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From Disaster to Dream Home! takes you inside the homebuilding process, from the ground up. In each episode, acclaimed interior designer Jana Rosenblatt brings you both the time-tested practices and the latest trends in homebuilding through conversations with leading architects, designers, and industry experts. Whether you’re building a custom home, rebuilding after a natural disaster, or renovating an older home, From Disaster to Dream Home! is your trusted source for the insights and connections you need to bring your home dreams into reality! www.FromDisasterToDreamHome.com
This is the EWN Podcast Network. Whether renovating an older home or building a new home from the ground up, lighting expert Lev Arushanian will help us understand what to consider and include in every room of the house. Join us today on today's episode of From Disaster to Dream Home.
Speaker 2:Welcome to From Disaster to Dream Home, the podcast that takes you inside the home building and rebuilding process. When interior designer, Jana Rosenblatt, had an 80 foot tree fall in her house, she saw the opportunity to create the customized home of her dreams. From Disaster to Dream Home provides you with the information and resources Jana wished she had during her rebuilding process. Now she's sharing with you the expertise of leading architects and home builders and the newest products and materials on the market. Here's your host, Jana Rosenblatt.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to From Disaster to Dream Home, the podcast that takes you inside the process of building or rebuilding a new home from the ground up. In our last episode, my guest, Lev Arushanian from VLS Design Center in Van Nuys, California, helped us outline the process of designing the lighting in our homes, when to begin, and what to consider. For more than fifteen years, Lev has worked with a variety of different manufacturers, products, and industries all revolving around lighting. In recent years, his firm, VLS Design Center, has predominantly focused on luxury residential lighting fixtures and design with a goal of providing knowledge and expertise to the design community in this sector. The lighting in our homes not only helps us function, but sets an emotional tone in every room of the house.
Speaker 1:Welcome back, Lev.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me, Jenna.
Speaker 1:Thanks for coming. Today, I want I would love to speak about how you approach the functionality and purpose of lighting fixtures in different areas of a new home, and what considerations should a homeowner keep in mind in different rooms to ensure optimal visibility and function? In the last episode, we thought talked about the main categories of lighting, the room or architectural lighting, task lighting, and accent or ambient lighting. So let's start today, for example, with the entry hall. The entry hall, in terms of
Speaker 3:the
Speaker 1:style, will set up the tone of the whole house. But let's talk about function and what we have to include in an entry hall.
Speaker 3:So, you know, entryways typically have you know, they have to be brightly lit because this is where, you know, people walk in and, you know, this is when this this is the first wow moment of your home that, you know, the home that we all wanna be proud of and, you know, entryways are designed, you know, to to wow the person walking into the home. So, clearly, there has to be a decorative aspect. Mhmm. And whether that decorative fixture, know, ceiling allows is a ceiling mounted chandelier, you know, pendant light or some wall mounted sconces. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:It it's really based on the type of entry that exists. And, obviously, the functional lighting also has to be there because it's a doorway. Can would some recessed lighting. Recessed lighting. Correct.
Speaker 1:Shoes. Yeah. So you you have that blanket of, you have a a the whole room is lit and you have the accents.
Speaker 3:Correct. You have accents or decorative pieces. And, you know, these don't all have to be turned on all at once. Right. Just the you know, for different times of the day or different occasions, you have layers of light to use.
Speaker 1:Right. Yeah. Layers. That's an important term. As an interior designer, I focus early in the process on the dining room because that's where I'm going to, be helping the client choose a chandelier, which is often a major investment and can set the design style for the rest of the house.
Speaker 1:This is where I can clearly identify if my client has simple contemporary taste or loves Mediterranean ironwork or craves the sparkles of crystal and, you know, just to name a few of the endless possibilities. In the dining room, we need enough light to see, but we want control to control the atmosphere. So what are some of the suggestions of the layers of light that we can use in the dining room?
Speaker 3:So, again, we we just you mentioned, you know, having a decorative piece over the dining room table over your formal dining table, and, you know, the aesthetics are up to you, the designer. As far as the functional architectural lighting, one thing that we did not discuss in our previous episode, was magnetic track lighting, which is becoming more and more popular these days. And, you know, we're all familiar with the traditional track lighting systems. We've had them in our homes, and we've seen them all over now. With the use of these very modern and sleek looking magnetic track systems, they get recessed into the ceiling and gives you more flexibility.
Speaker 3:But, you know, once the track is in, the various track manufacturers and systems can take in different elements.
Speaker 1:Are you saying that we don't see the track because it's magnetic?
Speaker 3:So it it well
Speaker 1:And we're gonna apply the instrument to the track?
Speaker 3:The elements go inside the tracks, and they can be, you know, very traditional track head looking round They're like little fox. Pictures.
