Lighting & Home Automation

Lutron Homeworks Interactive Controls

2008-04-29T18:56:00.005-05:00

Imagine having your landscape lights slowly fade when the sun comes up as your bathroom lights power on with a soft, gentle glow to greet you as you rise. As you prepare for work, the lights in your bedroom and kitchen come at increasingly higher levels, helping you get into gear for a morning in traffic and a day in the office. While you read the paper over morning coffee, you can touch a remote and raise the shades to let the sunlight in. When you leave, simply turn everything off with a single button, and after a hard day’s work, turn them back with a visor control as you pull into your driveway.

Regardless of the time, day or night, Lutron HomeWorks gives you total control and optimal convenience in programmed, user-friendly task, decorative, and security lighting control.

Consider the benefits that this lighting control system can offer to your home, and how it will enrich your lifestyle by making your interior and exterior lighting systems a virtual extension of your thoughts, will, and desire. Illuminations Lighting and Design can equip you with this skillful blend of user friendly interface and state of the art software with a Lutron HomeWorks lighting control system. Built upon a foundation of 40 years in lighting control innovation, Lutron HomeWorks represents a true home automation lighting solution that is fully compatible with home security systems and home entertainment audio/visual devices. Not only will HomeWorks give you more freedom and choice when it comes to manipulating lighting effects and levels, but it also filters out externally induced voltage variance in order to stabilize lighting levels at the desired settings. This in turn helps to buffer your home’s electrical systems from intermittent power spikes and better protects your equipment from power spikes.

The strength of Lutron HomeWorks lies in three key elements integral to the system control software. These key elements handle the intuitive, timing, and personalized control elements of your lighting control system. Conditional logic allows the HomeWorks lighting control system the ability to behave intuitively, activating certain features of your program only after specific conditions have been fulfilled. Exterior low voltage lighting, for example, will only come on when system sensors determine it is dark. Different lights can be set to turn on at the push of a single button, indicating that it is time for lunch and dinner. They can even add music to the lighting theme to set the mood for guests! This blend of user control and automated functionality is enabled by flexible programming at the keypad control level and an astronomical clock that knows when sunrise and sunset will occur on any given day in your particular location. This tells the system to when to turn outdoor garden lights on at specific times before or after dark, and to turn them off again at a certain point at or around daybreak. Most clients feel this provides them with an additional layer of security lighting, because the lights can be set to turn themselves on before a person drives home after dark in the evening, or to come on just before sunrise when the homeowner goes outside to water the plants, work in the garden, or sweep the patio.

In spite of the high-end lighting technology that constitutes a HomeWorks control system, ILD makes the interface so user friendly that even children and guests can use the system. Lutron keypads can be engraved with labels that allow you to quickly remember, giving you quick, one-touch access to a 2-way command system that causes lights to respond in a fraction of a second. Because today’s eclectic homeowner centers so many of his or her activities in and around the home, Lutron HomeWorks is engineered on a custom, per client basis for multi-functionality and maximum flexibility. Lutron Home works controls are aesthetically pleasing and designed to blend into a multiplicity of decorative themes and interior designs. With simple commands to low profile wall units and remotes, you can change the brightness and tone of everything from art lighting in the living room to task lighting in the kitchen. When movie time comes, a single command can lower your projector screen, dim the lights in your home theater, and close the shades for an evening at home that rivals the spectacle of public theater.

ILD is a reputable, established, licensed Lutron installation vendor who will customize your Lutron HomeWorks system to the interior architecture of your house and the core activities of your personal lifestyle. It doesn’t matter either if your home is a newly planned dwelling pending construction, or an older, historical home with character and established personality of its own. With Lutron RF HomeServe technology, even homes with older wiring designs can be retrofitted with wireless Lutron Radio Ra technology that controls everything from chandeliers, floor lights, desk lamps, bathroom lights, and utility lights over washroom and work areas.

Click here to read more about ILD’s lighting control and home automation services, and call us Illuminations Lighting Design now for a free consultation and proposal of custom Lutron HomeWorks system tailor made for your personal lifestyle. Feel free to call 800-863-1184 for a lighting control specialist!

Specialized Texas Electrical Services

2008-04-25T15:29:00.006-05:00

Truly effective Texas electrical service requires much more than simple wiring and electricity. Today’s houses and buildings are so much more sophisticated than they were in the past; featuring more elaborate floor plans, more space consolidation, automated wiring and more custom interior architecture.

When you find yourself facing a basic or minor electrical problem, more than likely you would want to work with a local company in your area. It is usually more cost effective to go with someone within your own community who can be there on the same day or the day after, and who can show you a great deal of personal attention.

However, more extensive and complex services like whole house surge suppression, power backup, new home wiring and electrical emergency generator installation, often demand that small, local Texas electrical service companies call upon Houston-based Illuminations Lighting and Design to add their expertise, personnel, and training in a team work capacity to deliver a comprehensive solution to the eclectic Texas homeowner.

More advanced electrical service work that may not be available in your area can be obtained for larger projects by contacting ILD directly. The following represents just a few of the major project services we offer to large estates and custom homes throughout the Houston area and Texas Hill Country.

Electrical Home Remodeling
Surge Suppressors, Backup Power, and Electrical Generators
Your electrical service could be interrupted by any number of causes, chief among which are severe weather conditions unique to both Central Texas and the Texas Gulf Coast Region.

All along the Texas Coast, Houston, Beaumont, Galveston County are hit every year by tropical storms. At other times, we are hit by full force hurricanes. Residents of Austin, Texas, San Antonio, Brenham, TX, La Grange, Columbus, and Bastrop, Texas at times get struck by violent thunderstorms and hail, and many times face the threat of tornadoes.

