envelope requirements for new construction, and additions and alterations to existing buildings. The Energy Code primarily focuses on the following requirements:
Building Envelope
Insulation R-values, Densities, and Thickness
Window & Door Area, Solar Heat Gain Coefficients, and U-Factors
Heating and Cooling System Efficiency
Duct Insulation
Electrical Lighting Loads
There are some requirements for residential applications that must comply with the energy code for new construction and remodel situations.
One is the penetration of the ceiling cavity with recessed lighting, article (502.1.3) that reads:
All fixtures shall be type IC rated, manufactured with no penetrations between the inside of the recessed fixture and the ceiling cavity and sealed to prevent air leakage, or shall be installed in a sealed box maintaining the required clearances of not less than 1" from combustible material and not less than 3" from insulation material.
Another is the electrical energy consumption for units with multiple tenants, article (505.1) that reads:
In Type A-2 residential buildings having individuals dwelling units, provisions shall be made to determine the electrical energy consumption consumed by each tenant by separately metering individual dwelling units.
And finally, all pools should have time clock controls, article (504.4) that reads:
All pools shall have time clocks installed to allow the pumps to run in off peak electrical demand periods and can be set to maintain the water clear and sanitary.
There are three types of generally accepted ways to calculate the energy code requirements: Simplified Prescriptive Approach, Component Performance Approach or a System Analysis Approach
Simplified prescriptive approach follows the simplified prescriptive requirements set forth in Chapter 11 of the IRC, which corresponds with Chapter 6 of the IECC.
Component Performance Approach allows varying insulation levels, glazing and door areas, and glazing and door U-values. (See Chapter 5 or Chapter 8, sections 801 through 805 of the IECC) In this approach builders/designers may choose to utilize a software program.
System Analysis Approach allows compliance to be demonstrated by an analysis of the proposed building's annual energy usage. The building is considered to be in compliance if the calculated energy consumption is not greater than a "standard design" meeting the minimum performance requirements of the code. Generally, this comparison uses engineering calculations or a computer simulation. (See Chapter 4 or Chapter 8, section 806 of the IECC)
For more information regarding these approaches, interpretations, calculations, or compliance with the City of Houston electric code, contact the professionals at Illuminations Lighting Design. Our staff of experienced lighting consultants are highly qualified to assist you with meeting the minimum requirements of the Energy Code not only here in Texas but around the country. We can be reached at 713-863-1133 or by email by contacting Tom Kretzschmar in the lighting design department.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Energy Codes, Houston Lighting Design Company, Outdoor Restaurant Lighting
Here at Illuminations Lighting Design we understand that not every job requires the services of a professional lighting consultant and that's why we have an experienced sales staff to assist you. If all you need is a new fixture in the kitchen or just some advice with your electrical wiring we can help you identify the problem and provide a solution.
We are always happy to meet with you and prepare a written estimate for the work in your home, typically at no charge. Estimates in some locations outside Houston city limits may require a trip charge. It generally takes about thirty minutes to survey your needs and develop a lighting solution that is tailored to your lifestyle. All our lighting professionals are experienced in indoor lighting, landscape lighting, display lighting and home automation.
To schedule an appointment you can contact us at 713-863-1133 or by email at SCHEDULING. We look forward to serving you!
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Art Lighting Consultants, Christmas Lighting Designs, Commercial Lighting Designers, Houston Lighting Design Company
LIGHTING DESIGNERS are a valuable member of the overall design team on any residential or commercial project. They work hand in hand with the architect, interior designer and homeowner to ensure that the lighting is practical, funtional, attractrive and compliments the architecture. Lighting is pivotal in any style architecure because of it's ability to enhance colors, texture and form.
Lighting designers are also helpful in the area of LIGHTING CONTROLS and HOME AUTOMATION. From wall box dimmers to elaborate home controls systems, lighting designers can set the mood. Everything from lighting, audio video, HVAC and security can be combined into a home automation system. In fact, it is now possible to manage your automation system remotely by computer.
Illuminations Lighting Design is located in Houston Texas. For over 28years we have been the leader in high end residential lighting and design. We serve all of Texas including Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Corpus Christi.
Give the experts at Illuminations a call toll free at 800-863-1184 or email TOM KRETZSCHMAR to learn more about our lighting design and home automation services.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Hospitality Lighting Designers, Houston Lighting Design Company