Speaker 1:Better direct.
Speaker 3:Or they can be, you know, flushed within within the trap or sit flush in the trap.
Speaker 1:Of light.
Speaker 3:Correct. They can so if you look at any, you know, modern modern design inspiration photos Yeah. You'll see where there you know, the use of the linear AC vents that are trimless. You know? And, you know, they're kinda black, and it's a sleek line recessed into drywall.
Speaker 3:And then, you know, you see the same type of width, like a inch wide black opening in the ceiling that can be, you know, various lengths, four feet, eight feet, 12 feet, 16 feet. You know? And they can they can go on various surfaces, so it can go from a wall and onto a ceiling. And, basically, it's a low voltage track system that you can put various elements or what we call them the, you know, traditional track system, track heads. Right?
Speaker 3:You would put in a a track, and then you had the option of using various track heads on that track. So but, basically, same theory, just a lot more modern, much better performance, much sleeker look. So So you
Speaker 1:could you could do a whole perimeter of a room and be able and they're directional. So you can then decide whether you want the light to reflect direct you know, toward the walls or toward the floor. And then can you also use this? Is this a good system to use if you want to do a recessed into a soffit or something so that the light then reflects off of the ceiling or the wall? Or
Speaker 3:So no. The the the the soffits are typically done by flexible LED tape light
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:As it's called. And, you know, tape light is a blanket statement. There are just a plethora of tape light options Oh. With various light output levels. But, no, the this track system is exposed on the ceiling, and it basically it'll eliminate the use of, you know, recess lighting
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Because it know, they offer elements that are just, you know, downlighting Uh-huh. And directional track heads in various types, you know, fixtures that are made to, you know, graze walls or wash walls
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:You know, that are directional or, you know, small track that's to put some pin spots on artwork or, you know, any cabinetry. Some, formal dining rooms today, they have, you know, buffets or nice bars that they build out so you could
Speaker 1:Yeah. An an area of the room in a different way. So I think the dining rooms are a great place to be able to really create some mood. And it sounds like anytime you have a directional light or if you can do something in a soffit so that you have reflected light, then you can leave the focus for that piece of jewelry, which is the chandelier.
Speaker 3:Correct. And the reason why, you know, in our previous episode, I was so against using the builder grade lights. Yes. Builder grade recessed lights is because it throws a very blanket, you know, a monotone layer of light, and that light goes all over the place, taking away from the aesthetics of these beautiful decorative pieces.
Speaker 1:Right. Yeah.
Speaker 3:You really have to consider having control of the lights, you know, and where light travels.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And as you said, the architectural grade is still a recessed light, but it has a higher level of function and flexibility.
Speaker 3:Correct.
Speaker 1:Okay. Great. Yes. See, I learned a lot from the last episode. Now let's hop into the kitchen, which is usually the most lighting specific room in the house.
Speaker 1:How does the layout of the kitchen impact the selection and placement of the lighting?
Speaker 3:Again, the the the recessed lighting or the track lighting. I I put obviously, depending on what kind of kitchen we have, but I try to use the functional recessed lighting directly centered with the walkways
Speaker 1:Uh-huh. Right.
Speaker 3:Wherever there's paths of, you know, walking paths. And, again, with the use of control over the beam angles, I try to keep the lights from the ceiling
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Only to light up these pathways. The reason being is, you know, islands, you know, kitchen islands almost always have a decorative piece over them. There's always decorative pieces, and I feel like that those pieces should be the ones putting light onto the countertop of an island. So there shouldn't be some
Speaker 1:lighting.
Speaker 3:Yes. And, you know, again, the in the modern world, we're using our kitchens to entertain, you know, especially in the custom high end custom homes. A lot of these kitchens do become entertainment areas. Right? People people do seating areas around very large islands.
Speaker 3:Now you're seeing kitchens with dual island.
Speaker 1:Yes. I've done that seven times.
Speaker 3:So yeah. And I I don't like the the functional lighting taking away from the aesthetic or the function of the decorative fixtures there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Nor do I like it taking away from the function of the task lighting. Right. Especially if we have, you know, top cabinets over countertop spaces. Right. You know?
Speaker 3:But it's such a nicer look when you have that layer you know? It's again, and it is about layering. And when you hit that switch for the under cabinet lighting and nowadays, I really like lighting up toe kicks as well on cabinets.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah. That's right. It's a beautiful thing to do. It's also it's a really nice thing to to use as a nightlight.
Speaker 3:Nightlight? Yep. So I like that.
Speaker 1:Based separate. Yeah. It's a separate control for all of these lights. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's what I think really important also. So first of all, I think on the last show, we had we agreed that everything should be dimmable
Speaker 3:And Everything.