Every house in Texas should be protected by multiple ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI).
A GFCI is a vital safety component that protects children and pets in much the same way that a circuit breaker or fuse protects the circuit panel. If the wire becomes frayed or gets wet, this can cause the power to suddenly spike. When a spike occurs, the GFCI immediately senses the upsurge and shuts down the circuit, thus minimizing the treat of electrocution.

Any time the power goes out completely in a neighborhood or small town in Texas, electrical service may not be immediately available due to inclement weather. In such an instance, having a commercial grade, dependable generator for emergency power can keep you in touch with the world and maintain the basic power requirements of your home until the power is restored.

Custom homeowners in Texas should strongly consider contacting a specialty electrical service firm like ILD to install a whole house surge suppression system. This will safeguard their investment in their home lighting systems and controls. Extremely remote locations often experience spikes in electrical service that can blow out circuits and electronic equipment in the home.

Again, this service proves to be of immense benefits to both Gulf Coast clients and Hill Country Clients alike. Everything from hurricanes and tropical storms to tornadoes and thunderstorms with hail can strike down power lines and send surges of high voltage straight into homes. By protecting your house with surge suppression, you can weather the storm without having to replace entire systems when the rains clear.

Advanced Electrical Services: Custom Home Wiring, Lighting Control, and Home Automation
Even the best Texas electrical service professionals often require training in skill sets beyond the boundaries of standard electrical work. Today’s home theater systems, whole house audio systems, and advanced home security controls require advanced knowledge of computers, security controls, lighting control software, and home theater components that can only be gained through cross training and partnerships with specialists who are familiar with these disciplines.

This is where Illuminations Lighting outshines its competition in advanced electrical services to Texas homeowners with eclectic tastes and highly customized home architecture. Our electric service professionals cross train and partner with our lighting control and home automation services, combining two divisions into one solid team when exceptional delivery power is required in the field.

Regardless of whether you need a new home theater, a Vantage control software upgrade, Lutron wallbox dimmers, or a Radio RA wireless lighting control system, you can depend Texas electrical service technicians and lighting design experts to lay the strongest possible foundation of service and functionality for any home networking, entertainment, or command control objectives your preference and lifestyle requires.

Illuminations Lighting and Design is a full-service vendor of Texas electrical service work, commercial and home lighting design, fine art lighting and lighting control and automation systems. Most of our electrical service work is concentrated in the area between Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Occasionally we go as far north as Dallas and Fort Worth for major projects, and we work nationwide as a lighting design and electrical service contractor for high-end lighting projects at resorts, hotels, country clubs, and exclusive restaurants.

Call us today for a free consultation at 1-800-863-1184. Consultants are standing by to assist your with any custom project in Texas.

Lutron Wallbox Dimmer Switches

2008-04-23T10:59:00.005-05:00

Wallbox dimmers are the basic building blocks of modern day light controls.

Wallbox dimmers by Lutron can be installed to replace standard light switches in every room of the house. This will place total control of lighting and power levels directly into the hands of the individual, and it will allow the homeowner to immediately begin saving money on electrical costs without having to replace every light in the home. This is important, because every homeowner only has two choices: retrofit the lights themselves with led or fluorescent fixtures now, or install wallbox dimmers and a lighting control system that will make incandescent lights less expensive to use and generate a return on investment that can be reinvested in new lighting fixtures when the new ban on incandescent lighting takes effect in 2010.

With the growing popularity of fluorescent lights as energy saving alternatives to incandescents, many people will opt to take the easy path of simply replacing their light bulbs rather than first considering the advantages of a Lutron wall box or Lutron Radio Ra light dimmers can offer them as the first step toward a whole new level of light. ILD encourages you to consider these options before spending money on new bulbs. It is important to realize that truly livable and enjoyable home environments depend greatly on aesthetics. While it is an established fact that one 13watt fluorescent bulb will give you the same amount of light as one 60-watt incandescent light, it is also a fact that standard fluorescent recessed lights are not compatible with dimmer switches or low voltage wallbox dimmer control units. The cause of this incompatibility lies within the design of a fluorescent bulb itself.

A fluorescent bulb requires less energy than an incandescent bulb because a magnetic ballast controls the flow of current that powers the bulb. This ballast allows the bulb to produce more light with less electricity, making it a very cost effective alternative to incandescent. Beyond cost benefits, though, fluorescent bulbs are limited in a number of ways. As we have stated, standard ballast technology is incompatible with wall box dimmers and therefore prohibits direct control of lighting levels. This is why fluorescent lights are mostly used in utility rooms and commercial buildings where decorative effects are not needed and a fixed level of functional light is all the facility requires. However, even in some commercial lighting projects, fluorescent lights have their limitations. They are not appropriate for green retrofit options, and they offer little aesthetic to homeowners unless fitted with very expensive dimming ballasts and matching fluorescent dimmers to make them work in tandem with wallbox dimmers.

Fluorescent lights add little or no aesthetic to home lighting design unless they fitted with very expensive color correcting lamps. Again, such exorbitant expenses are better spent on a lighting control system and Lutron wallbox dimmers that can reduce your power bills today now and still be compatible to any new lamps, fixtures, bulbs, or lighting control system software upgrades you invest in over the next two years.

Line voltage dimmers will make incandescent bulbs more energy efficient by performing a very similar function to that of fluorescent ballasts. At the same time, they enable you to turn existing home lights into an aesthetically pleasing lighting control and home automation system that will give you the ability to manually adjust the light to whatever levels he or she desires.

When the ban on incandescent lights becomes effective in 2010, all house lighting fixtures based on incandescent technology must be replaced with either LED and hybrid fluorescent equivalents. By that time, hybrid technology will probably have developed to a point that any Lutron wallbox dimmer can easily manipulate whatever type of light bulb retrofit you install in your home. However, the timing of multiple investments should always be considered, especially in today’s recession. Wallbox dimmers installed now will save you money on power both now and in the future. They will also increase the decorative appeal of your home by making it possible to create a more warm, ambient, and entertaining environment for children, relatives, and friends. When you do replace your existing bulbs in the future, you will be adding them to a home that is already optimized for function, aesthetic, and control with a Lutron Grafik Eye lighting control installation by experts.

