Roger Borg: Rethinking Neon Lighting
I’ve been hard at work here in the design studio these days. When I got a call from neon artist, Roger Borg, I was relieved to take a rest from the day-to-day to feast on some illuminating eye-candy.
Roger takes neon to a new level. He’s created some brilliant designs for the home, including this neon chandelier.
He’s been experimenting with various forms like this colorful table lamp and, as with the chandelier, a different take on the standard shade pendant.
He does his own things, too. The orange pendant light (left) and the yellow floor lamp are truly unique.
This is my favorite. It’s a pendant lamp. So very cool.
To see more of Roger’s work, including his neon signs, visit his personal site here. Or, visit his company’s site, 419 Neon. You can find Roger’s work at various retail shops. Or, shoot him an email and he’ll give you pricing. He can also explain what to do with the transformer, etc.
A neon chandelier? I’m thinking yes. How about you?
Restaurant Design: Salt not up to snuff
My last night in Baltimore was spent at Salt, a restaurant touted to be the place where the beautiful people go to enjoy both the food and the cutting edge decor. Hip decor? Great food? Gotta go.
The food was tasty. The decor? Well, see for yourself.
I felt like I was sitting under a Saturn 5 rocket. The restaurant is tiny – there’s no getting away from the green lighting.¬† What were they thinking? Green isn’t the best way to highlight food, or the faces of all those beautiful people (who seemed to have taken the night off).
What’s your opinion? How would you overhaul Salt? Or, perhaps it should is remain unshaken?
Reproduction Lightbulbs from Rejuvenation
Bare light bulbs dangling from the ceiling don’t exactly bring the word style to mind. Interrogation is more on the mark. What do you do with a pendant or other light fixture where the bulb is exposed for all to see? Time to break out reproduction carbon and tungsten-filament bulbs. You can find a nice selection at Rejuvenation. 
Carbon-filament bulbs debuted in the 1890s, and their soft glow illuminated homes until 1912 when the more powerful tungsten filament transformed the light bulb industry. Now they’re back.
Some older homes were built without a ceiling fixture at all – just a socket for the bulb. If you’re interested in maintaining an historic look, these bulbs are the way to go. However, they look best in simple fixtures that showcase their¬† beauty. The filament, shape and quality of light are what make them unique. Prices at Rejuvenation start at $12.00.
Here are a few choices from Rejuvenation, including their Burnside pendant ($113.00) shown in the photo at the top.
These also look great in semi-transparent glass fixtures like those made by Caleb Siemon.
Miami Gym designed by William Sofield
Let’s all go to Miami right now! I need to move there actually. Because I know my new hip would feel oh so much better if I were toning up at the David Barton Gym.
This photo essay is from last month’s issue of Interior Design magazine. I’m generally in love with all things Moroccan and mid-Asian things these days. Though it’s not residential, there’s still a lot to learn here, in my humble opinion – beginning with the lighting. As you look through the photos, try to imagine how different the space would look without the atmosphere created by the marvelous lighting.
Let’s go!
A pendant globe creates movement on the wall that leads to the locker rooms. Movement in a gym – there’s an idea.
Everything in the reception area is authentically Moroccan. Color is the star here. Deep indigo. And the mix of materials – woods, fabrics, and metals. It has the feel of a seraglio as opposed to a gym. Nice atmosphere.
Above the reception area, the star-sparkled ceiling takes my breath away. Again, this is a total light show. So the next time you think about overhauling your space, think about lighting first.
Again, recycled glass in the spheres create a graphic shape on the walls. It recreates the stained glass shapes of Morocco. Pretty cool, huh? The place to do this at home is a powder room. That’s the place to go over the top with drama.
Hey, this actually is a gym! Funny, this doesn’t look like the YMCA, where I work out (and I think they did a great job on that). Three cheers for designer Sofield’s team.
This is close to one of my favorite parts – the women’s locker room. How cool is this? See what a little rope lighting tucked behind those lockers does to the room? Awesome!
This is my second favorite area – the women’s locker room. How cool are those stencils? Very. The colors, the lighting – it all makes you feel so good you won’t care how many pounds you need to lose. Try this look in your bedroom or dining room. These are good rooms for drama.
The spa lounge gets its sense of movement from the different sizes of the colorful lanterns.
Men, how do you feel about the locker room’s entrance here? Masculinely understated, but it maintains the look. I guess men are embarrassed by drama in the lockers?
Here we see the spa area. I really need to be on that table right now. The tables are arranged in a row (next photo). The only I don’t like is the proximity to each other. I want to feel aloooone during my massage.
The look here is fantastic. Love the tents. Love the rugs. Love the tables and candles. It’s perfection. Just whisper. Shhhhh!
Has anyone been here? Make us jealous and speak. I also want to hear reviews on the design. Fire away.
images: eric laignet
Lighting design ideas
Last month I discussed ways to place furniture into separate groupings in one large room. How do you light that space? In the olden days, each room had a ceiling fixture in the center of the ceiling. Add a few table lamps and that was that. Now, designers look at lighting as yet another layer of the overall design.
Here are some inspirational photos and a few tips to get you thinking about using light to change the look of your home.
Ambient Lighting
Let’s start at the beginning – ambient light. This provides general lighting so you don’t trip over the furniture. Recessed lighting and/or a ceiling fixture accomplish this.
However, you don’t have to space the recessed lights evenly throughout the room. Instead, take a look at your room and think about what you’d like to highlight. If you have two groups of seating, placing the recessed fixtures over those will provide ambient light, but more dramatically. Putting the lighting dimmers gives you the freedom the add to the drama.
Ambient lighting can also be placed in such a way that it makes the room appear larger.
Task lighting
We all understand this concept. Each room needs to be lit so that we have enough light to read, or work, etc… Use a recessed lights with a focused beam spread,. Pendant lamps are both decorative and functional. The key is to make sure you have enough light without glare.