Speaker 1:That also you there should be a variety of switches so that you can choose exactly what portion of the room you're gonna see and and what you need to boost and not boost, and you can create all different kinds of atmospheres by just turning on the right set of lights.
Speaker 3:Correct.
Speaker 1:Exactly. So the living room is like the public face of the home. We may want to simply illuminate and take you know, make a bold, you know, creative statement in some way or just have it so that the light isn't the major factor in the room, or we want might want the light to be featuring our artwork and the things on the walls. And what what can you offer in terms of things to think about for the living room?
Speaker 3:So, you know, it's very important to create, you know, good ambiance in that living room. Homeowners spend a lot of money on furnishings and decor of the living room, and lighting really is is there to outline and to highlight all of these very exquisite finishes, furniture, and, you know, in living rooms is where we see a lot of artwork. You know? And I once once exposed to real artwork lighting and what art looks like when it's properly lit Yeah. As opposed to just, like, let's throw a floodlight on this painting and, you know, light up the painting and the entire wall surrounding it rather than, you know, boxing in the light with the use of, again, the manual controls and shutters and the specialty, you know, the or various specialty art lighting fixtures to really, you know, highlight that piece of art that's on the wall.
Speaker 1:But no. It sounds like in use of these architectural grade recessed lights that in some ways, the the final setup of it might be beyond the average electrical, you know, installer's abilities. I mean, do you are there people who are specifically geared toward being able to create just those functions and just that focus?
Speaker 3:Good question. And I good question. And I didn't pay you to ask me that. Yeah. So the term is called cal you know, calibration.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And it's calibrating the lighting system. It is something that once we retained as consultants or designers on a project, it is part of our scope of work Mhmm. To do a final calibration of the lighting system Uh-huh. Where the contractor will provide equipment and labor to help help the lighting designer by either myself or one of my team members in you know?
Speaker 3:And maybe it's too fancy of a word, but it's a technical word to use to calibrate the lighting system because a lot a lot of these fixtures, the lensing Yeah. On them is field adjustable or maybe changed out in the field. So we don't need to specify the beam angles when we order them from the factory. So once once it's roughed in and once it's time to do the finish work Yeah. Once the it's time to do the finish work, then we will go in and help calibrate that lighting system to ensure the lights are pointed in the right directions and the beam the right beam angle lenses are used.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So you you've sold me on the value of these fixtures for sure. The question now is what is the approximate price difference in terms of, you know, maybe, I don't know, square foot or how do you calculate? Is there any way to give me a just an indication so I can start to educate my clients on what to make sure to prepare for?
Speaker 3:There really is. So, you know, working in these high end homes, you know, there's really no limit. Okay? Although And and when I talk
Speaker 1:Not all my clients.
Speaker 3:I I understand. But so, you know, when we talked about in our previous episode about
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, meeting clients' budgets and when should that discussion happen, it should happen, you know, very early on to make sure that, you know, the right lighting plan is developed. But, really, you know, I put a lot of thought behind this. And, you know, to me, there's obviously again, as I mentioned, there is no there's no limit as to what type of money can be spent because Right. You can get into custom making fixtures and Right. Yes.
Speaker 3:Really, you know so I've kinda for myself and for initial meetings with designers and clients, the question is quite simple. Do you want a 50¢ a square foot of lighting material in your project? Do you want a $45 a square foot, lighting material budget, or do you want a $10.12 dollar a square foot lighting project? At that 50¢ a square foot is the builder grade, what you see at Home Depot at at an electrical supply, 50¢. And, honestly, if we were to go on Amazon and shop shop for material, I would take you down to $25.30 cent 35¢ a square foot.
Speaker 3:And quite frankly, there's really no difference.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:You know, there's no difference when you're in that. So then when you say, well, what do I get for $45 a square foot?
Speaker 1:At
Speaker 3:at that budget is where we start getting into it's the lower end of the spectrum Uh-huh. For, you know, architectural grade lighting
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:You know, in a home. It's that's really where it begins. You know? And and because I've been in the business a long time, one thing I've realized is that even though LEDs have a very extended period of life. Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know? They still they still go out. And some of these fixtures that are being that are trimless, that are being mudded into a ceiling, it's not a simple lamp change out. Right. One thing that is becoming a bigger problem as, you know, fixtures that were installed a decade ago because there are LED fixtures that were installed a decade ago, five years ago, and some of them are either nearing end of life or are, you know, due to defect or poor performance are failing.
Speaker 3:We're coming to realize that there's a big problem in servicing these fixtures. Yeah. That's something that, you know, could I mean, possibly was forecasted that was gonna happen, but the technology the the technology developed so quickly, nobody really had the time to standardize. Right. These manufacturers didn't communicate with one another to standardize anything.