Why not call a lighting control specialist at ILD to discuss the cost saving benefits of a Lutron wallbox dimmer versus an arbitrary retrofit of all the lights in your house? Get the aesthetic right and the lay the foundation for a whole new type and quality of lighting, and then let alternative technologies catch up with lighting design and control systems for a more robust, user friendly, and multi-dimensional lighting system come New Years Day of 2010.

Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting, electrical service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters, emergency generators, surge protection systems, phone systems and lighting control systems.

We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Call us today at 800-863-1184, visit our lighting blog or request a consultation online using our contact us form.

Restaurant Bar Lighting, Outdoor Landscape Hospitality Lighting & Design Services for Commercial Establishments.

2008-04-16T09:32:00.005-05:00

Restaurant bar lighting requires focusing on a number of essential elements that come together to create an effective, appropriate sensibility for this special place within your business. Fixtures used in restaurant bar lighting need to be energy efficient and avoid filling the room with too much light. Also, a number of interior design concerns must also be considered when lighting your restaurant bar. What shape is the bar itself? What is the total square footage of the bar area? What type of clientele does the bar attract, and at what time of day?

Answering these questions first will help you determine an effective strategy for creating a truly sophisticated, unique restaurant bar lighting system that is easy to control and customize to different seasons, occasions, and groups of people. Working with a licensed, professional lighting design and electrical service firm such as ILD also helps you achieve the very best results. Firms such as ours have access not only to the full gamut of traditional lighting fixtures and high-end lighting controls, but also to specialty lighting equipment and LED technology not available on the open retail market.

Lighting Fixtures
Restaurant bar lighting fixtures can range from the simple to the ultra-modern and classically ornate. The interior architecture, design, and overall theme of the restaurant will play a big role in determining what types of fixtures you select. In most cases, restaurant bar lighting fixtures tend to output lower than normal levels of light and tend to be low voltage devices installed with the intention of reducing power costs.

ILD will design you a system that is both practical and decorative at the same time, ranging from contemporary ceiling and recessed lights for high-end facilities, pendant lights and chandeliers for refined environments, and small specialty lamps for cozy, traditional settings.

Practical Concerns
Although the styles of fixtures employed in restaurant bar lighting tend to vary a great deal, the same practical considerations have to be taken into account in virtually every facility. Down lighting is a must for both patrons and staff because it provides the most effective and even source of task light that provides enough light to see without overwhelming the eyes. Incidentally, humans need only minimal amounts of light to move around, so lights over a restaurant bar and surrounding floor space can be very Spartan in their output and still produce optimal results.

Bartenders, however, need to see to make the drinks. In order to avoid disrupting the atmosphere, our designers often install low profile under cabinet strip lights that provide bright task light for mixing drinks and washing dishes. The only light the patrons might notice coming from these fixtures is a gentle radiance that emanates from behind the counter and actually works toward contributing to the mystique environment.

Very often as well, bars will have a mirror spanning the length of the back wall. This mirror helps visually expand the environment and merchandise wine and liquor. Lighting here represents both a challenge and a very high reward if you contract a firm that has the skills necessary to angle dimmable light indirectly at the mirror so as to avoid reflecting it back into patron’s eyes.

Lighting Control
Due to the large amounts of money generated by most restaurant bars, lighting controls are strongly recommended. A trained lighting control and automation expert can assess your interior architecture, calculate the necessary luminance to adequately light all of your floor space, and program different lighting themes into a central Lutron Grafik Eye, Vantage, or AMX control unit.

These controls are extremely easy to operate from concealed touch panels or wireless hand held remotes. They will allow you to use your lighting to set the mood specific to different crowds, occasions, and seasons of the year. Everything from Happy Hour, conventions and corporate events, and personal birthday parties can be augmented and accentuated with a lighting control system by ILD.

Special Equipment and Techniques
A final advantage to consider when thinking of installing your own lighting system or hiring a lighting design firm is the access to special equipment and lighting techniques that only a professional firm can offer you. Working with a multi-specialist firm such as ILD gives you access to lighting design strategies and equipment you may not have been aware of or considered.

For example, if your restaurant has a wood structure bar on the patio, patio lights normally used in outdoor settings can also be used for overhead and accent lighting of the eaves and beams. Any number of design themes can be implemented as well; from a decorative festive look using rope lights, to a tropical island look using LED signs and decorative candles.

Keep in mind too that LED technology of any kind represents both a high-end technical advantage and a low-end cost to the restaurant owner. LED requires only 20% the electricity of incandescent lighting, and sophisticated commercial equipment like Traxon panel lights can be substituted for a back wall mirror to create a multi-colored spectrum of changing lights. Our lighting control and automation team can also synchronize these panels with music, so that when the songs change, the lights change with them.

Multi-Specialization Offers our Clients More Options
ILD has worked for 25 years to become a leader in not just one, but five major lighting design and electrical service disciplines. As a result, we can offer our clients in hospitality, high-end resort lighting, commercial lighting, bar and restaurant lighting, hotel, and residential landscape lighting more options and more equipment than retail sources can provide..
We headquarter in Houston and work throughout Texas in Austin, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, San Antonio, Texas and all surrounding areas.

Contact us now toll free at 1-800-663-1184 for a free consultation. Please visit our lighting blog to read more about lighting controls, home automation, and specialty restaurant lighting and hospitality lighting design by ILD.

ASID Industry Partner - Illuminations Lighting is Houston's "One Stop Shop" for Professional Design Services.

