Form Plus Function

With the huge generation of baby boomers defining “growing old” in new ways, there is great motivation to find solutions to the pesky physical problems associated with aging.

One is the research being done on “Lighting for the Aging Eye”.
What it all boils down to is that we just don’t see so well at 60 as we did at 20.
But then again, this is no reason to limit our activities. We just need to know what to do about it and make some changes in our home, and off we go!

In our new showroom we have made a fun display using this iconic poster of the buff 70+ year old guy  with a few lighting facts about “Lighting for the aging eye.”

At 65 you need:

• up to 10 times the amount of light as the average 20-year-old.
• a light level of more than 100 foot-candles to be able to read comfortably.

Lighting manufacturer Holtkoetter has initiated and supported extensive research at the University of Colorado to study and develop the scientific basis of lighting for the aging eye and to research how good lighting can mitigate the effects of the natural physical changes we are all subjected to as time passes.
The findings were that the decrease in retinal illuminance requires a light level of more than 100 footcandles for optimal reading performance.
Holtkoetter therefore chose a 75-Watt or 100-Watt Halogen light bulb by Osram.
Its shape and the construction of the inside of the reflector, allow for a light level in excess of 100 footcandles.
A matte glass diffuser and a reflector that focuses the light only on the reading material will reduce glare and scattering.
Adjustable dimming controls and the adjustability of the physical reflector location allow the light levels to be set at the optimal position, reducing the need for the eye to adjust to different light levels. 
The study resulted in a series of table, chair-side and floor reading lamps.

One is an absolute winner: The Bernie LED floor lamp!! Priced at $898 it’s definitely not cheap, but it’s light output is just incredible! Equivalent to 1200 Lumens in an LED lamp! That’s big!!

The sleek and innovative Bernie Turbo Series Swing-Arm floor lamp is the 2011 winner of “Lighting for Tomorrow” competition that recognizes the best in decorative energy-efficient light fixtures.

With its 8 Cree LEDs it has an amazing light output of 1120 Lumens, which is equivalent to 80W Halogen!!

Like many of the Holtkoetter Lights, the Bernie LED floor lamp as the P1 Dimming System.

Holtkoetter Lighting 6424-LED Bernie Floor Lamp

Vintage Edison Bulb

Many have asked us if the exposed-filament bulbs, reproductions of Thomas Alva Edison’s first light bulb will be available in a few years.

So far the answer is yes.
Because they don’t produce enough light they are considered specialty bulbs and are not included in the higher federal efficiency standards that gradually begin taking effect in 2012,

Aware of  the need to conserve energy, it is my recommendation to use these wonderfully warm vintage lights only as accents.
Use the more efficient light sources for the majority of the illumination for your home.

We will be adding more of these bulbs to our site in the next days at prices of around $10 each.

They actually last quite a while, and in my opinion are a low-cost way of adding ambience to a space, just like candles.

Follow our blog for more News from the Lighting Front. And never hesitate to contact us for answers to your lighting questions.

Stella Ceiling Fan by Modern Fan Co.

The Stella ceiling fan was designed by David Ellis for  the Modern Fan Co.
This contemporary fan is a beautiful combination of air management and superb ambient lighting.
The wood accents and blades add warmth and allows it to fit a large variety of locations.
The central glass cylinder is surrounded by maple or mahogany plywood rings. It is available with a dark bronze finish and the choice of black, maple or mahogany blades

For the fifth time since its inception, Hubbardton Forge has awarded the prestigious Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence & Pollution Prevention.
This prestigious award honors Vermont companies that use innovative approaches
to reduce or eliminate the generation of pollutants and wastes at the source. Hubbardton Forge received the award in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2005 for several advances they made in their finishing systems.

This year, Hubbardton Forge was recognized for their adoption of automated centrifuge separation technology.  This change resulted in a 97% reduction in water usage, a 150% increase in cleaning efficiency, elimination of a hazardous waste stream, improved worker safety, improved part quality and a reduction in labor.

Only 26 days left !

The upcoming EU ban on frosted incandescent bulbs will start on September 1st with 100W bulbs.
Other wattages will then be phased out over the next three years.

With the deadline for the demise of the familiar light bulb rapidly approaching criticism of this legislature is spreading throughout Europe.
There are calls for civic disobedience and protests about “Light Bulb Socialism” (Holger Krahmer,  FDP, Germany.)

It’s not that all Europeans have all of a sudden fallen off the wagon and decided to be energy-hogs.  This is  rather a widespread scepticism towards  EU bureaucracy and the rush to force this legislation through before a suitable replacement for the incandescent bulb has been found.