Speaker 1:I've exchanged my own home.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. Mhmm. So to me, when I'm specifying the project because I intend to stay in this business a very long time. Uh-huh. One one major concern for me is that if this client has an issue five years, ten years down the road, the products I'm specifying Yeah.
Speaker 3:I you know, sometimes due to budgetary restrictions or just the product I have to use because that's what's required on a project. Like, you know, I'm not the manufacturer, so I would hope that the manufacture and I and I pick and I'm kinda choosy about whose material I would even though I hold no loyalty to Yeah. Any manufacturer, it's whatever fits a specific project. But I try to use my best judgment so that five years down the road when a client comes knocking at my showroom door, like, hey. We need to service this.
Speaker 3:I you know, that fixture may be out of warranty. Yeah. You know? But I don't wanna be robotic and say, hey. Sorry.
Speaker 3:Your fixture's out of warranty. Bye. You know? So I try to strategically use manufacturers that I'm confident are going to have
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Components to service these, you know, expensive fixtures.
Speaker 1:And so but there are architectural fixtures, recessed lights specifically, that that can be easily replaced. I mean, that is just a level of the choice.
Speaker 3:Correct. Because you've seen you've seen, like, these rectangular rectangular multiple head visas light fixtures, right, or the trimless stuff. These have dedicated housings.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:So, like, you know, one manufacturer's components will not function in another manufacturer's fixture. Right. So they both make a, say, four inch recessed round light, but they're not interchangeable.
Speaker 1:That is correct.
Speaker 3:So when when servicing, I do I do like to put, you know, a buffer in our quotes and get extra components for a project.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:So
Speaker 1:there's no shelf life if you're storing them, and it would not be a bad idea to house a certain amount of, inventory.
Speaker 3:So, again, the manufacturers that I, you know, that I like to use, I've used the ones that I'm kinda confident will have components on their shelf for a few years to support what they've sold.
Speaker 1:Got it.
Speaker 3:Or some of them have actually standardized certain components Uh-huh. So that I feel as long as they're in business, as long as the company exists, they've committed to a certain form of a light engine that they're using on different applications in a recessed light, in a in a pendant light, in a track head, and it's, you know, it's a complete engine. And as long as they keep the form of this fixture, which, you know, if they're developing more fixture families to use this one type of light source, I feel like down the road that they will continue having this component on hand before servicing their fixture.
Speaker 1:Stable over time. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that you the life expectancy sorry. Just to you know? The the the life expectancy of, you know, typical LED fixture today is between, like, seventy five to a hundred thousand hours Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:Which is a lot of hours, you know, in a residential setting. Maybe in a commercial I mean, even in a commercial setting, you know, a hundred thousand hour picture, that's a long life compared to what we had with fluorescent or incandescent or HIV.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 3:So
Speaker 1:That's what one of the great things about it. So so let's get back to the the rooms in our house. We're leaving the living room and we're walking into the family room, which is where families spend the most time doing the biggest range of activities, multitasking on our iPads, playing chess, doing a puzzle, reading a book on a rainy day. There are many specific lighting requirements and including, you know, that big screen TV. So we've talked a little bit about about glare and things like that, but talk to me about the family room is the most one of the most creative lighting possibilities, I think.
Speaker 3:So one thing that drives me crazy when I step into a family room is seeing recessed lighting directly over seating areas. So as you're sitting on a couch, there's, like, literally a light shining down on you. Right. And, you know, because, again, due to lack of communication between the design team and the build team sometimes Yeah. The build team just says, just put a blanket of light in the room.
Speaker 3:You know?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Put put this bridge, you know.
Speaker 1:Electrically divide up
Speaker 3:the Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which is, you know, the the point isn't especially in the family room, you have to while your architect is still developing the plans, you have to do a furniture layout because the builder isn't gonna do it for you. They don't care where you put your sofa. No. But at some point, that's why you need an interior designer to have the conversation. You gotta figure it out.
Speaker 1:So so is this like with the kitchen, you want those recessed light to be more toward the track the the walking paths?
Speaker 3:So I like them around the perimeter Yeah. So I can aim the lights towards walls and, you know, have indirect or, you know, have indirect lighting. We talked about soffits or crown molding details. Again, the see, here's the thing. The recessed the use for recessed lighting is, you know, when when you're using the space for relaxation or family time, that light or that grid is not going to be at a %.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 3:Typically, what I see happen with the recessed lighting grid, if it's on and the space is being used, the comfort of the comfortable level that the dimmer should be set at is maybe, like, 25%. Mhmm. You know? Unless we're mopping floors, you know, then we go up to a %. Or I don't know.