2008-04-09T18:07:00.008-05:00

Illuminations Lighting Design is proud to be a member in good standing with ASID’s Industry Partner program. As a reputable, professional vendor, we shine brightly as one of Houston’s top lighting design consulting firms. ILD systems are built with the very best commercial grade equipment that blends practical functionality and decorative appeal engineered into every lighting design. Our lighting arrays not only look better, but also work better than competing, cheaper equivalents.

ILD specializes in five major lighting design services. More information on each of these services can be found at Illuminations Lighting Design.

Landscape Lighting Design Services
ILD is the only design firm in Houston to use four layers of light and completely “green” technology that ensures the future life and growth of trees and indigenous vegetation.

Lighting Design and Consultation Services
Home and architectural lighting systems by Illuminations Lighting and Design are intended to create a whole house lighting experience both within and around the structure.

Fine Art and Display Lighting Services
From private collections to museums and galleries, ILD’s fine art and display lighting features proprietary technology and superb levels of glare free, magical lighting effects.

Lighting Controls & Home Automation Services
Automation and on- touch control give the home user total command of his indoor and outdoor lighting. We operate as an installation vendor for every major lighting control manufacturer, including Vantage, Lutron, and AMX.

Electrical Contracting Services
Much of the equipment we install requires an electrical license to install. Our clients benefit from the one-shop convenience of a firm that can design the most sophisticated of systems and install all the necessary components.

Each area of service is staffed with outstanding experts that understand the impact their efforts have on your home. No other lighting firm is able to provide such a well-rounded service line. But do not just take our word for it. Just ask Lance Armstrong, George W. Bush, or dozens of other commercial establishments or residences, large and small, across the State of Texas who have enjoyed our services and provided lighting testimonials.

We are located in Houston Texas but provide hospitality lighting design services and outdoor landscape lighting maintenance in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

In Texas, there is only one name for professional, functional and artistic lighting: Illuminations Lighting Design.

Contact us today at 1-800-863-1184 to schedule a consultation.

Professionally Installed Deck Lighting, Landscape Lighting, Artistic Moon Lights from ILD in Houston Texas.

2008-04-08T11:14:00.006-05:00

Outdoor deck lighting transforms even the most simple decks and smallest gazebos into worlds of nightlife and surreal light. Home entertainment during Spring and Summer often sees a great deal of traffic in and around the garden, the pool, and on the deck. Outdoor lights in these areas help create safe areas for people to move about freely, and they add a special ambiance to home entertainment that lifts it above the bourgeois sensory pursuits of faux bovine popular culture.

Basic outdoor deck lights can be obtained at almost any hardware store and installed by the homeowner. More sophisticated, commercial grade lights and complex lighting arrays require the expertise and license of a professional commercial grade vendor and electrical contractor to become available to the individual homeowner.

Working with a professional electrical contracting and lighting design firm like Illuminations Lighting never limits the personal expression of the client. ILD specialists always listen very closely to the expectations and wishes of the client, then carefully study the architecture of the deck and the layout of the home’s exterior landscaping. With this information, they choose from outdoor deck lighting fixtures that provide optimal safety and optimal aesthetic compliment to the surrounding natural environment.

Outdoor deck lighting systems by ILD feature a unique combination of deck lighting design elements that collectively showcase the architecture, size, and activities of the deck as a prominent outdoor structure. Working from the outside into the interior of each structure, lighting specialists establish boundaries, model form, and finally add function and comfort to the system.

Setting Boundaries and Claiming Space
When people think of decks, they think of more than the wooden platforms. They think of the walkway leading to and from the deck, and of the areas just outside the rails and posts where they can mill around in conversation and revelry.

Professional outdoor lighting contractors pay attention to this often unnoticed, albeit very vital space by claiming it as an illuminated, virtual extension of the structure. A very simple, but nevertheless extremely effective way to do this is to attach post lighting fixtures to rails and columns. These outdoor deck lights shine light at a full 360-degree angle, casting a circle of light around the structure and creating a sense of elevated separation from the surrounding landscape.

Elevating Form to Festivity Space
Next, ILD professionals ensure that access points are safe and designate the surface of the deck as special space by installing step and in-deck recessed outdoor deck and path lighting fixtures. These flush-mounted, highly-impact resistant lights are made to be walked on and are ideal for decorating stairs, floors, and lower walls of the deck.

A common mistake that do-it-yourselfers often make is to install too many step and in-deck recessed lighting fixtures all over the place. This tends to backfire from a design perspective, making one’s outdoor deck lighting look like the inverted ceiling of an old 70’s disco and ruining the selective, ambient effect these lights are meant to achieve.

Lighting Design Professionals know how to avoid this mistake by calculating distance and angle in such as way as to strategically placing fixtures at key points on stairs, along walls, and in turns or elevation changes in the floor. This has the effect of creating corresponding and parallel fields of light that touch in places, overlap in others.

Illuminating the Festivities Within
Activity requires task light, which most often comes in the form of some sort of down lighting. Many outdoor deck lights look like indoor wall sconces and attach to posts, rails, columns, and interior walls.

ILD has a wide range of classic, modern, traditional, and contemporary outdoor deck lighting fixture designs that can be installed to reflect both the structure itself and the many personal elements of your lifestyle.

Serving All of the Houston Area
As spring becomes consistently warm again and summer looms just over the horizon, we see outdoor deck lighting increasing in popularity all over the Houston area. Clientele from Houston’s premier neighborhoods like Rice Village, Bellaire, West University, Memorial Villages, Royal Oaks, River Oaks, and suburbs such as Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, are staying home more and entertaining more in the comfort and private sophistication of home entertainment and home lighting systems by Illuminations Lighting and Design.

Call 1-800-863-1184 now to schedule a free consultation. You'll be glad you did!

