Form Plus Function

Bedroom Lighting

There are many factors to consider when choosing the lighting for this very personal space.
This is the area of our home where we are our true selves, where we savor our private time alone or with a loved one.

Not only intended for sleeping, the bedroom is usually the space you get dressed, choose your outfits, curl up with a good book and relax.

Choosing the right bedroom lighting plays a major role in how comfortable you feel, not to mention your ability to choose matching socks! More »

Foyer Lighting creates a warm welcome

Let the entry to your house create a warm welcome for your guests!
Whether you have a grand entry or a narrow corridor, you can use lighting to make the entrance to your home inviting.
The right lighting can make a small space appear larger and a grand entry breathtaking.
With the open floor plans of today  the space is often not clearly defined in the entry.
This might at first glance make the lighting design tricky. But just keep in mind what you want to accomplish and things will fall into place. More »

Light Up Your Laundry Room

I want that laundry room!!!

Inviting, organized, filled with natural light.

Now let’s face reality:

In the majority of our homes the utility and laundry room is a neglected stepchild.
No wonder that the laundry basket has turned into a trip hazard and the ironing board is rarely used for ironing.

Lighting your utility or laundry room right can have a huge impact on how you feel spending any amount of time there. More »

Light up your Kitchen Island

Lighting your kitchen island has become an increasingly important choice in highlighting the form and function of your home. As the uses of kitchen islands have become more varied, you have your choices to create a beautiful effect for cooking, cleaning, homework, or socializing with friends and family.

From functional track lighting systems with colorful pendants to elaborate chandeliers, a large variety of light fixtures will work to create the atmosphere you want for this central hub in your kitchen. More »

Many of the wall sconces we show on our site have the three letters ALA in their description. You might have wondered for a second what this actually stands for and if it’s something you need to pay attention to when you choose your light.
ADA stands for The Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a law that was enacted in 1991 by the United States government.  ADA regulations require the owners of publicly accessible areas to properly accommodate people with physical disabilities.
ADA is not specific to lighting, but ADA regulations affect two areas of lighting, wall lights and hanging fixtures by creating standards for projection from the wall and clearance from the floor.
According to ADA regulations wall lights can not protrude further than 4 inches from the wall and must be mounted between 2’4” to 6’8” above the finished floor. Hanging fixtures must hang 6’8” above the floor.

Lighting manufacturers responded to this law by creating wall sconces with a slim profile like the outdoor light 6040 by Kichler.

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.

Lighting for the Aging Eye

As we age, natural physical changes of our eyes decrease our visual abilities.

The pupils become smaller and take longer to respond to changes in light levels, making it more difficult  to move from bright to dark spaces or to see details in dim areas.These are simple facts, something we’ll all have to deal with sooner or later.
So what do we do to address this issue when we plan the lighting for our home, the home of a loved one or a senior client? More »

Ron Rezek is one of the leading American product designers.
His state-of-the-art lighting as well as his ceiling fans show wonderful simplicity  paired with unique design and perfect functionality.
At Form + Function we have had the privilege of being able to surround ourselves with Rezek  pieces, lighting as well as ceiling fans for many years, well, decades. We started buying from Ron Rezek Lighting in the mid 80’s and added modern ceiling fans as soon as they became available.

What strikes me about Ron’s designs is that they are contemporary, yet timeless. In our showroom I am constantly changing things around and so many fixtures have a certain life span after which they feel dated. We have gone through waves of different styles, colors and designs that were the rave. But the good old classics by Ron Rezek have a quiet staying power firmly rooted in their good looks, superb quality and simple, straightforward design. More »

Modern Fan Co Cloud Fan

You have decided that you need a ceiling fan, you have browsed a lot of catalogs and magazines and have a style in mind. Now you “just” need to make a choice of a fan that combines form and function .

The problem is there are just SO many fan designs out there! Unique Fans that have that “wow” factor. Fans that make a design statement. Fans that plainly and simply help on your heating and cooling bills.

And the prices are all over the place from $49.99 to close to $1000.

What do you look for in a fan? More »

-Ceiling fan/light combination units that have earned the ENERGY STAR label are about 50% more efficient than conventional fan/light units.