Speaker 3:We're maybe playing a board game where we need a lot of light, but I don't even know what board game you need so much light for. Right? Mhmm. So, you know, the the recessed lighting grid is is operating at 25% when the room is occupied, and that's also to allow for task lighting or decorative lighting to play its role because decorative lighting being the jewelry, you don't want to take away from it.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:So and and recessed lighting just does that easily. Yeah. You know? And the other thing is because recessed lights are bright, you know, they're bright in a small surface area, a very bright light source. So when they come into direct contact with your eye, they cause serious discomfort and glare.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So in a family room setting or even in a dining room, you know, I walk in and I see directly over the chairs of a dining room, you know, recessed lights directly overhead as somebody and, again, those need to be set put the bit the outer Yeah. The outer perimeter. Got it. And and the same thing, like you said, you know, a furniture plan is important for a comprehensive reflected ceiling plan. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because if we're just gonna have a floor plan with no information, then that's when you get these, you know, three fixtures that way, six fixtures that way, you know, put a line or use a laser and, you know, put this grid, which should not be done in a custom home. There should be more preplanning for this not to occur.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And now the family room is also one of the spaces where I suggest zone lighting, where we have groups of recess fixtures on separate switches so that you can light can be manipulated around the room. For example, in my own room, I can I can put on the lights that are right behind my couch in the walk in space separately from the ones that are in front of me? So if I'm having an overall party, people are moving around. I may have all the lights on the same level.
Speaker 1:But when I'm watching TV, I don't want the lights on between me and the and the television. So can you talk
Speaker 3:a little bit
Speaker 1:about, you know, about about zones and about and about glare on TV specifically? What are some of your favorite tricks in the in the large screen TV decade?
Speaker 3:So the one thing, again, is these light sources need to be hidden. And, again, with the use of better quality lighting fixtures in your ceiling or recessed lights, the the glare factor does get eliminated, but you are absolutely right that there has to be zoning and zone control. One thing I will say that, you know, in in a modern home, technology is necessary. I think at this point, regardless of one's age or requirements, the control systems are necessary in a home. And the integrators who were, you know, previously called, you know, audio visual contractors Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:Or, you know, they were the low voltage people. But now they have come in you know, with with technology and the growth of technology, their place in the in the lighting sector is becoming more and more dominant because they are they are having to control this, and, they're having to really educate themselves on lighting as well. A lot of lighting companies actually are making the push at educating these contractors
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:More so more so than the electrical contractors because they're realizing that the home automaker is more involved in developing systems that fit the lifestyle of the homeowner.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:You know? Whether we're gonna put some audio in the exterior of the home, what size TV, you know, do we need any audio support in any other part of the home? The controls.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:The controls. It's, you know, the home automation, the shade.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Now, you know Yeah. And a big portion of what they're controlling is lighting.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So in in developing lighting plans and developing zoning and, you know, all this, it's also very important to have you know? And, again, we are talking about, you know, luxury residential home building. These contractors have to be selected very early on in in the project to have less oopsies. You know? We have a lot of oopsies.
Speaker 3:Like Right. Oops. We didn't think about this. Well, you know? And, unfortunately, you know, I understand we need to pour foundation and get a frame up, and I get all that.
Speaker 3:But, these are things that require time and thought. You know? I believe that the homeowners, both by lighting design you know, the interior designer spends a lot of time with the homeowner
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And understanding their lifestyle. Well, I you know, the the automators that I've come to respect in the industry, I realized that they also have their lineup of interview questions for the homeowners. You know? Yeah. And, again, there's really no limit as to what what amount of technology goes in a home.
Speaker 3:So, you know, there are amazing contractors out there that take the time to spend with the homeowner to identify really their needs. Yeah. And that zoning and that zoning of how do we zone this to keep from layer going in the TV. Well, I myself am not involved in where the TV goes. Right.
Speaker 3:You know? And this is this is the AV or this is the automator, you know, the home automator. So these are all people that really need to be brought on to a project very early on.
Speaker 1:I wanna add to that thought that you can so you can you can create a home automation system for a whole home, but you also can do it in a room. So, you know, there are ways to make some of the automation features affordable on different levels of home building. And it's kind of Yeah. When you can press a button that turns on your TV, sets the room light to the level that you want.
Speaker 3:Most certainly.
Speaker 1:They're kind of wonderful things. And that and that too, if you can plan ahead, you can then decide whether or not, you know, you need to blanket the whole house with this technology or whether it's gonna be mostly important in the primary bedroom or, you know, somewhere where you want to be able to have that control on a remote instead of or on your phone most of the time now. Well, that
Speaker 3:And I'll bring a quick just a quick example. A home a home here in Sherman Oaks that I that I designed and recently calibrated. And, actually, on the TV, it's an open space, you know, very modern design home. And the the TV is directly over the fireplace, and across from it, you know, across the room is this very grand kitchen. And, you know, the toe kicks and on the cabinets are lit up.