Professional Outdoor Landscape Lighting Installations in Houston Texas by Illuminations Lighting Design.

2008-04-08T08:00:00.009-05:00

Houstonian's often assume that because a large number of nationwide, branded retailers offer enormous selections of exterior lighting fixtures for houses, yard decorations, and landscaping fixtures that they can save money by purchasing attractive fixtures and performing their own installations. This never pays off in the long run because retail-grade outdoor light fixtures are not built to withstand the elements, require lighting maintenance and they are also more difficult to connect to automated lighting controls like Lutron Radio Ra.

A professional lighting design company like Illuminations Lighting and Design carefully studies your home and surrounding property and spends extensive time consulting with you to in order to learn the many particulars of your personal lifestyle. Outdoor lights are chosen that will accent and magnify your home environment on an intensely personal level, and careful attention is paid to a number of very important factors that only a trained consultant can properly assess to develop a system of outdoor lights and lighting controls.

Theme and Style
The theme and style of residential lighting reflects your personal tastes, the physical style of your home architecture, the sizes and styles of the homes in your neighborhood, and even the geography in which you are located.

Houses in River Oaks often look like stately old-world mansions like fine art. Homes near Memorial often reflect early American or colonial architecture, whereas many two story houses in Bellaire feature of blend of traditional architecture and eclectic customization.

These architectural keynotes have to be considered when choosing architectural light fixtures in order to build a system with complimentary aesthetic. ILD professionals work to enhance the architecture and location of a home, never diminish it, with the physical style and size of the outdoor light fixtures we install.

Architectural and Whole House Lighting
Many outdoor lights have been specifically engineered to easily mount to the exterior of the house itself. Knowing where to put them, however, presents the greatest challenge to the home lighting installer. If the lighting angles are not calculated accurately, house lights will cause light pollution and glare that overwhelm the architecture and spill into neighboring yards and windows. Outdoor lighting contractors such as ILD are trained in special installation methods that enable them to install outdoor lights from concealed positions that place just enough light on the house without casting shadows or shining light into the house next door.

These trade skills prove extremely valuable in Houston suburbs such as Pearland, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land where families often have early bed times due to the need to get up early for long commutes and getting young children to school on time.

Landscape Lights
Outdoor light systems can be configured in such a way as to unite Nature and human architecture into a blended whole. Special outdoor tree lights, path lights, garden, and step lights can be installed along an illuminated network of natural vantage points that in turn serve as points of aesthetic definition and function as practical anchors for critical fixtures, transformers, and landscape lighting accessories necessary to linking system components together.

ILD is one of the few residential landscape lighting contractors that uses only environmentally-friendly outdoor lights and installs them using special techniques that protect trees from scarring and ensure their future growth.

In Royal Oaks, these techniques have worked hand in glove with special deed restrictions landscape and whole house lights in lieu of prohibited streetlights.

Deck and Patio Outdoor Lights
As homeowners cut personal fuel costs and increasingly entertain at home, deck lights, garden and patio lights have risen in popularity throughout Houston neighborhoods such as Spring Valley, Hedwig Village, West University, and Rice Village.

Decks and patios can be lit with minimal power costs by using a combination of led lights and lighting controls, making it possible to have cool-burning lights left on throughout the night into the wee hours of the morning.

Security Lights and Alarm System Integration
ILD professionals will make even the most powerful, High Intensity Discharge security lights cost effective by linking them to lighting controls and motion sensors that only turn the main floodlights on if human body movements are detected.

Perimeter lighting can be done by using a variety of low voltage lighting fixtures that keep shadows away from the corners of the house and yard.

We will also connect your security lights to your existing alarm system, and we can install manual controls that will enable you to instantly turn on every indoor and outdoor light in the event of suspicious activity or impending home invasion.

Working with the experienced professionals at Illuminations Lighting Design combines the value of commercial grade outdoor light fixtures and the advanced design and electrical skills of one of Houston’s premier electrical and design service firms. We offer landscape lighting maintenance agreements to keep your system in tip top condition.

Contact us today Toll-Free at 1-800-863-1184 for a free consultation. We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

Immediate Employment for Houston Texas Journeyman & Apprentice Electricians at Illuminations Lighting Design

2008-03-31T21:42:00.006-05:00

Illuminations Lighting and Design wants electricians who are certified, experienced, and/or willing to apprentice and grow under the supervision of a mentor. We have a number of specific lighting and residential electrician jobs for both the serious beginner and seasoned veteran to our industry.

ILD is a leader in the world of lighting and electrical design and is rapidly expanding into the high-end lighting market. We seek top-notch professionals with excellent written and verbal communications skills. The ability to listen and to explain advanced technical concepts in layman’s terms is a definite plus for any lighting electrician candidate, as all of these positions involve extensive consultation with a highly educated and diverse client base.

As our market and spheres of operation continue to expand, we need Houston Texas lighting technicians who can keep pace with our burgeoning growth. Bilingual candidates with a willingness to travel will be given first consideration. Experienced electricians will also be given priority, although we cannot emphasize enough the importance of attitude and a willingness to train under top-notch professionals and company-sponsored seminars in a variety of electrical contracting, home automation, landscape lighting, and commercial lighting technologies.

We have immediate positions to fill as follows:

Journeyman landscape lighting electrician
The ideal journeyman landscape lighting electrician has superb communication and consulting skills combined with technical savvy. This enables the landscape lighting electrician to listen to the “big picture” of what the client wants and works out the technical, logistical, and design details of a landscape lighting system.

Journeymen lighting electricians are innovators as much as they are technicians. They have a keen eye for creative solutions that deliver maximal visual impact and improve the quality of our clients’ lives. They take an action-oriented approach to building systems and getting the job done with results superior to those of our competitors. They also ensure maximum customer satisfaction by following up after the sun goes down to visually inspect their handiwork.