Many are complaining about the quality of the light emitted by a CFL bulb,  that it is not strong enough for tasks and can cause headaches.
Others are pointing out that the issue of CFL recycling has not been solved and that the research about the virtues of CFLs comes primarily from interest groups like CFL manufacturers and is grossly overstated.

One group is not complaining, though: light bulb retailers. Sales have skyrocketed over the last months as shoppers are stockpiling incandescent bulbs.
Museums, galleries, stores and general consumers are making sure that they still have a choice after September 1st.

Ingo Maurer Lucellino

“What a sick idea to eliminate an icon like the light bulb”
-Ingo Maurer

When we were in Munich this spring and ran into Ingo Maurer the discussion regarding the new European regulations to ban the incandescent bulb by September were heated.

Never one to just accept things passively, Ingo Maurer was using his showroom to demonstrate how silly the new rules are.

I’ll never forget his display of the charming Lucellino desk lamps outfitted with squiggly compact fluorescent lamps. Horrid! More »

What an impact a few changes we make in our everyday lives can have on the environment!

I found it amazing what I read today. Seems so trivial, but what a difference a simple change could make!

“If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of abut 800,000 cars.”

Read more here: Mercury Fact Sheet (PDF)

So, love CFLs or not, I think we all have a spot or two in the house – or outside, where we can replace an incandescent bulb for a CFL.

Personally I can’t take the plunge and live without the warm light of incandescents, but I’m making small changes here and there.

“I have this beautiful antique foyer light with exposed bulbs and it will look horrible  with squiggly compact fluorescent lamps. Will incandescent bulbs soon be unavailable?”

We get questions like this almost every week, so here I’ll try to clarify a few things.

The energy bill that was signed end of 2007 does require that all light bulbs use 30% less energy than today’s incandescent bulbs by 2014, which is a good thing.

The phase-out will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. After this a second tier of requirements will become effective which asks for all bulbs to be at least 70% more efficient, which would mean that they will have to be as efficient as the CFLs we are using right now.

Since the manufacturers of incandescent bulbs are probably more aware of this than anyone else they are of course working hard on finding ways of improving the efficiency of their products. It might very well be possible that a next generation of incandescent bulbs could satisfy the requirement of 30% increased efficiency by 2012.

All this said, there are now so many really great CFLs on the market that are good looking and fit a variety of needs: You can get candelabra bulb-shaped CFLs that will fit your foyer light and not change the overall look.

In our showroom we actually now sell more unique CFLs than anything else. (CFLs for outdoor use, dimmable CFLs etc etc).

Another lamp we have now introduced is an LED mR16. It is WONDERFUL.

More about that in a later post.

Hubbardton Forge Dyad Table Lamp 27-8120

The American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) named Hubbardton Forge’s Dyad series of table and floor lamps the winner of the prestigious 2008 Pinnacle Award for Design Achievement in Lighting. The accolade was announced during this year’s High Point International Home Furnishings Show in North Carolina. Pinnacle judges stated that they chose the Dyad collection for the award because it “exhibited strong architectural style softened by relevant materials”.
Designed and manufactured by Vermont artisans, the Dyad products by Hubbardton Forge feature solid hardwood ash in an espresso finish, nested in contrasting planes of heavy steel. Rugged, locally milled wood, combined with heavy grade steel created a unique juxtaposition of authentic materials. The materials also provide both quality and durability for years of use.

The clean-lined, trans-modern, sculptural compositions of the Dyad series make for timeless accents that complement a wide variety of settings.
This is the fourth Pinnacle Award the ASFD has granted Hubbardton Forge. Previously awarded Hubbardton Forge designs include the Pierced Arc (2002), the Fullered Impressions (2004), and the Stasis (2005).
Hubbardton Forge is a Vermont-based manufacturer and marketer of high-end hand-forged lighting products and related accessories.

The Dallas Market was inspiring as always.
Since we are planning major exciting changes at our Form + Function retail location in Santa Fe, NM, we were primarily there to get ideas for our brand new showroom – and it was well worth the trip for that reason alone!As always Forecast had a great display in their front window: A huge birds nest of branches and twisted copper wire on a bed of moss with a backdrop of a gigantic floating feather signaling their new focus on “Organic Modern” design. Pendants and wall sconces with diffusers of cork, interesting hand made papers and other organic materials gave off their soft glow among the warm colorful glass shades.The interest in the newest developments within “Green Lighting” was apparent everywhere we went: LEDs, Compact Fluorescents in all shapes and forms.
We saw one exciting new product that we are planning on using in our new showroom: LED tape!! A thin tape with an adhesive back embedded with tiny LEDS. Can be cut with scissors every inch and used almost anywhere for indirect light effects: Coves, undercounter lighting, bordering stairs etc.