Architectural Lighting: Residential

Outstanding Achievement - Art Collector's Loft, New York

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:03:23 EST

Curvilinear forms and a luminous ceiling plane define this loft that is home to an art collector and his extensive collection of art and rare books.

A View on Wright

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 03:15:45 EST

The Darwin D. Martin House Complex (1903–1905) in Buffalo, N.Y., stands as one of the early shining examples of the Prairie School, as well as one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most elaborate residential designs.

Firehouse Engine No. 44, San Francisco

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:10:41 EST

Challenge: Transform a 100-year-old firehouse from a cavernous stable into a luminous residence

Modernist Homestead

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:07:09 EST

Eliot Noyes' New Canaan, Conn., house, a winner in the very first P/A Awards, is intact and admired but faces an uncertain future.

Cellophane House, New York

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:50:35 EST

What will the house of the future look like? Not a new discussion, this question has challenged designers well beyond the past century. The topic is revisited at the Museum of Modern Art's exhibit,

Solar Decathlon

Wed, 3 Oct 2012 01:55:37 EST

After months of fundraising, planning, designing, and redesigning, 20 student teams construct their solar-powered homes to compete against one another in the nation's capital.

Rustic Minimalism

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:39:05 EST

An Illinois barn is given new life and light as an architectural retreat.

Time Passages

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:40:38 EST

Layering light in a residential setting often relies on the light fixture as a decorative object. But in the case of this converted two-story commercial building, a contemporary treatment was requested.

Highlight: House of Sweden

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:37:43 EST

With the recently completed House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., this Nordic nation has created a “home away from home.” Located in Georgetown, on a prime waterfront site overlooking the banks of the Potomac River and bordering Rock Creek, the building celebrates the country's Scandinavian traditions of environmental awareness and design aesthetics that include a material palette of light, wood, stone, and glass.

Casa Cubos

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:02:45 EST

Drawing inspiration from its surroundings—the sun, the landscape, and the color palette of Mexico—Casa Cubos is a project uniquely rooted in its surroundings. For this design, architect Miguel Angel Aragonés' own home, the colors of a Mexican sunset shape the contemporary interior and exterior spaces creating a dynamic yet contemplative space.

Living with Art and Image

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:26:32 EST

It is usually part of the developer's marketing program for attracting residents to create a strong identity for the multi-unit residential building through a design that is related to the building and its location, beginning with the lobby,' says New York City-based lighting designer Dusti Helms. Helms has collaborated with Jay Valgora, principal of V Studio, also located in New York, contributing her lighting expertise to his firm's design of lobbies in two very different multi-unit residential buildings in the city. What the projects have in common is that the image achieved for each establishes an inviting first impression for passersby and a welcoming environment for residents to literally live with over time.

New Park West, charlotte, north carolina

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:45:03 EST

Challenge When architect/developer Anderson Pearson formed his one-person firm, his inaugural project was the New Park West condominiums, completed in March 2005. Sited on a corner lot, facing a busy street on one side and a quiet cul-de-sac on the other, the project presented many challenges. Among them was working with city officials and neighborhood groups to rezone the lot, from single-family to multi-family use, a process that determined much of the project's program: The units had to be family-oriented, have no less than two bedrooms each, and provide off-street parking. Pearson also hoped to create a memorable entrance to the neighborhood and make the development appear uncrowded on its half-acre lot.

An Alternative Vision of Home

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:21:26 EST

it's a bit of an odd story, really, it's not what you'd expect,' explains John Peterson, principal of Peterson Architects in San Francisco, and founder of Public Architecture, a nonprofit organization devoted to pro bono design work. He's talking about the origins of ScrapHouse (www.scraphouse.org), a 700-foot demonstration house constructed on Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall in June in conjunction with World Environment Day 2005, for which San Francisco served as host. One might think the project was conceived by a design professional, but in fact it is the idea of filmmaker Anna Fitch, as the basis for a documentary.

A combination of indirect light and modern pendants help turn an outmoded commercial building into urban apartments.

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:21:12 EST

huntsman architectural group's renovation of the landmark at Grant Avenue, one of the first office-to-residential conversions in San Francisco's central business district, stands as a testament to lighting's ability to alter an existing space for alternative uses. Designed by Coxhead and Coxhead and completed in 1908 as headquarters for the Home Telephone Company, the original 51,000-square-foot building combined industrial and office functions behind an over-scaled classical façade.

a simply luxurious retreat

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:20:26 EST

nestled among the custom multistory vacation homes of a small beach community on the New Jersey shore sits a subtle one-story retreat. As the third home of a busy professional who splits his time between Toronto and Philadelphia, an uncomplicated and low-maintenance space where he could also entertain was a must. Enter Philadelphia's Marguerite Rodgers, an interior design firm, and Sean O'Connor Associates Lighting Consultants, who joined forces to create just that.