Residential Service Electrician
ILD wants an experienced residential electrician who is proficient in troubleshooting, remodeling and repairing home lighting, wiring and devices sought to serve Houston’s upscale residential market. This position requires a great deal of driving to neighborhoods throughout the Houston area from as far north as Conroe to as far south as Galveston.

A growing client base in the Hill Country is also beginning to blossom with the bluebonnets this year, so residential service electricians with excellent driving records and a willingness to travel as far NW as Austin will be given top consideration.

Residential Apprentice Electrician
ILD seeks experienced apprentice electricians that will assist in custom home wiring, lighting installation, landscape lighting installation, and home electrical panel repair. This is a great opportunity to get started an impeccable lighting and electrical firm that serves Houston’s upscale residential home market and leads the industry in excellence and reputation.

Residential Journeyman Electrician
Illuminations Lighting and Design offers a generous signing bonus to each qualified journeyman electrician. Ideal candidates are experienced journeyman electricians who are proficient in custom home wiring, lighting installation, and/or landscape lighting installation.

Electrical Technicians for Home Lighting Controls
ILD is looking to hire audio video technicians with job experience of any kind working with Lutron and Vantage control whole lighting systems. This position requires a demonstrated ability to tie advanced lighting design and technology in with home automation systems.

While on the job, veteran technicians in electrical design will teach you proprietary skills in fine art lighting, Lutron lighting controls, and computer networking that will hone your skills to expert level in a few short years. We will also show you how to install backup electrical power generators that tie directly into lighting design themes and home automation systems. These are advanced and highly specialized skills you can learn nowhere else but ILD.

All electrical construction jobs at ILD require you prove US citizenship, pass a drug Screen and maintain a drug free lifestyle, hold at least a Texas State Apprentice License, and demonstrate proficiency in the safe and expedient use of hand tools. We prefer electricians with experience in electrical service panel upgrades, troubleshooting, and any type of lighting and/or home automation design work. Reliable transportation and a clean driving record are a must due to use of company vehicles for jobs both in Houston and occasionally across Texas

Should you qualify for an electrical contracting, service, or design job of any kind at Illuminations Lighting, you will be compensated with a fair, competitive wage reflective of your experience, credentials, reputation, and accomplishments to date. We base salary on merit, and we pay it directly to those who merit a job as an electrical specialist on our team. We offer paid vacations and excellent benefits as well as ongoing training in new technology—all on the company’s dime.

ILD accepts resumes directly from qualified candidates only and does not accept solicitations from recruiters or contract third party organizations for staffing or payroll. Apply now by calling 713-863-1133 to get started with the best and brightest of Houston’s Electrical and Lighting Design experts.

We are located in Houston Texas but provide art lighting, landscape lighting and home automation services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

Landscape Lighting Employment, Houston Landscaping Jobs, Outdoor Electrical Light Design at Illuminations.

2008-03-31T21:05:00.009-05:00

Illuminations Lighting and Design begins the celebration of its 28th year in business with expansion in both services and personnel.

We currently have a number of landscape lighting job openings ready to be filled with expertise, professionalism, a willingness to mentor and grow, and finely-tuned knowledge of industry skills. Experienced electrical technicians with good work history will be given first consideration for these landscape lighting jobs, but a number of positions will also be filled with dedicated individuals looking to learn a train under the supervision of a mentor.

Landscape lighting and electrical construction jobs in Houston with ILD offer paid vacations, full benefits, and paid training for those ready to make a commitment to our client base, reputation for excellence, and willingness to expand the frontiers of our industry with new technology and landscape lighting design services.

Landscape lighting professionals are expected to be communicative and professional to both residential and commercial clients at all times. Since it will be necessary to drive commercial vehicles to and from client locations, we require all landscape lighting job applicants to have a clean driving record and show proof of a drug-free lifestyle. As an outdoor lighting contractor we ask candidates to provide a social security number as proof of citizenship and/or resident work status.

Houston Landscape lighting designers work hard at their jobs and receive generous compensation for their labor. Our salaries are competitive and offer plenty of opportunities for seniority and merit-based pay increases. As a leader in our industry, we provide on the job paid training in electrical theory, landscape lighting design and related cross disciplines in order to keep our professionals at optimal expert status for both commercial and residential landscape lighting jobs.

Because our client base is diverse and widespread, we give priority to bilingual candidates. We also prefer to hire landscape lighting technicians with a good understanding of both low voltage landscape lighting and a solid working knowledge of the sophisticated wiring methods necessary to install high voltage landscape lights. We expect our team members to bring above-average written and verbal communication skills to the table, as part of any landscape lighting employment involves explaining the proposed system design to the homeowner, business owner, or procurement and planning committee. The ability to listen is also a requirement for these positions; as many of our clients already have a visual picture for their new system clearly in mind and require your assistance in choosing the right hardware and configuration to make that vision a workable, technically sound reality.

Illuminations Lighting and Design accepts resumes from the candidates themselves. We do not outsource recruitment, hiring, or contract our payroll to any third party organization. We do not accept solicitations from recruiters or employment agencies of any kind. We hire the most promising and hard working people we find directly from an active pool, and we train and equip them to become experts in their disciplines.

While most of our business over the years has primarily come from in and around Houston, a growing number of high-end landscape lighting jobs in the resort, country club, outdoor restaurant lighting, and hotel lighting fields have begun to spring up all over the country. Candidates who express an unhesitating willingness to travel will be given special consideration for landscape lighting positions that service these burgeoning new markets.

Our main office is located in Houston Texas but provide art, landscape lighting and home automation services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

Apply today and get started on a whole new path of professional landscape lighting design and development. Give us a call at 713-863-1133 and let's go to work!

Art Lighting as Art with Illuminations Lighting Design.