Speaker 3:The first thing I you know, for the first thing I noticed was I looked at the TV and I see the lines. Yeah. And, you know, I was actually there with the with the home automator to calibrate. Yeah. And, you know, we set a TV watching scene where it, you know, let it drop all the lights down to 10%.
Speaker 3:There was no glare from the ceiling, and the under cabinet and the toe kick lighting has to be off because it was, you know, it was being reflected in the TV. So and, again, these these, control, tasks or the the the controls of the figure, Sure. They can be done by your electrical contractor using standard dimmers and switches. I just believe, again, that a let's just say if you don't put in a smart home system or a control system in a home, I believe that if you're building a home today, at least the infrastructure of a control system has to be in installed roughed in even if you opt out of, you know, of not putting in the actual control system itself. But all the fiber optic and cat wire Yeah.
Speaker 3:The home needs to be you know, you need to have this home for at least, like, fifteen years because, you know, the conditions change, things change in life, and, you know, it's nice to have that infrastructure in the home.
Speaker 1:Yeah. For sure. The only question I have about that, and this is way out of my script for this show, is what about the fact that the technology changes? Can you rely on those wiring systems to work?
Speaker 3:At this point at this point, we're not even using, you know, fiber optic. We're not on the level of fiber optic. Cat the cat cable is sufficient. If somebody was really trying to look many years down the road, you know, you can just wire the home in fiber optic. Again, I I'm not I'm not the specialist to advise, but my understanding of it is that, you know, we're not what we're using, the amount of data that we're transferring, fiber optic is way overkill, and the CAT cable being used is more than sufficient.
Speaker 3:So if you only use CAD, it's fine. But if you wanna, you know, forecast some technological advances, you know, in the next decade and you wanna do it with fiber optic, I think it's and fiber optic, I believe, is affordable enough to use in putting in that infrastructure.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Yeah. That's good to think about, and it's good to get that idea of planning ahead. There are a lot of things you may not be able to finish now, but you want may wanna introduce in the future. So one thing we haven't mentioned yet, but is a really important in in many rooms of the house are ceiling fans.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, what are your thoughts about the current, you know, use of ceiling fans? Are people pro or con? And and what about the scale? How can I best determine the scale of a ceiling fan for a room?
Speaker 3:So first, let's talk about what people think of fans. And I, you know, I don't display very many fans. We've got a couple in the showroom.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:We sell a plethora of we sell a plethora of manufacturers that sell fans. One thing I have realized is that the form the form, the shape, and the design of fans has really you know, there are some beautiful fans out there. It's really evolved. What I see about the consumer is some people have to have it, and some people just have to have a Uh-huh. I I have I have yet to meet someone that's kinda in the middle.
Speaker 3:You know? Exactly. Like, I I see it where it's like every bedroom in the house has to have a fan. And then there's people like, no. We have two fans on our patio or, you know, backyard over this enclosed patio, and that's it.
Speaker 3:And that's for hanging out in the summer months. Now as far as function is concerned, you know, what size fan Yeah. I've realized that, you know, in reading spec sheets, again, I'm not a specialist in fans, but, you know, there are three bladed fans. There are five bladed fans. And, you know, the fans that can rotate clockwise, counterclockwise to either push air down or cool air up.
Speaker 3:And then in reading these spec sheets, I realized that, you know, yes, size does matter when we're talking about how much air we're displacing or moving. But, nevertheless, you know, you can have one family of fan that's, you know, one diameter, say, 48 inch fan. Well, with the with the three blade 48 inch, you're moving x amount of air. With the five blade 48 inch, you're moving x amount of air. So, you know and and those calculations, the spec sheets of of the manufacturers are very helpful.
Speaker 3:I'm not a fan specialist by any means. Mhmm. But, you know, I do like reading and understanding spec sheets, and I've realized that, you know, as far as the consumer goes, they either love fans or they don't want any in their homes. Mhmm. You know?
Speaker 1:So the next category of rooms to talk about are are the bedrooms. And I'm gonna skip by the secondary bedrooms and just say that in general, in an average bedroom, you know, you need that overall architectural Yeah. Lighting so you have coverage. And then you need, you know, the the task lighting or the side lamps and things like that. And you can do them in a in many different creative ways.
Speaker 1:But the primary bedroom is where there are some more, you know, again, you might wanna employ zoom zoning. You might wanna create ambiance by reflected light. You might wanna do many different things. And my favorite thing to make sure that people don't miss is the ability to use have controls for the lighting on both sides of the bed within reach Right. Of the bed.
Speaker 1:So what are some additional tips that you have for, for primary bedrooms mostly where you can where people really wanna, you know, specialize that space?
