Thomas Phifer: Light on the Subject

Articles

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  Everything is Illuminated

  Searching high and low for your ideal table lamp? Brighter days are ahead.

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  Lighting

  Lisa Heschong, a California architect with the Heschong Mahone Group, which specializes in research on building performance, doesn’t think much of firelight: “The use of fire for…

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  A Little Light Reading

  If your manuscript is far from being illuminated, it’s time to drop the task at hand and find a new lamp to read by.

Products

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  Box Light

  The Clapper is old news. These days, touch activation is taking the world by storm. Illuminate your room with the gentle tap of a fingertip on this little Box light.

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  Bright 1

  Pros: If you desire maximum luminosity from a minimalist design, this one’s for you. Who says design can’t do a body good? Bright 1 is certified for bright-light therapy—a…

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  Void Light

  This light fixture would look right at home illuminating the futuristic living room of a T-1000 shape-shifting Terminator. ¡Hasta la vista, Henningsen!

Dwell Collections

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  Light Flight

  Domestic lighting is having a sculptural moment with designers eschewing accented shapes and materials in favor of surprising silhouettes. Put aside your task lamps, Edison bulbs, and cloth…

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  Light it Up

  There's much to be gleaned from the September 2010 issue's "Lighting 101", from the horrors of light pollution to the joys of organic LEDs. Thus inspired, we thought we'd present our most…

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  The Best of Northern Light Fair 2010

  The Northern Light Fair is held every year in conjunction with the Stockholm Furniture Fair. This year approximately 100 exhibitors demonstrating the latest in home lighting, LEDs, halogen lamps…

Videos

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  As You Light It: Roll & Hill

  For our third and last installment of our series on lighting design, we trek to Brooklyn for a round table discussion about the power of illumination with the creative minds behind Roll & Hill.

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  As You Light It: Leni Schwendinger

  In our second installment of our series on lighting design we venture to Manhattan to see "lighting urbanist" Leni Schwendinger. From the terminals of Port Authority to the brights lights of Time…

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  As You Light It: Jet Lag

  For the first installment of our new series investigating lighting design, we go behind the scenes of the Obie-award-winning play Jet Lag. The show, originally conceived by architects Elizabeth…

Tips

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  Don't Forget to Leave the Light Burning

  Don't leave thoughts about lighting until last—consider how you will illuminate your space while you are in the planning stages.

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  How to Pick the Right Light

  Lighting should be very task oriented. If you plan on sitting at the sofa and reading, the lamp has to be at the right reading site. Keep decorative lamps for overhead lighting and all the other…

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  How to Build a Lighting Concept

  I’m a fan of floor lighting plus a couple of small table lamps for the living room. Use ambient lighting and low-wattage warm bulbs to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Events

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  Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations

  This is the first museum survey of Maira Kalman’s narrative art. Working as an illustrator, author, and designer, Kalman is well known for her covers and drawings for The New Yorker, over a…

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  Light and Design

  Light plays an important role in our daily lives. We are surrounded by it and dependent on it. Light is also key to design. There’s design for light—lamps, for example—and design…

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  Maira Kalman: Illuminations (of a Crazy World)

  This is the first major museum survey of the work of illustrator, author and designer Maira Kalman. This exhibition features a selection spanning thirty years of original works on paper and design…