2008-03-31T17:58:00.006-05:00

Can lighting be a form of art?
Yes, but in order to make Art lighting a form of art in and of itself, you must first understand certain scientific and aesthetic qualities of light. Light functions as the supreme universal constant, because the speed of light is the fastest attainable velocity that can never be altered nor exceeded. Because light always travels in a straight line, any obstruction in its path casts a shadow. To some degree as well, light always reflects off any surface it strikes, and this is what makes it possible for us to see any work of art. Light also can fill a space without consuming it, making it possible to use any form of lighting as art provided the angle of incident is aimed correctly at the piece. Improper angles will not only create shadows resulting from light spillage, but they will create glare as the beam reflects off the surface of the work back toward the viewer’s eyes.

How do I completely eliminate glare and shadow?
You can’t completely eliminate glare and shadow in artwork lighting, because no matter what you do, some light is going to reflect off the piece, and sooner or later, the light will encounter some sort of obstruction that casts a shadow.

What a skillful are lighting designer can do is create an angle of incident (the angle at which the light strikes an object) that will position any resulting glare and shadow outside of the viewer’s line of sight.

The old cliche “Out of sight, out of mind,” rings very true when approaching art lighting as an art form unique unto itself.

How do I determine the correct angle of incident for my photography and paintings?
To do so, you or your lighting consultant must think of angles from a three dimensional rather than a two dimensional point of view. Light striking the surface of art from a nearby fixture constitutes one angle of incident. The reflected light coming back to the observer constitutes a second. The two must be measured carefully in relation to one another if one is to determine the appropriate position of any picture lighting fixture. If the right balance is struck, then reflective glare and resulting shadow will be hidden from his or her line of sight, allowing for an uninhibited experience of light and art from that particular viewing angle.

What factors go into determining the ideal angle of incident?
The art lighting interior designer must take several factors into account when installing an art lighting system. To begin with, the designer must pinpoint all points of observation within a room where viewers will possibly be standing when they view various works. These points will vary greatly according to the environment and the type of room involved. Vantage points in museums are very different from those in office foyers and private living rooms. Next, the fine art lighting company or designer has to look at the surface of the art itself to assess its reflective qualities. High-end photographs and many types of paint will many times cause the surface of the image to have a “sheen” that acts as a virtual mirror, casting not only reflected color back into the eyes, but portions of the light beam itself. Recessed lights equipped with dimmers are often required for such artwork in order to disperse illumination sufficiently not to shine back into the eyes.

Thirdly, one very essential aspect of modern art lighting as art that many fail to even consider is the size and type of frame housing the piece. Lighting that comes from a fixture that is placed too high will can actually be blocked by the upper lip of the frame and cast what is called a “frame shadow” over the work. Often, something so simple as adjusting the level of the painting can often remedy this problem in home lighting projects, although in formal galleries this may not be an option, and special fixtures with complex reflectors and filters may be needed to create an indirect “wash” of illumination that results in both painting and frame being bathed in a radiant field of light as opposed to a bright beam of focused, direct light.

What is the best fixture to use if I want to design my art lighting as art?
Perhaps one of the most valuable tools available to the art lighting consultant is a high-end art lighting projector that allows for precision lighting level adjustments, comes equipped with advanced lighting filters and special reflectors, and has the ability to proportionately size a beam to the precise dimensions of a work. Although this does not completely eliminate glare and shadow (which the laws of physics mandate are inevitable with any form of lighting), it does allow the collector or curator more power to control these negative elements, or in some cases, even turn them into art lighting attributes.

For example, many painters such as Goya, and certain genres such as surrealism, rely upon shadows to emphasize themes connected to the dark side of man, or the apparent duality of Nature itself. Placing too much light on such artwork will diminish its statement by overriding elements of shadow that the artist intended to be present. Phantom art lighting projectors can be dimmed and adjusted for such works so as to create a “lighted from within” effect that preserves the artist’s use of dark elements and negative images, providing just enough visibility for the viewer to see the work and its key aesthetic elements.

Do you need help lighting art in your home or office?

Contact us to learn more about Illuminations Lighting Design and our fine art lighting services. We invite you to visit our lighting blog to learn more about the art of lighting art or call us toll free at 1-800-863-1184 now for a free consultation today.

Do you travel throughout Texas or just service Houston?
We are located in Houston Texas but provide art, landscape lighting and home automation services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

GRAFIK Eye Systems for Commercial and Residential Clients from Illuminations Lighting Design in Houston Texas.

2008-03-27T16:52:00.003-05:00

GRAFIK Eye 3000 and GRAFIK Eye 4000 series by Lutron offer theme-oriented lighting control to commercial and residential clients alike. These control systems create complex interplays between direct, indirect, functional and decorative light appropriate to mood, occasion, and room utilization. Such control allows a person to create multiple lighting themes using the same fixtures in a single lighting system. Keypad control units are programmed for whole house lighting control with one touch convenience to ensure safe, accurate, and instantly responsive operability for the end user.

Lutron GRAFIK Eye systems feature an intuitive memory that allows for multiple lighting scenes that can be programmed into the system. In one sense, this creates many virtual lighting systems from a single physical network of fixtures and wiring. Once lighting themes have been programmed into system memory, it is not necessary for the end user to remember which lights require specific settings. All the end-user needs to do is to select the appropriate lighting scene, and the control unit makes all necessary adjustments to the individual lighting fixtures within the room. Everything from luminance levels to fade in/fade out lighting control is accessed from simple buttons on a wall or tabletop control unit, or interfaced with a Lutron RADIO Ra system for wireless control.

However, the end user is by no means limited to strict parameters of any lighting scene. If necessary, each individual light on the system can also be adjusted manually for fine-tuning or special effects.