Speaker 3:So, jewelry, decorative the use of decorative lighting. You know, the the primary the primary bedroom is, you know, is the most important bedroom in a home, and, you know, there a lot of money gets spent on finishes and furnishings in this home.
Speaker 1:They can
Speaker 3:So yep. And, you know, the the lighting system, the functional architectural lighting system should be there to outline and highlight all of those materials and furnishings that are there to also, you know, set the right ambiance in that space because, you know, our our homeowners and residents of the home, you know, they spend, you know, their their comfort hours in that space, and it's really you know, in that interview process that you find what is really important to them. And, again, a lot of people watch, you know, the the enter you know, they use TV or receive their entertainment in their bedrooms. You know, they may have a theater at home that's used once a week. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:But, you know, the where they receive their nightly entertainment is from the comfort of their beds, and that that that ambient that level of ambiance and comfort needs to be, yeah, needs to be thought of very thoroughly.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And that's the the primary bedroom is another one of those rooms that even if you don't automate other rooms in the house, although I love to do do remote control, you know, window treatments. Remote control window treatments, remote control lighting, things that you can so you can control everything from the bed or from one place in the room. It can be really it it's a it's a real luxury.
Speaker 3:If you can
Speaker 1:afford yourself some luxury somewhere but not everywhere, the primary bedroom is a place to do it.
Speaker 3:Yep. And, honestly, for for those homeowners who are not interested or don't have the budgets for extensive control systems in their home, there are some not many, but there are consumer grade control systems in the market by some reputable manufacturers that you know? And when I say consumer grade, they're, you know, they're standard switches, so they they will require an electrical contractor and electrician to install these switches. But the programming of them and the functionality isn't, you know, isn't rocket science as with some of the more intricate control systems. So there are much simpler control systems out there to provide control over your lighting.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, even the luxury of having that light switch next to the bed is is remarkably comforting and it makes me feel like, you know, I've I've got a a higher end home than I used to.
Speaker 3:Sure. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So then the other room where there are some real innovations is is the bathroom. I mean, certainly in the bathroom, we need the overall blanket of light. We we need task lighting that reflects in the mirror and we can put on our makeup. But I'm using now a lot of light up mirrors Mirrors. Yeah.
Speaker 1:For both ambiance and for as a task light. Are you seeing that as a a common trend? Yes.
Speaker 3:So a lot of people are using LED lit mirrors. Yeah. What that does, again because, you know, bathrooms there's there's a decorative part to a bathroom. Right? We spend a lot of time on surfaces, you know, what tiles to use and, you know, our vanities.
Speaker 3:There's there's decor or a very decorative aspect to the bathroom spaces. And with the use of LED lit mirrors, the decorative lighting fixture, which would have been the the the the
Speaker 1:Sconce or the The
Speaker 3:vanity the vanity light. Right. The vanity light or the sconce on the sides of
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 3:The mirror is now gone.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So what I see being used a lot is decorative fixtures Mhmm. That are, you know, being you know, pendant mounts that are kinda off center Yeah. With the sink or, you know, in larger in larger restrooms, I see ceiling ceiling mounted. You know? If there's high ceilings, some you know, a chandelier that may be fitting or something a bit more flush mounted decorative.
Speaker 3:So We
Speaker 1:always try to sneak chandeliers into bathrooms where we really aren't supposed to, but it's awfully tempting.
Speaker 3:So, I mean, just just because the the sconce or the vanity light played a decorative role the decorative lighting role in that space. So now with the use of an LED mirror with that being out, it just opens up it just gives you the opportunity to use another fixture for decor. The the few things that I would, you know, strictly here here are my suggestions when we're talking about, you know, a vacuum. Okay. Don't put a light directly over the tub.
Speaker 3:Who wants to lay in a tub and enjoy themselves and have you know, close their eyes and have a light in
Speaker 1:I very often do put a chandelier there, but it's dimmable. But I get it.
Speaker 3:Correct. And and when I do use a decorative fixture over it, if you know, with some of these, freestanding tubs Yeah. I try to off center and kinda drop it low, you know, hanging low and off center so it's not overhead. Uh-huh. So that that's that the shower itself, inside the shower must have a recessed light.
Speaker 3:Yeah. If you you know, one recessed light of any aperture Uh-huh. Output is sufficient, but sometimes due to people using rain showers and to keep symmetry, we have to use two. Right. When you have niches, you know, shampoo niches or benches, using the linear lights to Good idea.
Speaker 3:Put in some indirect light
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:That is, you know, that is also another layer of light that brings in that, you know, it it it does really make the shower stand out or, you know, it's a it's a beautiful accent. But it ends up being a beautiful accent piece.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Yeah. That sounds
Speaker 3:Those are my few pointers when it comes to lighting a bathroom.
Speaker 1:That is lovely. Very romantically conceived list of ideas. So then, you know, there are endless other kinds of rooms that we could create in our house from home theaters to our home offices and things, but I think the things we've talked about can all be interplayed into those rooms. The one kind of space I want to still mention is is our garages, which, you know, can be a, you know, a workspace as well as a place where we, you know, keep our cars. It can be many different kinds of things.
Speaker 1:What are some of the ways to get a really great amount of, you know, functional light, like daylight in there?
Speaker 3:So, you know, just depending on the aesthetics of a garage, you know, I do have clients that have very nice car collections and Mhmm. Have, you know, immaculate garages.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:And, essentially, the the lighting system that goes in the living space also comes out into their garages because they're, you know, storing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of vehicles and, you know, they're they're showpieces. And the garages also are, you know, man cakes. Uh-huh. Is that a PC term they use these days?
Speaker 1:You know, it's so interesting. I still use it, so sure. Let's go with it.
Speaker 3:Okay. So, you know, just just depending on the garage, really, you know, it can be strictly very functional, four foot long linear strips to just provide general lighting in the garage. Or, like I said, some of these garages I work on are beautiful spaces with custom custom custom cabinetry going in, you know, custom flooring, tiled floors. You know? And in that case, the same architectural lighting system that went in the house just the pit flows through the entire space, the.
Speaker 1:Very cool. So, Lev, in winding down today's episode, what are you seeing as current style styles and trends in lighting fixtures for a new home?
Speaker 3:As far as functional or decorative? Can you elaborate? What's what's new? What's what's really coming in new that's new to a lot of contractors? So, again, it's all about making the aperture.
Speaker 3:And, you know, again, the decorative I'm I'm not the best person to talk about decorative lights. It's Okay. Not really my space to speak. But when we're talking functional architectural, it's all about it's it's a it's a race to go smaller Uh-huh. Brighter Okay.
Speaker 3:Less visible
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:Meaning trimless, everything trimless. Nobody wants to see any ring.
Speaker 1:Just my magic.
Speaker 3:Right. I mean and it's done. The products are out there, and the contractors are just, you know, now learning how to work better with with these products. And as I mentioned, now that, you know, these trimless fixtures are there, it's not just the electrician involved in this proper installation, but they, know, they need to work well with the drywallers and the plaster peep you know, a lot of these homes we're working on have level five drywall. Well, you don't want that drywall to crack.
Speaker 1:You know?
Speaker 3:When they float that ceiling, the fixtures have to be properly installed. The taping needs to be properly done. So it's really a team effort to have a good installation of a lighting fixture, which, you know, otherwise was just up to the electrical contractor. So as far as trends when it comes to recessed lighting, like I said, the race is to go smaller, brighter, more control more control over color. Yes.
Speaker 3:And then as I mentioned, the the magnetic tracks Yeah. They've really been around a long time, used in Europe, but they're just making their you know, they're just coming into The States. And, they're a low voltage system, so it does take quite a bit of design and engineering to be able to install this, on a project.
Speaker 1:Low voltage installer or the electrical?
Speaker 3:No. It it would still be the electrical con I mean, look. It's really becoming the it's meshing right now. It's really meshing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:A lot of a lot of electrical contractors are also doing low voltage automation projects. So just depending on projects and who's involved, who the builder is, who their subcontractors are. But, really, the the the trends the trends are get smaller, get brighter, hide light sources, no glare. You know? And then, like I said, the that magnetic track lighting is really taking off.
Speaker 1:Do some looking into that. Maybe I'll post some pictures with this episode that will demonstrate that a little bit. So, Lev, I cannot thank you enough for sharing your comprehensive knowledge about lighting design and the lighting industry with us. It literally is truly the most illuminating aspect of the design of our homes and cannot be and should not be approached without the guidance of a skilled industry luminary like yourself and teaming up with an interior designer like myself. You can find
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:You're welcome. You're welcome. It has been so delightful. You can find out more about Liv's company on his website, www.vlsdc.com. And, of course, there's always a link to his website from our website.
Speaker 1:And and you can find us at www.fromdisastertodreamhome.com. Thanks again.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining us on this episode of From Disaster to Dream World, the podcast that takes you inside the home building and rebuilding process. Each week, we bring you time tested practices and the latest trends through conversations with top professionals in the building industry. You can find other episodes of From Disaster to Dream Home at ewnpodcastnetwork.com as well as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, and most other major podcast streaming services. Need design help? You can contact us or find out more about our guests at from disasterdisastertodreamhome.com.
Speaker 2:Until next time, let us guide and inspire you as you create the home of your dreams.