Lutron manufactures a number of GRAFIK Eye systems designed for both commercial and residential use. Hospitality lighting clients such as hotels and restaurants often rely upon these controls to create special atmospheres within their enclosed spaces. This helps to establish a resort, dining room, or even hotel foyer as a separate, special place removed from the grind of daily life.

Commercial clients of Illuminations Lighting design often requisition a GRAFIK Eye system for lighting control in executive offices and conference rooms. Most companies realize how important a first impression is upon a visitor and client, and they recognize the value in having not only impeccable lighting, but also flexible, custom lighting control in these areas to maximize emotional congruence to the occasion. Any number of lighting themes and adjustable lighting levels can be programmed into a boardroom lighting design to match agenda, activity, and presentation format. Executive office lighting can be adjusted to create an atmosphere of noticeable but nonetheless subtle tension for formal meetings or decorative ambience for less formal encounters or after hour’s visits with strategic partners and personal friends.

Residential clients who invest in a GRAFIK Eye system almost invariably report back to us that their house feels more like a personalized extension of their mind and lifestyle after our work is complete. The ability to make one’s own living space an extension of mental command is perhaps one of the highest conveniences a homeowner can expect from his or her investment in technology. ILD experts customize each scene on a room-by-room basis and also match those scenes to the activities and events that most frequently occur within particular rooms. Some homes, for instance, have elaborate custom kitchens for cooking and dinner parties. Others homes feature ornate custom architecture and rely upon whole house audio and home theater to provide entertainment for family and friends. GRAFIK Eye eliminates the need for the homeowner to become a self-educated technician because the interface is so quick and simple to use that no technical knowledge or skills are required to manipulate even the world’s most sophisticated commercial grade lighting fixtures.

Another arena where we are beginning to see a great deal of interest in GRAFIK Eye systems is in spiritual circles and houses of worship. With very few exceptions, almost the entire world’s many belief systems associate God and Divinity with Light, and some alternative spiritual paths believe that God and Light are synonymous. From a philosophical as well as an aesthetic perspective then, it makes sense that such an organization would want to have the very best lighting, and that they would want to adjust that lighting to be conducive to an attitude of prayer, meditation, and instructions in higher thought and morality.

Illuminations Lighting Design is a premier vendor of Lutron lighting controls and GRAFIK Eye systems for residences, office buildings, and hospitality oriented facilities. The exact controls used and the lighting themes preset within those controls requires dialogue and extensive consultation with our clients before final equipment selection is made.

Please visit our lighting blog to read more about lighting control, home automation, and specialty office and hospitality lighting design by ILD.

We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

Outdoor Restaurant Lighting & Commercial Landscape Lighting from Illuminations Lighting Design

2008-02-20T17:04:00.003-06:00

Many upscale restaurants offer diners an outdoor area in which to relax and enjoy a meal. In order to strike the right balance between functional lighting and ambient lighting, the lighting consultant must have a keen eye for design, landscaping, and exterior architecture. Everything from the height of the ceiling, the material build and proximity of adjacent walls, and decorations influence the type of fixtures and levels of light for outdoor areas of the restaurant.

Because these fixtures are continually exposed to the elements, it is strongly recommended that restaurant’s never use retail grade materials in their outdoor garden lighting designs. Commercial grade materials are designed to bear the brunt of the elements and are only available through licensed, professional installers. Hiring a lighting design firm like ILD may cost a little more than a do-it-yourself job, but it pays for itself in two years or less when you consider the benefits of minimized replacement costs.

A variety of fixture types can be used to light the outside of a restaurant.
Outdoor lighting systems frequently use wall sconces, patio lights, rope lights, step lights, and path lights around the perimeter of the restaurant. These lighting fixtures save money in many cases because almost all of them are available as low voltage devices. Some use LED lamps that make them even more energy conscious and almost impossible to break.

Decorative lights such as these can create a perimeter of artistic lighting that separates dining space from the surrounding landscape. Keeping illumination to a low, ambient level eliminates glare that can interfere with a clear view of an urban landscape or scenic resort locale.

Lighting creates mood and romance around table areas.
For romantic dining at small, two-person tables, LED tea lights are becoming very popular restaurant lighting fixtures. They resemble ornate candles and can be adjusted to different lighting levels. They are perfect for romantic moments.

For larger tables made for groups, pendant lights and chandeliers can hang suspended from the patio ceiling to provide down light over the table. These lights tend to create a “wash” of light that descends gently to the table, giving everyone plenty of light to see. Some restaurants will then position LED decorations on the tables for added color. Lighted ice buckets can grab the attention of potential guests as wine is served or to announce a birthday or anniversary. Low voltage recessed lights may also be used in certain instances for feature lighting of sculptures or fountains.

In some cases, where tables remain static, well-placed pin spots can illuminate tables with attractive dots of light. This does not work in a fluid setting, but it is well worth discussing with a lighting consultant if your patio features a static table layout.

Vegetation around a restaurant is actually a key part of its outdoor lighting design.
It is absolutely necessary to pay close attention to surrounding vegetation. A great many patios are built on, or even around, large trees. Well-placed tree lights and path lights configured with lighting controls can be used to set many moods and create different layers of light for outdoor restaurant areas in conjunction to a variety of events and special occasions. This requires working with a vendor like ILD that has experience in environmentally friendly tree lighting, garden lighting, landscape lighting in Houston.

Multi-Specialization Is the Key for Outdoor Restaurant Lighting
Working with an organization like ILD can ensure that outdoor restaurant lights are not only manufactured and installed with the highest level of commercial grade quality, but also configured in a way that truly compliments every unique element of the dining area.

Click here to read about Illuminations Lighting Design and our five specialized disciplines and how each of these brings something unique to the table in the world of high-end and five star restaurant lighting. We invite you to call toll free 800-863-1184 or visit our lighting blog to see how lighting can set the mood.